Webinar: How Do Certain Behaviors Impact Cancer among Latinos?



You are invited to join a webinar to learn more about how certain behaviors impact Latino cancer incidence, causes, and effects. The webinar, at 11 a.m. CST (9 a.m. PST) on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, will explore the interaction of race/ethnicity, social class, acculturation, and English language fluency, and how these social constructs may interact with genetic variation and the social definition of race and ethnicity in determining cancer rates. Behavioral factors, such as tobacco use, physical activity, alcohol use and screening behavior will be discussed. The webinar is hosted by researchers of Redes En Acción, a national Latino cancer research network funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health ...

Read More

Video Series: The Mind-Boggling Burden of Latino Cancer



A unique new five-part video series explores the nuances of cancer in Latino populations. Part 1: Demographics Part 2: Disparities Part 3: Cultural Values Part 4: Physical, Emotional Concerns Part 5: Supporting the Needs The videos, produced by the Nurse Oncology Education Program (NOEP), feature several researchers at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, including IHPR Director/Professor Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, Research Instructor Sanrda San Miguel, and Patient Navigation/Promotora Guadalupe Cornejo. The trio also play large roles in the IHPR's Latino cancer research network, Redes En Acción, funded by the National Cancer Institute. Here are Parts ...

Read More

For Latinas, Patient Navigation Can Speed Breast Cancer Diagnosis


promotora patient navigator

Extra support for patients, called “patient navigation,” can lead to faster diagnosis for Latinas after an abnormal mammogram result, according to a new study by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR), part of the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The study, published this week by the journal Cancer, also suggests that patient navigation should be carefully targeted to have the greatest impact on eventual health outcomes. IHPR researchers worked with partners in the federally funded Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Network to examine the experiences of 425 Latinas in six cities nationwide. Each woman had received an abnormal result in initial breast cancer screening and was referred for further ...

Read More

Promotora of the Year: Marynieves Diaz-Mendez



Marynieves Diaz-Mendez has been selected as the 2011 LIVESTRONG Promotora of the Year. Diaz-Mendez, a trained physician in her native Cuba, is a promotora—or trained community health educator—who has been working with Redes En Acción in the California Bay Area to increase Latino cancer survivors’ access to and knowledge of LIVESTRONG national navigation services. Redes En Acción is a national Latino cancer research network led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. LIVESTRONG, founded by cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, connects cancer patients and survivors to the support they need, leverages funding and resources to spur innovation and engages communities and leaders to drive ...

Read More

Why Should Latinos Consider Joining a Cancer Clinical Trial?



Watch Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, talk about why Latinos should consider participating in a cancer clinical trial. The video is in Spanish: Learn more about Latino cancer here. You can also join Dr. Ramirez' Redes En Acción network, a National Cancer Institute initiative to combat cancer among ...

Read More

Community Health Workers: Helping Latinos Navigate the Medical Maze



A community health worker (CHW) helps patients—in San Antonio, that typically means Latino patients—navigate the complex world of cancer care, according to a San Antonio Express-News article about CHWs. The article focuses on Guadalupe Cornejo, a CHW at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Cornejo is partialy supported through the IHPR's Latino cancer research network, Redes En Acción, via a partnership with LIVESTRONG. Cornejo's job includes answering questions, helping patients make appointments and apply for services and, when necessary, acting as a liaison between patients and the medical system. “Research has shown that this population is more likely to fall through the cracks when it ...

Read More

Latinas, Get Yourself a Life-Saving Gift This Holiday Season



Latinas, here's a reminder to get yourself a holiday gift that can save your life—your annual mammogram, which can detect breast cancer early, when it's most treatable. Watch a true-to-life public service announcement here or below to see why, despite busy lives and a bustling holiday season, Latinas ages 40 and older should set aside time to take care of their own health and get their mammogram: This PSA is brought to you by Redes En Acción, the national Lation cancer research network, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Please tell us what you ...

Read More

Lance Armstrong Celebrates Progress Made by Redes En Acción, Others to Reduce Latino Cancer



Cyclist and cancer prevention activist Lance Armstrong visited patients and met with researchers to discuss the Latino cancer burden in San Francisco on Sept. 21 in a visit facilitated in part by Sandra San Miguel, a research instructor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Armstrong met with the researchers of the northwest site of the IHPR's Latino cancer research network, Redes En Acción, including researchers Drs. Eliseo Pérez-Stable and Anna Nápoles and promotora Marynieves Diaz-Mendez. Armstrong called his meeting with Redes researchers "incredible," and lauded the Redes/LIVESTRONG National Promotores Education and Outreach project. The project has identified and trained bilingual ...

Read More

IHPR’s National Latino Cancer Research Network Gets $5.6M to Expand Fight Against Cancer



After a decade of success reducing Latino cancer through research, training and education, locally based Redes En Acción: The National Hispanic/Latino Cancer Research Network has received a new $5.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to bolster and expand its cancer-fighting efforts. Redes En Acción, launched in 2000, is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Redes has regional sites in Miami, New York, San Diego and San Francisco along with its online network of more than 1,800 researchers and advocates from across the U.S. In 10 years, Redes has successfully tested novel interventions to improve access to cancer care and screening. It’s trained the ...

Read More