News (Noticias) Tagged ‘University of Arizona’

During the Expo’s 2008 International Latino Book Awards, the UA Press received two first-place awards, one second-place award and an honorable mention. Publishers across the United States as well as Mexico, South America and Central America, and Spain nominate titles for these highly sought-after awards, which showcase the positive contributions being made to Latino literature worldwide and highlight titles that exemplify literary excellence within the Latino community. “*

University of Arizona Press authors from across the nation earn acclaim at 2008 International Latino Book Awards

Since 1999 the nonprofit organization Latino Literacy Now has honored the many positive contributions being made to Latino literature by publishers and writers worldwide through its annual International Latino Book Awards competition. Attracting nominations from publishers across the United States as well as Mexico, South and Central America, and Spain, this competition highlights titles that exemplify literary excellence within the Latino community. Presented at BookExpo America, this year’s awards honored titles running the gamut of subjects from murders of innocent women in Juárez to the history of the Day of the Dead. Four University of Arizona Press titles were recognized as vital contributions to Latino history and culture.”*

Twenty high school students living on the United States side of the border with Mexico will attend the first ever University of Arizona CampCIENCIAS, being held Monday through Friday next week.

The camp, which translates to Camp Science, was conceived of and planned by three Latina program coordinators working at the UA’s U.S. Mexico Binational Center and Superfund Basic Research Program, part of the UA College of Pharmacy.

Mónica Ramirez, Denise Moreno and Rocio Estrella worked with the UA Office of Early Academic Outreach to publicize the camp and recruit students from Arizona border cities to apply for the free camp.”*

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Conference will land in Phoenix this fall, providing engineering talent the chance to hone their professional, technical and engineering skills, network with Fortune 500 companies, and win scholarships through academic and hands-on competitions. The SHPE conference is the largest conference of Hispanics in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) related fields.

Approximately 5,000 Hispanic students, professionals, corporate representatives, educators and community leaders from Phoenix and throughout the United States are expected to attend the SHPE Conference taking place Nov. 12-16 at the Phoenix Convention Center. Now in its 32nd year, the nation’s largest technical conference for Hispanics offers a lineup of educational, technical, networking and career programs encouraging pre-college students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math careers and supporting college students and professionals already on that course. A new component in 2008 targets educators in STEM fields.

The AHETEMS Pre-College Symposia, named after the Advancing Hispanic Excellence in Technology, Engineering, Math and Science (AHETEMS) educational foundation of SHPE, will be co-hosted by SHPE and The University of Arizona in Tucson. More than 200 local middle school students and 800 high school students from the area and across the nation will take part in the symposia, which will include hands-on activities, motivational speakers, a university fair, and college scholarship and financial aid information. Most activities will take place in Phoenix, but high school students will have the opportunity to visit The University of Arizona college campus in Tucson.

The symposia are an addition to the collaborations between SHPE/AHETEMS and The University of Arizona, as the groups also partner on a SciTech summer camp for high school students. SHPE/AHETEMS plan to continue strengthening their presence in the Phoenix and Tucson areas with more student competitions, increased membership in local student and professional chapters, and additional SHPE Jr. Chapters for high school students.

The University of Arizona is 19th in the nation in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics. In 2006, approximately 12.3 percent of Hispanics in the United States had college degrees, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

“SHPE and its educational foundation, AHETEMS, are dedicated to providing educational advances to the students we serve, much like The University of Arizona,” said Rafaela Schwan, director of programs for AHETEMS. “Our individual missions and goals for increasing the number of students interested in pursuing engineering and science-related careers are synergistic. We are proud to have the university as our academic host for a conference that will serve so many local students as well as students who might return to the area to pursue higher education in the near future.”

Additional highlights of the SHPE Conference in Phoenix include:

– AHETEMS STEM Teaching Enrichment Program offers training in hands-on
enrichment classroom activities tied to state standards for Arizona
teachers
– A myriad of awards honoring professionals, educators, graduate and
undergraduate students, and high school students
– Academic, professional, career and leadership workshops
– Competitions including the National Academic Olympiad Show, Extreme
Engineering, Design Competition, and Technical Competitions
– Specialized graduate student institute and a graduate school
preparation program
– Salute to Corporate America Luncheon, honoring SHPE’s corporate
partners
– Gala Banquet honoring SHPE’s “Company of the Year” and role models
winning the 2008 STAR (or SHPE Technical Achievement Recognition)
Awards
– A career Fair attended by more than 300 of the nation’s top companies
and organizations offering full-time and internship opportunities
– Professional development series as well as certification tracks and
new green engineering program
– Corporate tours

The Hispanic population is the youngest and fastest growing segment of the US population but this growth is not reflected in scientific and technical professions. Hispanics comprised only 5.5 percent of the science and engineering workforce in 2006, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Though targeted to Hispanics, the SHPE Conference addresses the United States’ growing need for engineering talent as a whole. According to the National Science Foundation, if nothing is done, a rapid decline in the science and engineering labor force’s growth rate is expected over the next decade, resulting in a fundamental change for the U.S. economy.

SHPE is the source for quality Hispanic engineers and technical talent, committed to enhancing America’s position in science, technology, engineering, and math, with a strong and talented Hispanic workforce. For registration and other information, visit www.shpe.org.

The AHETEMS Foundation directs and develops informal science education, educational enrichment, college awareness initiatives and college prep programs for Hispanic pre-college, undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, please visit

University of Arizona assistant professor Julio Cammarota has conducted what the book’s publisher say is one of the most extensive studies on Hispanic youth.

Cammarota, who teaches at the UA’s Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology and the Mexican American Studies and Research Center, wrote the book based on his observations and extensive interviews of youth living in “El Pueblo,” which is the name he gives to the barrio area along the California coast where he conducted his research.

The book, titled “Sueños Americanos, Barrio Youth Negotiating Social and Cultural Identities,” is published by The University of Arizona Press.

“In my research I found that education is a primary route to rewarding employment and economic security,” Cammarota said. “And that education is particularly significant for the future prospects of children who are ethnic minorities, were born into disadvantaged economic circumstances, or are dealing with language barriers.”"*

The University of Arizona is 22nd in the nation in bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics and is ranked 25th in Hispanic enrollment, according to The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education’s Top 100 Colleges for Hispanics 2008 edition.

The University was also ranked 62nd in awarding master’s degrees and 20th in awarding doctoral degrees to Hispanics.

Each year, the magazine releases a list of the top 100 colleges and universities to award degrees to Hispanics. Several factors help determine the rankings, including the total number of degrees that each school awarded to Hispanics as well as the percentage of those that went to Hispanics.”*

Health care is a human right, not a “commodity or a privilege,” Dr. Julio Frenk, a former health secretary of Mexico, said Wednesday at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

“It is unethical to limit health care on the basis of migratory activity,” he said.

People without health insurance - among them Mexican immigrants in Arizona - should not be denied medical care, he said.

Border regions such as Arizona’s with Mexico “are areas of cultural conflict,” just as they are along geographic borders everywhere, as globalization pushes people into closer contact.”*

A new book published by the nonprofit University of Arizona Press puts the spotlight on poor, mostly Hispanic neighborhoods in the Tucson area and near the Mexican border.

“Colonias in Arizona and New Mexico: Border Poverty and Community Development Solutions” by Adrian X. Esparza and Angela J. Donelson will be published May 24 and available at booksellers. The 208-page book will sell for $19.95.”*

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today convened an inaugural summit titled “America’s Competitiveness: Hispanic Participation in Technology Careers,” an effort to bring together leaders in business, education, government, and community organizations to find ways to increase the number of Hispanic students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math in the United States.

The effort is aimed at a looming problem resulting from the significant decline in the numbers of Hispanic students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (or STEM). This decline could affect America’s competitiveness in the increasingly global market. Demographic data show that the Hispanic community is expected to constitute 25 percent of the overall U.S. population by mid-century, making the U.S. home to the largest Hispanic population in the world. Meanwhile, Hispanic students dropping out of high school are at a 24 percent rate.

To address the issue, IBM along with ExxonMobil, Lockheed Martin and Univision, and 150 other leaders will meet on May 5 and 6 in New York, to examine the ways the Hispanic community can improve their participation in STEM.

“The Hispanic community is one of the fastest growing in the country and young Latinos are rapidly joining our workforce,” said U.S. Senator Robert Menendez. “It is important that they have the option to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math, not only so they can fully develop their potential, but also so they can become professionals in areas that are vital to our economy, our security, our future as a nation. I salute IBM for this important initiative and hope this summit will open up new roads to success for our Hispanic youth.”

The magnitude of the nation’s STEM career gap is most apparent in the field of engineering where the need for talent is increasing at three times the rate of other professions. This demand is countered by trends that demonstrate few American students are entering STEM-related studies.

“IBM is deeply committed to galvanizing the U.S. corporate sector and other stakeholders in addressing the serious shortage of professionals in STEM careers, particularly in the Hispanic community,” stated Nicholas M. Donofrio, Executive Vice President, Innovation and Technology. “This summit is a call to action to challenge business leaders to address an issue that could undermine the country’s leadership in today’s global economy.”

Participants of this strategic gathering will be presented with newly released reports commissioned by the IBM International Foundation from respected research organizations like The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute and Public Agenda, which outline the challenges and opportunities to the nation’s Hispanic community and their partners as regards the pursuit of STEM careers.

Among the key findings of The Public Agenda study, “A Matter of Trust,” released today in conjunction with the conference, reveals a deep-seated anxiety within the Hispanic Community about attaining a college education despite it being a requirement for a decent job and middle-class life in nine of ten young Hispanic adult households. The reasons identified in the study are:

• Nearly half of Hispanic parents say it is a serious problem that students are not taught enough math and science.
• Hispanic parents are more likely to support making sure U.S. standards match those in Europe and Japan.
• Less than half of Hispanic young adults believe that qualified students can find a way to pay for college.

“Education and higher education in particular are even more highly-prized and respected among Hispanic parents than among parents in general, despite some erroneous conventional wisdom to the contrary,” state authors Paul Gasbarra and Jean Johnson, of the Public Agenda. “Overall… far too many Hispanic families are underserved by public education — and to a significantly greater degree than the general population.”

As a means of enabling Spanish-language-only parents to better communicate with teachers — one of the needs outlined in the Public Agenda study — IBM is today announcing that it will provide its automatic two-way, English-Spanish, e-mail translation and web translation software called ¡TradúceloAhora! to all U.S. schools at no cost to them.

Additionally, schools and nonprofit organizations will be given unlimited use of the ¡TradúceloAhora! software. And Hispanic older adults and those with disabilities can access the free translation software along with other free software called AccessibilityWorks that helps them view web pages in a customized format for easier and more effective reading and navigation on the web.

And, according to The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI), which also today released the report, “STEM Professions: Opportunities and Challenges for Latinos,” the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. also suffers from a worse gender gap in STEM careers compared with Asians and African Americans.

The TRPI report, however, noted some signs of optimism: “As the youngest and fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. today,” state the authors, Maria Teresa V. Taningco, Ann Bessie Mathew and Harry Pachon. “Latinos have a unique opportunity to aim high and to strive for STEM careers, given the high demand in these fields.”

In response to the need to provide mentors for Hispanic students, IBM commits to expanding the MentorPlace program to focus on school districts in the U.S. with a significant number of Hispanic students, and matching them with IBM employees who can serve as their online mentors.

• Additionally, IBM will expand its cascade mentoring program - currently at the University of Arizona at Tucson - to at least 3 universities in California, New York and Texas.
• The cascading mentoring program is an internet based system that enables professional mentors, university students, and K-12 students to engage in a three-way mentoring relationship through secure online discussions. These discussions focus on past academic experiences and exploration of what could be in terms of future goals and opportunities.
• This program completed its third year in Tucson, Arizona and involved IBM employees, the University of Arizona SHPE (Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers) Student Chapter, and students from two high schools.

In addition, IBM is making further commitments aimed at bolstering early education resources with innovative technology tools for the classroom:

• IBM also will make a donation of 1,000 KidSmart units at early childhood centers in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York - in neighborhoods that support the Hispanic community.
• IBM commits to expanding the Reading Companion grant program - a web- based, voice recognition technology that helps adults and children gain literacy skills - to any school district in the U.S. that is interested, with a special focus on school districts with a significant number of Hispanics.

Key moderators and facilitators will lead attendees in highly focused work groups designed to encourage dialogue and develop actionable strategies to increase Hispanic participation in STEM-related curriculum. Confirmed moderators include Tom Luce, Chief Executive Officer, National Math and Science Initiative, Inc. (former Assistant Secretary, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development); Irving Wladawsky-Berger, Chairman Emeritus, IBM Academy of Technology and Visiting Professor of Engineering Systems, MIT; Stanley Litow, President of the IBM International Foundation and Vice President, Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs, IBM Corporation; and Adalio Sanchez, Vice President of Corporate Strategy, IBM Corporation.

The issue of skills and the need for America to produce more graduates with degrees in math, science, engineering and technology also will be addressed.

“The shift to a digital economy in the last 10 years requires that young people be prepared to enter the workforce with ’21st Century skills,’” said AMD Chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz. “Fostering STEM skills is critically important in developing an adept workforce to fill the jobs of this expanding digital economy.”

In keeping with its commitment to the development of STEM professionals for the future, IBM has been in collaboration with over 5,000 premier universities and over 100,000 business partners globally to prepare students with 21st century skills for jobs in the new IT workforce.

In the U.S. alone, IBM has trained faculty at over 3,150 institutions on software skills and over 150 on mainframe skills. Students and future STEM professionals can also access the IBM Academic Initiative which includes an online portal that provides access to FREE software and hardware as well as training and course materials. Also through the web, IBM offers hundreds of resources for integration into college curricula to help teach students how to master the fast-growing market of open technologies. Perhaps most significantly, IBM is working with more than 150 leading universities to promote the global adoption of a new academic discipline, Service Science Management and Engineering (SSME).”*

A daylong celebration for journalist Rubén Salazar — including the unveiling of a 41-cent postage stamp — and a symposium highlighting his career and a look at his death is set for Thursday at the University of Arizona.

Olga Briseño, director of the UA College of Humanities Media, Democracy & Policy Initiative, worked for three years collecting signatures and gathering resolutions from national Latino organizations in support of a stamp.”*

*From: http://www.azstarnet.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

“Raul Castro, Two Worlds, Many Challenges” is a 28-minute documentary that portrays the life of the 91-year-old Castro. In it, he and several close friends recall his experiences as an immigrant child facing the prejudices of Southern Arizona in the early years of the 20th century. His determination to overcome the barriers eventually led him to academic, athletic, political and diplomatic success.”*

*From: http://www.nogalesinternational.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

The surface of the old pine panel shows a beautifully executed biblical scene. It is a Spanish work, 500 years old, and one of dozens that formed an elaborate altarpiece. Attributed to Fernando Gallego, it is one section of a 26-panel altarpiece made for the Cathedral of Ciudad Rodrigo in Castile, Spain, between 1480 and 1500.

That much was known, but scholars yearned for more. They suspected that another artist was also involved; there were two apparent styles at work. What if the panels, owned by the University of Arizona, were carefully examined? What if they were subjected to infrared cameras, microscopic exams and reflectography? What could be learned? It was a huge project, one that would take a great deal of time and money.”*

*From: http://www.star-telegram.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Counties along the Mexican border from California to Texas are shortchanged millions of dollars a year in costs related to prosecuting and jailing illegal immigrants, according to a study released Wednesday.

The study was by the University of Arizona and San Diego State University on behalf of the United States/Mexico Border Counties Coalition, a group representing the 24 border counties.

Cumulatively, the counties spent $1.23 billion from 1999 to 2006 to process illegal immigrants in the justice system, the study found. Federal programs offset only a fraction of those costs, and often did not receive the maximum level of financing that they are authorized to receive, the study said.”*

The report is available at bordercounties.org.

*From: http://www.nytimes.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Illegal immigrants depressed wages in Arizona to the tune of $1.4 billion in 2006 and dipped lower-skilled legal workers’ pay by 4.7 percent.

That is according to a study by a Harvard University economist commissioned by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. The MCAO had the study done as part of its defense of the state’s new employer sanctions law.”

Those findings sound bad but then you have another study referenced near the bottom of the article: “A University of Arizona study published in October concluded that illegal immigrants had a net fiscal benefit of $940 million to $1 billion.”*

Personally, I want balanced numbers and to not make decisions based on headlines. This is one of the most complex issues that has recurred over and over throughout human history across the globe. How can we make informed decisions without truly understanding the issues?

*From: http://news.moneycentral.msn.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Government officials, activists and public policy groups across the country are closely watching Arizona, where a new state law imposes tough sanctions on employers who hire undocumented workers. The law, which took effect Jan. 1, is seen as a test for the nation. UC Davis has a wide range of experts who can provide perspective and background on immigration policy:

IMMIGRATION, GLOBALIZATION AND WAGES — An estimated 9 to 12 percent of Arizona’s 3 million workers are illegal immigrants. Robert Feenstra, the C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair in International Economics at UC Davis, is an expert on globalization and the economic forces that promote immigration. He has written extensively on the impacts of international trade and foreign investment, including the effects of NAFTA. He is especially interested in the effects of trade and investments on wages earned by workers. Feenstra is editor of the Journal of International Economics, directs the Center for International Data at UC Davis, and is also the director of the International Trade and Investment program at the National Bureau of Economic Research, based in Cambridge, Mass. Contact: Robert Feenstra, Economics, 530-752-7022, rcfeenstra@ucdavis.edu.

IMMIGRATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH — Jobs and access to health care remain closely linked in this country. Adela de la Torre, professor of Chicana/o studies and director of the Center for Public Policy, Race, Ethnicity and Gender at UC Davis, studies health care access and finance issues that affect the Latino community. She is also an expert on border health issues, from tuberculosis to AIDS. From 1996 to 2002, de la Torre was director of the Mexican American Studies and Research Center at the University of Arizona, where she developed and directed the Border Academy, a summer institute that explored issues unique to the U.S.-Mexico border. An economist, de la Torre is the author of “Sana, Sana: Mexican Americans and Health,” and “Moving From the Margins: A Chicana’s View of Public Policy.” Contact: Adela de la Torre, Chicana/o Studies, 530-752-3904, adelatorre@ucdavis.edu.

PRODUCE PRICES, FARMWORKER WAGES AND OTHER IMPACTS OF IMMIGRATION POLICY — Philip Martin, professor of agricultural and resource economics, has published extensively on labor, migration, economic development and immigration policy issues. He has testified before Congress and state and local agencies on these issues, particularly as they relate to agricultural labor. Martin recently co-authored a report urging California policymakers to develop strategies to encourage and hasten the integration of immigrants into the state’s economy and society. He also can discuss labor and migration as they affect U.S. and Mexico relations. He maintains a Web publication, Migration News, with extensive information about world migration issues. Contact: Philip Martin, Agricultural and Resource Economics, 530-752-1530, plmartin@ucdavis.edu.

IMPACT OF IMMIGRANT LABOR ON JOBS AND WAGES OF NATIVE WORKERS — UC Davis growth economist Giovanni Peri has found that immigration labor is linked to robust city and state economies around the country. “Our work shows that cities with more immigrants in the workforce exhibit higher productivity and wages for the American-born employees,” Peri says. “This is true even when we focus specifically on less educated native workers.” Contact: Giovanni Peri, Economics, 530-554-2304, gperi@ucdavis.edu.

IMMIGRATION POLICY AND CIVIL RIGHTS — Kevin R. Johnson, the Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law at UC Davis, can talk about the potential impacts of Arizona’s law on the civil rights of citizens and immigrants alike. Johnson, a nationally and internationally recognized expert on immigration and civil rights, is also a professor of Chicana/o studies. His books include “Opening the Floodgates: Why America Needs to Rethink Its Borders and Immigration Laws” and “The ‘Huddled Masses’ Myth: Immigration and Civil Rights.” He is co-editor of the ImmigrationProf blog (http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/ ) and a member of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s Immigration Policy Group. Contact: Kevin R. Johnson, School of Law, 530-752-0243, krjohnson@ucdavis.edu.

IMMIGRATION, POVERTY AND SURVIVAL — Agricultural and resource economics professor Edward Taylor studies migration and its impacts on Pacific Rim countries, specifically Mexico, Central America and Ecuador. He can talk about the reasons behind a transfer of rural poverty from Mexico into the U.S. His recent research has explored the draw of Mexican immigrants into California, where they have created pockets of poverty throughout the Central Valley. Taylor is also an expert on salary remittances as economic multipliers, how immigration promotes survival in native villages and other economic issues triggered by immigration. He co-wrote, with UC Davis Professor Philip Martin and Urban Institute researcher Michael Fix, a new book, “The New Rural Poverty.” Contact: Ed Taylor (fluent in Spanish), Agricultural and Resource Economics, 530-752-0213, taylor@primal.ucdavis.edu.

HOW OTHER COUNTRIES HANDLE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION — An expert on comparative immigration policy, Jeannette Money can talk about contemporary policies in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. She can also provide historical context for international immigration policy. A political scientist, Money is the author of “Fences and Neighbors: The Political Geography of Immigration Control.” Contact: Jeannette Money, Political Science, jnmoney@ucdavis.edu, 530-752-9095. Note: Money is only available for print interviews.

IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION LAWS AND ENFORCEMENT ON BUSINESS AND RACE RELATIONS — Bill Ong Hing, professor of law, studies the impact of immigration laws and enforcement on businesses and immigrant communities. He has conducted extensive research on immigration law, policy, procedure and criminal justice. He also studies the changing demographics of Asian American communities, and the impact of these demographic shifts on race relations. Hing’s latest book is titled “Deporting Our Souls — Values, Morality and Immigration Policy.” His other books include “Defining America Through Immigration Policy,” “Making and Remaking Asian America Through Immigration Policy” and “To Be an American — Cultural Pluralism and the Rhetoric of Assimilation.” Contact: Bill Ong Hing, School of Law, 530-754-9377, bhing@ucdavis.edu.

ANTI-IMMIGRANT SENTIMENTS — Luis Guarnizo, an expert on global migration, can talk about the universal issues of citizenship and human rights raised by undocumented workers around the world. He can also discuss the tensions generated when increasing demand for immigrant labor clashes with growing anti-immigrant initiatives in the Northern Hemisphere. Guarnizo has investigated the web of social networks and power structures that transcend territorial jurisdictions. He recently completed a study about Latin American immigration in four European countries — Italy, Spain, England and Denmark. Guarnizo is co-editor of “Transnationalism From Below” and of a special issue on transnational communities of the journal Ethnic and Racial Studies. Contact: Luis Guarnizo (fluent in Spanish), Human and Community Development, 530-752-9805, leguarnizo@ucdavis.edu.

DOMESTIC WORKERS AND IMMIGRATION — Rhacel Parrenas, professor of Asian American studies, studies domestic workers, a group composed of mostly undocumented migrants, temporary labor migrants and “out of status” migrants — those whose status is in transition from undocumented to documented. She can talk about the quest by women and men from the Philippines, Mexico, Sri Lanka, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Peru and Indonesia to leave poverty behind. She can also talk about the economic and social effects of their emigration on their families. Parrenas is the author of three books, “The Force of Domesticity: Migrant Women and Globalization,” “Children of Global Migration” and “Servants of Globalization.” The latter was made into the documentary “The Chain of Love.” She is at work now on a book about human trafficking of women into the sex industry. Contact: Rhacel Parrenas, Asian American Studies, 530-752-1104, rparrenas@ucdavis.edu.

- - - -

CONTACT: Claudia Morain, UC Davis News Service, 530-752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu

“*

*From: http://newswire.ascribe.org
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Results of a study published this week in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved indicate that when compared with non-Hispanic White women, Hispanic women in the state of Arizona are more likely to have high-grade breast cancers, larger tumors, a greater number of positive lymph nodes and advanced stage at diagnosis.

Study results also indicate that Hispanic women are less likely to have tumors that are both estrogen and progesterone receptor positive, particularly in those under age 60. This is important because hormone-dependent tumors differ with respect to their biology, and these differences affect the type of treatment used, patient response to treatment and patient prognosis.

“Breast cancer is an understudied and poorly understood disease in the U.S. Hispanic population, and we need to understand the magnitude and profile of breast cancer in our Latina population,” says María Elena Martínez, co-director of the Arizona Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control Program and principal investigator for the study. “This study confirms our suspicions that the profile of tumor presentation in Hispanic women in Arizona is consistent with a more aggressive disease pattern and less favorable prognosis than that of Non-Hispanic Whites.”

Researchers used data from the Arizona Cancer Registry to assess differences in tumor characteristics. A total of 25,494 invasive breast cancer cases (23,657 non-Hispanic Whites and 1,837 Hispanics) reported from 1995 to 2003 were included in the analysis.

In the U.S., the rate of breast cancer incidence is higher among non-Hispanic Whites and lower among other racial and ethnic groups, including Hispanics. However, among Hispanic women, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and is the leading cause of cancer death. In addition, data indicate that breast cancer is presenting at an earlier age among Hispanics in the U.S. Preliminary data also suggest a higher risk of breast cancer may exist for those Latinas born in the U.S. than in those born in Mexico who are living in the U.S.

The study was funded in 2006 as part of two grants from the Avon Foundation and the National Cancer Institute, totaling approximately $1.2 million. The grants are enabling researchers in the U.S. and Mexico to undertake a binational (U.S. and Mexico) research study assessing the specific types of breast cancer occurring in Latinas in both countries. In addition to Dr. Martínez, most of the other authors of the study are also affiliated with Arizona Cancer Center at The University of Arizona, including Raymond B. Nagle, Ana Maria Lopez and Patricia Thompson. Christina Kim and Carrie M. Nielsen were also affiliated with the Arizona Cancer Center at the time of manuscript submission.

The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved is a publication of Johns Hopkins University.

The Arizona Cancer Center is the state’s premier National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. With primary locations at the UA and Scottsdale Healthcare, the Center has more than a dozen research and education offices throughout the state and 300 physician and scientist members working to prevent and cure cancer. For more information, go to www.arizonacancercenter.org.”*

Students who participated in the Daily Star’s unscientific online poll said things will change when Latinos become Tucson’s ethnic majority.

How the change may manifest itself remains to be seen.

Helen Jones, a 22-year-old University of Arizona student whose family is from Kentucky, said she’d never thought of herself as part of a minority.”*

In the office of University of Arizona President Robert Shelton is a watercolor painting by Yasmin Romero, a fifth-grader in the Sunnyside Unified School District.

No one in her family has gone to a university, but Shelton said he’s trying to change that. He’s invited Yasmin and her family to campus several times.

Shelton’s efforts are emblematic of the UA’s push to become a federally designated Hispanic- Serving Institution, which means it’s trying to increase the number of Latino students to 25 percent of its 37,000 students. That could lead to increased federal funding.”*