More than a facelift
The Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents have allocated more than $95 million to modernize and renovate buildings at the Health Science Center.
The project is expected to take about three years to complete.
Much of the work will center on the 1.4 million-square-foot medical/dental education building, one of the oldest buildings on campus, constructed in 1968. The nursing education building, more than 40 years old, also will receive updates.
“Even though [the nursing education building] was expanded in 1996, it is quickly becoming obsolete due to increased enrollment, curriculum changes and significant mechanical and safety code changes,” said Michael E. Black, senior executive vice president and chief operating officer. “These system upgrades will allow us to modernize prioritized educational, research and related administrative space within these buildings.”
Tuition revenue bonds will cover $80 million of the cost, and another $15.4 million will come from Permanent University Funds.
“With these much-needed infrastructure upgrades, we will be able to effectively repurpose space to augment our educational and research initiatives,” Black said.
The project also will include laboratory and other renovation projects.
Breaking new ground
In the Health Science Center’s newest building, classrooms enable real-time observation of procedures, complex surgeries and clinical simulations in a dynamic, discussion-based
learning atmosphere.
The $51.2 million Academic Learning & Teaching Center was dedicated in February. At 130,000 square feet, it features more than 33 modern classrooms and strategic learning spaces, and a state-of-the-art digital anatomy laboratory with 3-D interactive imaging capabilities. It also includes a restaurant.
“As health educators, we have seen a massive explosion in knowledge,” said Health Science Center President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP. “The Academic Learning & Teaching Center is one of the nation’s most advanced learning environments, a worthy place to train the health care providers South Texas needs.”
Classrooms range in size from the area of a football field that can accommodate 280 students to seminar rooms that seat 12 to 18.
“Unique to this new teaching environment, there is no front or back of the classroom—it is an integrated space linked by technology,” said Francisco González-Scarano, M.D., dean of the Long School of Medicine and executive vice president for medical affairs. “The interaction this inculcates will enhance students’ ability to gain mastery of complex concepts of health care, both in the Long School of Medicine and throughout the Health Science Center.”
Delving deep
Gross anatomy students can peel back the layers of a human body with the use of a video game controller.
A digital anatomy laboratory in the Health Science Center’s newest building, the Academic Learning & Teaching Center, allows students to view CT scans and MRI images of normal and diseased bodies and view them in 3-D. It’s all controlled through the use of a video game controller attached to a laptop computer.
Students can rotate images, zoom in and out, add filters to isolate certain tissues and generate a virtual cross-section in any plane. The images are projected onto multiple screens in the lab, and 3-D goggles allow the images to come to life.
The lab contains 84 stations for student learning and will be used to reinforce the concepts and anatomical relationships that students are taught in gross anatomy labs.
“This visualization system enhances the educational experience beyond what we can do in the gross anatomy lab,” said Omid Rahimi, Ph.D., director of the human anatomy program and a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology. “[In a typical lab] you can’t pick up a set of blood vessels in isolation of other tissues and rotate them in front of your face. This tool allows students to do that. We are certainly excited about it.”
The lab, one of only a few in the country, will complement students’ understanding of the structure and function of organs, bones, muscles, nerves and tissues they are studying.
Viva Fiesta!
It’s called the Party with a Purpose, the two-week long Fiesta San Antonio festival that began 125 years ago as a remembrance of the heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto.
For the first time in many years, the Health Science Center joined in the festivities by sponsoring a float during the Texas Cavaliers River Parade, themed “River of Champions,” on the San Antonio River downtown. The university’s float, titled “Champions of the Cure,” honored Dot Delarosa, a lung transplant survivor, and 14-year-old Raven Labrador, a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Others on the float included Health Science Center President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, and his wife, Mary; Presidential Ambassador Scholars Award recipients; and the band Morning, led by dentistry faculty member Bud Luecke III, D.D.S., M.S.D.
The money raised through the parade is donated to children’s charities in the San Antonio area through the Texas Cavaliers Charitable Foundation.
A gift of hope
A $1 million gift from Ed and Linda Whitacre will support the pilot cancer therapeutic clinical trials program at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) as well as fund an education and awareness campaign to highlight the clinical trials and expertise available to patients battling cancer.
Increasing the number of clinical trials for cancer patients in San Antonio and South Texas, and raising awareness among patients and physicians of new innovative therapies are among the central goals in the CTRC’s strategic plan.
Ian M. Thompson Jr., M.D., director of the CTRC, said the gift is critically important for the CTRC to ensure delivery of the cancer center’s responsibilities to patients in San Antonio and South Texas as the region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.
“We are deeply grateful to Linda and Ed Whitacre for their generosity in helping us provide the most advanced new therapies for our patients and ensuring that every single patient in San Antonio and South Texas is aware of these unique opportunities,” he said. “Their gift will accelerate the development of new cancer cures through the work of our extensive teams of scientists and physicians, the same ones who treat our patients every single day at the CTRC.”
President's Council
Since 1992, contributions to the President’s Council have provided more than $7.5 million to faculty and student programs.
“The vision for our Health Science Center and each of its five schools is to ensure we rank among the elite academic health science centers in the nation,” said Health Science Center President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP. “Contributions to our President’s Council have propelled our university to prominence in all of our missions of education, biomedical research, patient care and community service.”
Gifts are invested in awarding scholarships to students, advancing groundbreaking research, supporting faculty, establishing endowments and more.
Learn more about the President's Council
President’s Council Members 2015
Lifetime $500,000+
The Ewing Halsell Foundation
Greehey Family Foundation
$10,000+
Malú & Carlos Alvarez
Katherine & Walter F. Brown Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. James C. Browning
Chartis Group
Margie & Bill Klesse
Lucifer Lighting Company/
Mr. Gilbert Mathews
Mr. & Mrs. Harvey E. Najim
Robert L. Oliver
J. T. Vaughn Construction Company
Mr. Mike Simpson
Dee & Jack Willome
Martha L. Wood, Ph.D.
$5,000+
Robert A. & Kathey K. Anderson
Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. William D. Balthrope
Mr. & Mrs. Russell C. Beard
Catherine & Francis Burzik
Kris & Jim Ellis
Dr. & Mrs. Gilbert J. Garcia
Mr. & Mrs. John D. Graham
Mr. & Mrs. Jack E. Guenther
Mr. & Mrs. Freddy Randall Hiley
Jan & Bob Marbut
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas I. O’Connor
Harris K. & Lois G. Oppenheimer Foundation/Mrs. Claire O. O’Malley
Mr. & Mrs. George P. Parker Jr.
Dr. Neela Kumari Patel
Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation
Dr. Sharon Kay Rosenthal
Mrs. Mary Patricia Stumberg
$2,500+
Mrs. Barbara J. Banker
Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Cheever Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Bartlett Cocke Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. Elias Dickerman
The Douglass Foundation
Ms. Lisa Friel
Mrs. Helen K. Groves
Mrs. Sally Halff
Mr. & Mrs. Michael D. Harper Sr.
Dr. Peter John Hart
Mr. & Mrs. Joe N. Haynes
O’Connor & Hewitt Foundation
Karen & Tim Hixon
Mrs. Juana E. Hollin-Avery
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Humphreys
Dr. & Mrs. Syed Adil Husain
Dr. & Mrs. Charles R. Leone Jr.
Drs. Janna Lesser & Richard Usatine
Ms. Kim Lewis
Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. McClane
The Honorable & Mrs. John T. Montford
Debbie & Frank Morrill
Mrs. Judith N. Morton
Dr. John D. & Mrs. Lorraine L. Olson
Mr. & Mrs. J. David Oppenheimer
Mr. Dan F. Parman
Mrs. Marie L. Pauerstein
Dr. Carl F. Raba Jr.
Dr. Amelie & Mr. David Ramirez
Dr. & Mrs. Augusto Ramos Jr.
Rodney K. Rayburn, D.D.S.
Mr. & Mrs. Carl A. Register
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Stehling
Mr. & Mrs. Louis Herbert Stumberg Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Ray Walther
Ms. Marilyn L. Weber
Mr. & Mrs. J. Tullos Wells
Mr. & Mrs. Graham M. Weston
$1,000
Mr. & Mrs. James R. Adams
Max F. Adler, M.D.
Barbara & Wayne Alexander
Dr. & Dr. Rojan M. Amjadi
Alison & Jeff Andrews
Aaron L. Angel, M.D.
Drs. Martha & Rafael Aranda
Mrs. Connie Aust
Ruth & Edward Austin
Kay C. Avant, RN, Ph.D., FAAN
Mr. Robert L. Bailey
Dr. Ben Barker
Ann Barshop
Colleen & Bruce Barshop
Dr. & Mrs. Richard A. Becker
Louise & Michael Beldon
Mrs. Marion Dewar Bell
James Vernon Benedict, M.D., Ph.D.
Jewel Biedenharn-Crosswell &
Henry M. Crosswell, III
Mrs. Ann D. Biggs
Irene & Michael Black
Ms. Donna Block
Ms. Margery L. Block
Mr. & Mrs. Guy S. Bodine, III
Mr. Frank Nelson Boggus
Eleanor & Vaughn Bomberger
Mrs. Celita Pappas Borchers
Mr. & Mrs. P. Joseph Brake
Dr. & Mrs. Warren B. Branch
Dr. & Mrs. Stephen K. Brannan
Drs. Lois L. Bready &
Joseph R. Holahan
Eileen T. Breslin & Bill L. Israel
Drs. Robin Brey & Steve Holliday
Mrs. Gloria M. Bryant
Louise & Michael Burke
Paula & Jim Callaway
Mr. & Mrs. Richard W. Calvert
Dr. & Mrs. Roger S. Campos
Amber & Jorge Canseco
Alicia & Vidal Cantu
Ms. Cassandra Carr
Mr. & Mrs. Raymond R. Carvajal
Alicia & Raymond Casillas
Judy & Jimmy Cavender
Dr. & Mrs. Alfonso Chiscano
Mr. & Mrs. Mark Cirinna
Drs. Nanette & Nelson Clare
Robert A. Clark, M.D.
Mr. & Mrs. James Fully Clingman Jr.
Ms. Jane L. Coelho
Lisa & Don Cohick
William T. Coppola, D.D.S.
Fred G. Corley Jr., M.D.
Mr. Paul C. Crall
Dr. & Mrs. Anatolio B. Cruz
Mr. & Mrs. C. E. Davis
Laura & Sam Dawson
Mr. Luis A. De La Garza &
Ms. Sherry Lynn Hatcher
Drs. Christine & Andrew de la Garza
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Deacon
Ralph A. DeFronzo, M.D.
Mary & Alan DeLay
Julia Delgado, M.D.
Dr. & Mrs. Andre Desire
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Dewar
The Honorable Preston H. Dial Jr.
Elia & Armando Diaz
Drs. Beverly & Bryan Dickson
Dr. & Mrs. William W. Dodge
Kevin J. Donly, D.D.S., M.S.
Barbara & Alan Dreeben
Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Z. Dubinski Sr.
Adele & Steve Dufilho
Florence Eddins-Folensbee, M.D.
Mr. & Mrs. Chris C. Edelen
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Louis Elizondo
Edward Ellis, III, D.D.S., M.S.
Mr. & Mrs. W. Frank Elston
Mr. Henry Rugeley Ferguson Sr.
Ms. Mary Beth Fisk
Dr. & Mrs. Peter T. Flawn
Ms. Caroline Alexander Forgason
Dr. Marvin & Mrs. Ellinor Forland
Mr. & Mrs. John Thomas Franklin, III
Dr. Kelley L. Frost & Mr. Patrick B. Frost
Mr. & Mrs. Tom C. Frost
Dr. Constance Louise Fry &
Mr. William R. Kline
Ms. Elizabeth Galic
Mrs. Candy Katz Gardner
Dr. & Mrs. Harold Vincent Gaskill, III
Dr. & Mrs. Carl J. Gassmann
Barbara & Michael Gentry
James E. Gill, M.D.
Andrea Giuffrida, Ph.D.
Birgit Junfin Glass, D.D.S., M.S.
Sandy & Cameron Godfrey
Dr. & Mrs. William Gonzaba
Drs. Francisco A. González-Scarano & Barbara J. Turner
GPM Life Insurance Company
Marci & Charles Granstaff
Robert P. Green Jr., M.D.
Mr. Cosmo F. Guido
Mr. & Mrs. Curtis C. Gunn Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Gurwitz
Dr. Glenn A. Halff & Ms. Mindi Alterman
Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth J. Halliday
Hannah Foundation/Mr. John R. Hannah
Holly & Ken Hargreaves, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Drs. Denise & Robert Hart
Mr. & Mrs. Houston H. Harte
Roxie & Jim Hayne
Mrs. Karen L. Heintz
Mr. & Mrs. William D. Hendricson
Dr. & Mrs. William L. Henrich
James R. Herbst, II, D.D.S.
Karen & Ron Herrmann
Dr. & Mrs. Eric Pui Sun Ho
Joseph Thanh Hoang, M.D.
Mr. & Mrs. Scot Hollmann
Mr. & Mrs. Jerome P. Hoog
Ms. Betty K. Howard
Dr. John P. Howe, III &
Ms. Tyrrell E. Flawn
Mrs. Billie-Kite Howlett
Dr. & Mrs. Michaell A. Huber
Dr. Carol Ann Huebner &
Mr. Michael F. Huebner
Mr. David Humphreys
Ms. Dana Ingram
Dr. & Mrs. J. Daniel Johnson
Dr. & Mrs. David J. Jones
Sharon & Ken Kalkwarf
Glenda & David Keck
Ms. Barbara Keelan
Joan & Herb Kelleher
Nancy & Ed Kelley
Betty & Bob Kelso
Joan & Pat Kennedy
Mr. & Mrs. Kambiz Khademi
Dr. & Mrs. Kevin S. King
Dr. Marsha C. Kinney & Mr. Gregory M. Kinney
Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Kleberg, III
Koontz McCombs, LLC
Bonnie & John Korbell
Mr. Mike Kreager
Gretchen & Lance Lahourcade
Mr. Marshall Elmer Lasswell
Drs. Barbara & Leonard Lawrence
Mrs. Susana Leaño-De La Vara
Sarah & Milton Lee
Dr. & Mrs. Edward J. Lefeber Jr.
Dr. Stephanie Levine &
Dr. Richard Shaffer
Jungran & B. B. Lim
Anna & Jon Lowry
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Lynch
Mrs. Gladys I. Lynch
Mr. & Mrs. John A. Malitz
Dr. & Mrs. Christopher Scott Manatt
Mr. Mike A. Manuppelli
Mrs. Janey Briscoe Marmion
Dr. Bettie Sue Masters
Drs. Karis & Duncan McCarroll
Mr. & Mrs. Raymond S. McClellan
Mr. & Mrs. Red McCombs
Mr. & Ms. Robert McDonald
Mr. & Mrs. Joe C. McKinney
Drs. Melinda & James McMichael
Mr. & Mrs. Laird H. McNeil
Yona & Tom McNish
Dr. & Mrs. Larry B. Melton
Ms. Kathleen A. Messina
Dr. & Mrs. Frank R. Miller
Dr. Jacqueline Lee Mok &
Dr. V. Grayson Dyer
Mr. & Mrs. William G. Moll
Billy Lorin Morgan, D.D.S.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas/Mr. Kevin C. Moriarty
Sydney & Gregg Muenster
Nicolas Musi, M.D.
Dr. & Mrs. Claude L. Nabers
Mr. & Mrs. John E. Newman Jr.
Bay Van Nguyen, M.D.
Bavi & Dennis Nixon
Byron J. Nordhus, D.D.S.
Dr. T. Michael Nork
Drs. Simone & Robert Norris
Nancy P. & John A. Oberman
Beverly & Will O’Hara
Ms. Anne B. Ownby
Dr. & Mrs. Paul Pace
Mrs. Victoria Paparelli
Camilla & Bill Parker
Drs. John D. Jones &
Norma Partida Jones
Dr. & Mrs. Mahendra C. Patel
Drs. Jan & Thomas Patterson
Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Peacock Sr.
Dr. & Mrs. Dan C. Peavy
Mr. & Mrs. Gardner Peavy
J. Lee Pettigrew, D.D.S.
Mr. & Mrs. Scott Petty Jr.
Diane & Philip Pfeiffer
Ms. Emilie Pitman-Kreager
Stephen H. Ponas, M.D.
Rissa Potter, Ph.D.
Mrs. Jane Cheever Powell &
Mr. Tom Powell Jr.
Mrs. Karen Presley
Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Price
Shelli Pruski, D.D.S.
Drs. Rajam & Somayaji Ramamurthy
Drs. Angelita Ramos-Gabatin (USAF,Ret.) & Jose Q. Gabatin
Dr. Joan M. Ratner
Mrs. Bettie K. Stone-Reddick &
Dr. Robert L. Reddick
Katie & Jim Reed
Rebecca & Bill Reed
Mrs. Corinne L. Robichaux
Dr. & Mrs. Waid Rogers
Mr. & Mrs. Stanley D. Rosenberg
Dr. & Mrs. Anthony D. Sabino
Drs. Jennifer Sorenson & Edward Sako
Mr. & Mrs. William Scanlan Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Louis L. Scantland
Mr. Richard T. Schlosberg, III
Katherine A. Schwesinger, B.S.N.,M.S.N.
Mr. & Mrs. Peter C. Selig
Dr. Pat Semmes
Dr. Harbi A. Shadfan
Melvin L. Shanley, D.D.S., PA
Dr. Phyllis B. Siegel
Diane Sinclair/Les Norton
(Great Clips)
Brian Roy Smith, D.D.S.
Dr. & Mrs. Paul H. Smith Jr.
Eileen A. Smith, M.D.
Mr. & Mrs. Paul H. Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Chad Smith
Dr. & Mrs. Kermit Vincent Speeg Jr.
Anna & Dennis Stahl
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas A. Stephenson
Ms. Ann Stevens
Ms. Patricia Stout/Alamo Travel Group
Joci & Joe Straus
Mr. Charles E. Thompson Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. Roy H. Trawick
Mr. & Mrs. Gustav Nicholas
Van Steenberg
Mr. Mario A. Vazquez
Dr. & Mrs. Carlos Vela Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. Raul Vela
Mr. Neill B. Walsdorf/Mission Pharmacal Company
Drs. Anne & Ken Washburn
Mr. Mark E. Watson, III/Argo Group
Courtney & Mark E. Watson Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. Mark Berton Weinstein
Mr. & Mrs. Eric J. Weissgarber
Mr. & Mrs. Lewis F. Westerman
Colonel Edwin J. Whitney
Mr. James A. Whittenburg, III
Mr. & Mrs. John Michael Wilkes
Barry David Winston, M.D.
Mr. Gary V. Woods
Mr. & Mrs. Mark H. Wright
Mrs. Barbara R. Wulfe
Dr. & Mrs. Allison S. Yee
Mrs. June A. Young
Dr. & Mrs. Miguel Zabalgoitia
Mr. & Mrs. Bartell Zachry
Mr. & Mrs. David Steves Zachry
Mr. & Mrs. James P. Zachry Sr.
Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Zgonis
It’s all about you
UT Health San Antonio received national praise for its approach to health care.
The clinical practice of the Long School of Medicine received Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
In a patient-centered medical home model, the patient is served by a primary care physician and health care team that takes a holistic approach to care, taking into account the patient’s family and job situation, health history and spiritual needs. The team may include physician specialists, nurses, physical therapists, nurse educators, pharmacists, psychologists and occupational therapists.
The recognition was earned for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long-term, proactive relationships.
“This recognition is an important milestone that reflects on the quality of the care we deliver to our patients,” said Carlos Roberto Jaén, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine and interim director of the UT Medicine Primary Care Center.
“This is not a finished product. We will continue to work on improving our care of our patient population. This national recognition fuels our efforts to lead primary care in our community and among the families we serve.”
The NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.
On the quest to eradicate cancer
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas awarded five new grants totaling $5.7 million to fund research and prevention programs. The projects are conducted in the Health Science Center’s Cancer Therapy & Research Center, Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute and Institute for Health Promotion Research.
Peter Dube, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology in the Long School of Medicine, will receive $859,620 to study aspects of immunity in colorectal cancer. The title of his project is “Integrin-Mediated IL-18 Signaling in the Prevention and Treatment of Inflammation-Associated Colorectal Cancer.”
Yuzuru Shiio, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry, is receiving $1.2 million for a research project to study a type of cancer, Ewing Sarcoma, which usually is diagnosed in children and adolescents ages 10 to 20. His project is “Cytokine Signaling in Ewing Sarcoma.”
Michael Wargovich, Ph.D., professor of molecular medicine who holds the CTRC Council Distinguished Chair in Oncology, will receive $899,619 for his prevention and early detection research program. The study is titled “Chemoprevention of Colon Cancer by Anti-Inflammatory Blockade Using Neem.” Neem is a botanical herb.
Deborah Parra-Medina, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of epidemiology and biostatistics, will receive $1.2 million in the category of evidence-based cancer prevention services. Her program is titled “Using Best Practices to Promote HPV Vaccination in Rural Primary Care Settings.”
Gail Tomlinson, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, is receiving a $1.5 million competitive continuation grant for “GRACIAS Texas: Genetic Risk Assessment for Cancer in All South Texas.”
Getting Realce
Over the next five years, more than $2.5 million will be given to the School of Nursing to improve first-time pass rates on a nursing licensure exam and faculty instruction.
The U.S. Department of Education funding began in October and supports the Realce: Academic Skills Enhancement for South Texas Nurses project through the school’s newly created Student Success Center.
The school educates and graduates a racially and ethnically diverse group of students and Hispanic enrollment numbers continue to increase, with a 169 percent increase in the accelerated track between 2012 and 2015. The school also is one of the largest educators of male nurses.
To address the increasingly diverse student body, Realce will develop and improve academic support programs. It also will provide tailored faculty development activities, and a new summer undergraduate research program that will connect Hispanic, first-generation, low-income and at-risk students with faculty engaged in groundbreaking research in nursing.
“These funds allow our Student Success Center to deliver narrowly tailored support programs that address academic issues commonly faced by our diverse undergraduate learners, and improves faculty-student engagement in the school through undergraduate research and faculty development initiatives,” said David A. Byrd, Ph.D., associate dean for admissions and student services in the School of Nursing.
“In the end, this grant enhances the student learning experience and ultimately improves the School of Nursing to better prepare nurse leaders who will help address the health care needs of our South Texas community.”
Expanding networks to shrink waistlines
Salud America! has received a one-year, $1.3 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop new, culturally tailored educational content to promote and support the health of Latino children.
Salud America!, which was established in 2007 with funding from the foundation, is a project of the Health Science Center’s Institute for Health Promotion Research. It has recruited a national online network of 50,000 parents, school personnel, health professionals and community leaders who support its mission to reduce obesity among Latino children.
The new funding will allow Salud America! to expand its network and engage members with enhanced educational content including multimedia role model stories, social media events, online resources, digital action campaigns and marketing.
“We are excited by RWJF’s support, which will help us continue to push the boundaries of communication to empower Latinos to develop healthy changes in their schools and communities,” said Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H., director of Salud America!.
More than 38 percent of Latino children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese, compared to 28.5 percent of white youth and 35.2 percent of black youth. Latino children also face barriers in access to healthy foods and drinks and physical activity, especially among those ages 0 to 5.