About the Institute for Health Promotion Research
The Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) researches the causes and solutions to the unequal impact of cancer and chronic disease affecting residents of South Texas, Texas and the nation to improve the health of all people while serving as a national model for health promotion research and education.
Goals
- Assess/analyze the causes, nature and magnitude of health disparities
- Evaluate disparity-reducing effects of behavioral, psychological, and policy interventions
- Educate the community to improve health outcomes
- Train health care workers in scientific advances and practical strategies
Research Areas
- Behavioral and health communication research
- Health promotion, education and training
- Community-based participatory research
- Behavioral intervention/education programs
- Patient navigation
- Cancer, chronic disease, and tobacco control and prevention
- Childhood obesity
- Clinical trials
Functions
- Conduct or develop research, education, intervention and outreach projects
- Train scientists and mentor students
- Communicate with research, health, policy, community and public groups using IHPR-developed avenues, including Web sites, press releases, public service announcements, newsletters, educational publications, national reports, impact statements, media interviews and an online directory of bilingual cancer experts
Leadership
The IHPR is directed by Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H., professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Kipling J. Gallion, M.A., is the Deputy Director. The IHPR team consists of more than a dozen faculty and staff.
History
The IHPR was established on Oct. 1, 2006, as a unit of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The leadership of the IHPR actually began conducting research in the early 1980s, starting with a program called Salud En Accion, which united experts in the fields of public health promotion, health research, health communication and community networking to research the similarities and differences of the Hispanics/Latinos community and the opportunities present for disease and cancer prevention and control. The researchers have since been involved with more than 100 funded projects aimed at improving Hispanic/Latino health, from scientific research to behavioral intervention to innovative communication strategies. Today, the IHPR directs many research projects, including Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network (www.redesenaccion.org), which aims to combat cancer disparities among Hispanics/Latinos with a national network, and “Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children (www.salud-america.org), to increase the number of scientists engaged in Latino childhood obesity research and spur behavioral and policy solutions to the epidemic.