White House Author

Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH, an internationally recognized researcher and spokesperson on Latino cancer health disparities, is a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where she also is founding director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research. She also is associate director of cancer health disparities at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center, a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Ramirez has directed many research programs focused on human and organizational communication to reduce disparities—differences in cancer rates and survival among Latina women compared to white women. Dr. Ramirez directs Redes En Acción, an NCI-funded national Latino cancer research network. Redes and her other projects have led to unique health communication models and interventions that have contributed to reducing Latino cancer rates and increasing Latino screening, clinical trial participation and healthy lifestyles. She also has helped pioneer the use of bilingual, bicultural patient navigators and promotoras to erase Latinas’ lag times between an abnormal cancer screening and confirmatory diagnosis and treatment initiation, while also increasing Latina survivors’ access to support services. Dr. Ramirez also mentors Latino students and fellows, contributes to the scientific literature and serves on several journal editorial boards. Dr. Ramirez has received many awards for her work to reduce cancer disparities, including 2007 election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. She is a member of: the Scientific Advisory Board, Susan G. Komen For the Cure®; Scientific Advisory Board, Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade; and Board of Directors, Lance Armstrong Foundation. She also is the former chairperson of the CDC’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection and Control Advisory Committee. Dr. Ramirez received M.P.H. and Dr.P.H. degrees from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health.