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Cancer screening can save lives by detecting cancer early, when it’s most treatable or before it starts.
Find out what you should know about cancer screening at UT Health San Antonio’s webinar, “The Thing that Could Save Your Life,” at 1 p.m. Central on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
The webinar will feature experts from the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, Genentech, and a Latina cancer survivor, who will explore available cancer screenings and how to access them in South Texas and beyond.
Panelists will examine common myths and barriers to routine cancer screening, including the non-medical drivers of health, and strategies to overcome those myths and barriers. Panelists will also share other cancer prevention strategies from risk reduction and participating in clinical trials.
This is a part of a webinar series, “Let’s Improve Health in South Texas and Beyond.”
The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Genentech.
Learn about the Speakers for this Webinar on Cancer Screening and Cancer Prevention
Here are the panelists for the webinar.
Panelist presentations and a discussion were moderated by Dr. Amelie Ramirez.
Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH (moderator), is an internationally recognized researcher in Latino health promotion. She is director of Salud America! and its home base, the Institute for Health Promotion Research in the Department of Population Health Sciences at UT Health San Antonio. Ramirez has spent over 30 years directing research on human and organizational communication to reduce chronic disease and cancer among Latinos. Expertise includes cancer risk factors, clinical trial recruitment, tobacco prevention, obesity prevention, and promotion of health. She also is associate director of cancer outreach and engagement at the NCI-designated Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio.
Jessica Treviño Jones, MD, is an associate professor in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at UT Health San Antonio and a breast medical oncologist at Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is also the founder and director of Mays Cancer Center’s Cancer Risk Reduction and Education Clinic. After earning her medical degree from UT Health San Antonio, Jones completed a residency in internal medicine followed by a hematology-oncology fellowship with a focus on breast cancer. She is a first-generation Latina college graduate. Jones began her career at UTHealth Houston, where she pioneered the McGovern Medical School’s Breast Cancer Prevention Program, emphasizing proactive healthcare strategies. Her commitment to education earned her the prestigious Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Presidential Scholar award during medical school and subsequent accolades, such as the Dean’s Special Recognition for Teaching Excellence. Jones collaborates with research clinicians across Texas, including UT Health Rio Grande Valley. As a breast oncologist and cancer prevention expert, she focuses on risk reduction, adherence and improving the quality of life for her patients, particularly those in underserved communities at higher risk of breast cancer.
Marcela Mazo Canola, MD, is a specialist in hematology/oncology at the NCI-designated Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Mazo obtained her medical degree from CES University in Medellin, Colombia in 2007. At UT Health San Antonio, she completed a year of research followed by her internship and residency in internal medicine, then fellowship in hematology/oncology. In 2012, she was awarded Outstanding Resident Medicine Clerkship at the university. Her research interests are solid tumors malignancies in the Latino population, as well as the different health disparities that affect our community. Dr. Mazo has certifications in the American Board of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Society of Hematology (ASH).
Brittney Millard is a Latina cancer survivor breast cancer diagnosis was a life-changing event. Although she faced many hardships, her experience gave her the passion to advocate for other cancer survivors. Millard has since served as an intern at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. “It’s really what’s in your heart. You can advocate for people you know in your daily life, just spreading awareness and taking initiative,” Millard said. Read her full story and watch her video testimonial here.
Behind the Webinar Series on Health
The “Let’s Improve Health in South Texas and Beyond” webinar series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Genentech.
Salud America!, headquartered at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, is a national Latino-focused organization that creates culturally relevant and research-based stories, videos, and tools to inspire people to start and support healthy changes to policies, systems, and environments where Latino children and families can equitably live, learn, work, and play.
The Mays Cancer Center, also called the UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, has a mission to decrease the burden of cancer in San Antonio, South Texas and beyond. We bring South Texas a level of exceptional care that is comparable with the nation’s most respected programs. More patients put their trust in our program because we have a unique understanding of our community’s cancer care needs. We excel in delivering advanced therapies.
Founded more than 40 years ago as the first biotechnology company, Genentech is dedicated to the rigorous pursuit of science and the development and delivery of life-changing medicines for people facing serious diseases. Headquartered in South San Francisco, California and a proud member of the Roche Group, our community is united by a common purpose and sense of urgency to transform the future of healthcare. Learn more at gene.com.
By The Numbers
142
Percent
Expected rise in Latino cancer cases in coming years