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DEAN’S MESSAGE
Institute for Health Promotion Research:
Real-time, real-world solutions for Hispanic health disparities
By Francisco González-Scarano, MD
The Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) in the UT other NCI-funded program, Redes En Acción: The National Latino
School of Medicine, founded in 2006, investigates causes and solu- Cancer Research Network. This program created a national and re-
tions to cancer and chronic disease disparities to improve Latino gional infrastructure for collaboration among advocacy groups, local
health in San Antonio and South Texas, and to develop methods that communities, researchers and public health professionals to stimulate
can be used nationally. cancer control research, training and awareness. Dr. Ramirez’s work
in the fields of behavioral science and health communications has re-
Built on a model of research, training ceived national attention, including membership in the National
and community awareness, the IHPR is di- Academy of Medicine since 2007 and a presidential appointment to
rected by health- disparities expert Dr. the National Cancer Advisory Board of the National Cancer Institute.
Amelie G. Ramirez. There, she oversees a
staff and faculty that have grown from the Hispanics tend to have lower income, education, access to health-
original 10 to more than 30. Its official care and insurance coverage than the majority population; this places
charter is to conduct research, interventions them at a greater risk for disease, and acts in conjunction with other
and outreach projects; train scientists and factors such as language barriers and cultural myths to influence
mentor students; and to communicate DR. AMELIE G. RAMIREZ health choices. According to Dr. Ramirez team’s research, this may
findings and disseminate tools among researchers, academics and the contribute to why Latinos are more likely to forego or delay timely
public. They use all of the modern means of communication: web- healthcare services for illnesses and injuries, putting them at risk for
sites, social media, news media, public service announcements, suffering worse health-related outcomes.
newsletters, educational publications and, of course, scientific articles
and reports. IHPR researchers have led more than 100 projects to The Census Bureau estimates that Hispanics will make up nearly
reduce health disparities. one-third of the U.S. population by 2050, and it has become even
more important to address the wide array of issues surrounding these
CAREER MISSION disparities. Recently, the IHPR and Redes researchers found that Lati-
In this area no one has more experience and knowledge than Dr. nas endure a lag in definitive breast cancer diagnosis and treatment ini-
tiation. We know that time-to-treatment impacts breast cancer
Ramirez, who has a doctorate degree from the UT School of Public outcomes. So the IHPR and Redes team conducted a randomized con-
Health in Houston. She also is interim chair of the department of trolled trial to test whether patient navigation would improve access
biostatistics and epidemiology at the School of Medicine, as well as to healthcare. Patient navigators, also known as promotoras, typically
associate director for cancer prevention and health disparities at the work with patients to explain and assist with scheduling appointments,
Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC), where she oversees understanding test results and treatment options, as well as connecting
program development, translational research, cancer surveillance patients with services like transportation and support groups.
data, recruitment, minority outreach and trial accrual. She truly has
made addressing Latino health disparity her career’s mission. OVERWEIGHT, OBESE CHILDREN
The trial proved that navigation can reduce Latinas’ times to di-
Before joining the school, Dr. Ramirez directed the NCI-funded
National Hispanic Leadership Initiative on Cancer: En Acción. This agnosis and treatment and significantly increase the proportion of
was a nationwide study that initiated the first comprehensive assess- Latinas initiating treatment. Navigation indeed is likely to have saved
ment of cancer risk factors among the major populations of Hispanic the lives of many local Latinas.
men and women and implemented state-of-the-art cancer prevention
and control strategies that were specifically tailored to them. In another important health area, an estimated 39 percent of Latino
children (ages 2-19) are overweight or obese (a higher percentage than
Since 2000, Dr. Ramirez has served as principal investigator of an- whites and African Americans). This group is at a much higher risk
28 San Antonio Medicine • August 2015 Continued on page 30
