A new service provided by Redes En Acción will give Spanish- and English-language news media access to nationwide bilingual experts on a broad array of cancer issues.
The Redes En Acción Latino Cancer Experts Directory is now online and can be accessed through the Redes Web site (redesenaccion.com) via a link on the home page. The directory consists of physicians, researchers and others who have expertise in cancers and cancer issues of particular significance to Latinos.
“Raising the level of awareness among our Latino population of cancer and the wide variety of issues related to this disease is one of the major missions of Redes En Acción,” says Amelie Ramirez, DrPH, Redes Principal Investigator. “Providing this directory of Spanish-speaking experts is an innovative way to help the media — and particularly the Spanish-language media — convey accurate and timely cancer information to the public.”
Members of the media can search the directory by state, cancer area of expertise (57 choices available), or medical speciality (21 choices). In addition, the site features a Google Search window where journalists can type in more than one search term (e.g., Texas and breast cancer).
After the selections are made, hitting the search button brings up a list of Latino cancer experts who fit the search criteria. Clicking on an expert’s name produces a form that gives more information on the individual, including his or her degree, title, institution, location, areas of specialization and expertise, language fluency, interview preferences and contact information. The forms can be printed or downloaded in pdf (portable document format).
The list of experts across the country currently features about 60 names of individuals, who are all members of the Redes En Acción network. Many are widely renowned authorities on specific areas of cancer expertise, and all have been working with and/or conducting research in the Latino population for years.
The Redes national and regional sites are continually seeking new candidates for the directory and will add experts from around the country on an ongoing basis.
What Is Redes En Acción? Redes En Acción is a major NCI-supported initiative to combat cancer among Latinos through a nationwide network of community-based organizations, research institutions, government health agencies and the public. Core activities include promoting cancer training and research opportunities for Latino students and researchers, generating research projects on key Latino cancer issues, and supporting cancer awareness activities within the Latino community.
The initiative is coordinated by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, with regional network centers in San Antonio, New York, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco and San Diego.