Champions of Change
Elmer Huerta MD is the Director of the Cancer Preventorium at, MedStar Washington Hospital Center’s Washington Cancer Institute in Washington, DC. Noticing that his patients with advanced cancer knew more about soap operas and soccer than cancer prevention basic knowledge, he has dedicated 27 years to promote disease prevention and early detection to the public using the media. At his Preventorium, founded in 1994, he has seen over 32,000 people, mostly poor and uninsured Latinos, for prevention and early detection. Through multiple media interventions, Dr. Huerta, author of “La Salud Hecho Fácil,” is a trusted source of health information for Spanish-speaking people in the U.S. and Latin America. Dr. Huerta is also former President of the American Cancer Society.