Latino Health in Focus: Taking Aim vs. Breast Cancer, Obesity, Disparities



Find the latest advances in Latino health—from cancer survival to solving park access to how to improve mental health—in the IHPR Noticias E-newsletter. IHPR Noticias has lots of info on the latest local and national health disparities-related news, resources and events: Story: Latinas—10 Years after Breast Cancer Survival (Pg. 1) Profile: Mentees Promote Healthier Lifestyles in San Antonio (Pg. 2) Story: Latino Researchers among Recipients of $8 Million in Grants to Study Cancer (Pg. 3) Scholarships: How to Fight Health Disparities in Your Area & Get a Scholarship for It! (Pg. 4) Story: How to Solve San Antonio’s Low Park Access Score (Pg. 6) Story: White Students Now a Minority in School; Hispanic Numbers Surge (Pg. 8) Resources: Tackling Mental Health, ...

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Apply Now for the 2015 Éxito! Research Training Program



Apply now for the 2015 Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Éxito!, a program of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will select 20 master’s-level students and health professionals from across the nation to attend a five-day summer institute June 2015, in San Antonio, offering research information, tools, tips, role models and motivation to encourage participants to pursue a doctoral degree and a career studying how cancer affects Latinos differently. Master’s-degree students or master’s-trained health professionals are encouraged to apply. Since launching in 2011, Éxito! has had 78 participants. Nearly 40% of all program graduates have applied to doctoral programs and 27% are ...

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Study: Informative Videos Boost Clinical Trial Awareness in Latina Breast Cancer Patients



Latina breast cancer patients given information about clinical trials in multiple ways, including a culturally sensitive video on breast cancer clinical trials, had much greater awareness of trials than patients who got usual-care information, according to new data. After receiving the extra information—an interactive video about clinical trials, a bilingual booklet, and access to a patient navigator who can help answer their questions—the proportion of Latina breast cancer patients taking steps toward participating in a clinical trial increased from 38% to 75%, according to the study. The study was led by researchers from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (the team behind SaludToday) and presented at an ...

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Here’s How to Help Fight Health Disparities in Your Area (& Get a Scholarship for It!)



A regional health disparities research program has unveiled a new website, membership opportunity, and scholarships under the direction of Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Dr. Ramirez’ program is called GMaP Region 4. It is one of six regional GMaPs (or Transdisciplinary Geographic Management Programs) funded by the National Cancer Institute to bring together local networks of investigators to collaboratively identify and address health disparities in regions across the country. GMaP Region 4 is enhancing local communication, recruitment, and evaluation capacity to support health disparities research, training and outreach in Arizona, New Mexico, ...

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10 Years (and Counting!): Latinas v. Breast Cancer



Julie La Fuente Louviere of San Antonio has fought—and survived—three bouts of breast cancer. She doesn’t let cancer keep her down. The wife and mother of two has lost weight, ran a half-marathon, celebrated 25 years of marriage, turned 50, become a grandmother, and watched her oldest graduate from law school. "Survivorship means I am able to wake up every morning and be a wife to my husband, a mom to my girls, now a glam'ma to my grandson and loving aunt and sister," Louviere said. "It means I can be an active part of the present and never take life's moments for granted." Louviere is among the 16 local Latina survivors who will celebrate a decade of cancer survival, triumph, and resiliency as part of the 10th anniversary of Nuestras Historias. Nuestras Historias, a 2004 ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 10/14: “Latinas and Breast Cancer: Surviving & Thriving”



Breast cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of Latinas in the U.S. Let’s focus on Latinas and tweet about the latest progress in breast cancer research, the importance of breast cancer risk, screening and the survivorship experience at the next #SaludTues Tweetchat. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Latinas and Breast Cancer: Surviving and Thriving” DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014 TIME: Noon CST (1:00 PM ET) WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludToday CO-HOSTS: @SusanGKomen, @KPVivaBien, @KPShare We’ll open the floor to your stories and experiences as we explore: Why is breast cancer such a big issue for Latinas? What roles do culture, screening habits, and lifestyle factors play for Latinas? What are some of the best ways to improve Latinas’ ...

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Tweetchat Today (9/16): How to Create a ‘Culture of Health’ for Latinos



Editor's Note: #SaludTues is a weekly Tweetchat hosted at 1 p.m. every Tuesday on Twitter by @SaludToday, the Latino health social media campaign of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday and Salud America!. Latino health is vital. But Latino families face barriers to good health—lack of access to care, parks, healthy food, as well as more junk food marketing and sugary drinks—which contribute to high obesity rates. Today let’s tweet about the issues that impact our health and well-being during Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) and what we can to create a culture of health for Latino families at the inaugural #SaludTues Tweetchat. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “How to Create ...

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What the Heck is #SaludTues?



Please join #SaludTues, a new weekly Tweetchat series about Latino health (salud)! The series, which takes place every Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET (12 P.M. CST) every Tuesday, will feature any Latino health issue can be a topic for the #SaludTues chat, from heart health, childhood obesity, nutrition and physical activity, access to health care, education, culture of health, etc. Chats are hosted by @SaludToday, the Latino health social media campaign directed by the team at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and two co-host experts or organizations. When is #SaludTues Tweetchat No. 1? On Tuesday, Sept. 16, let's tweet about what we can to create a culture of health for Latino families at the inaugural #SaludTues chat and ...

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Latino Researchers among Recipients of $8 Million in Grants for Cancer Research



Several Latino researchers were among those awarded $7.6 million to prevent cancer this week at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, thanks to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the Health Science Center, the team behind SaludToday, was awarded a $1.4 million grant. Ramirez will develop bilingual, culturally appropriate social and mobile messages and channels to recruit young adult Latino smokers to sign up for a text-message-based tobacco cessation service. “Smoking is a problem among young adult Latinos in South Texas, but there are no culturally relevant programs that utilize Latinos’ heavy usage of social media and texting to help them quit," Ramirez said. ...

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