Every Day is Magic: Ada Limón
In her 2015 collection, Bright Dead Things, a National Book Award finalist for poetry, Ada Limón writes of moving to Kentucky: “Confession: I did not want to live here.” It’s perhaps not a surprising sentiment coming from a coastally oriented person who was raised in Northern California, attended college in Seattle, and then spent over a decade in New York City.
But Limón and her husband, Lucas, have been in Lexington for seven years now and the effects of settling into this place are noticeable in her new book, The Carrying (Milkweed, Aug.). It’s a phenomenally lively and attentive collection replete with the trappings of living a little closer to nature. While Bright Dead Things is marked by a preponderance of light, such as images of fireflies and neon signs, The Carrying features numerous appearances by various trees, birds, and beetles. Limón also demonstrates a greater willingness to be explicit in naming colors, particularly green. “It’s crazy green, the whole book,” she says. “Lexington is the greenest place I’ve ever lived.” Similarly, where in Bright Dead Things, Limón tells a lot of stories and anecdotes, in The Carrying she is very present in her thoughts and experiences.
As it turns out, these shifts in focus have another, altogether unexpected source. While putting Bright Dead Things together, Limón was diagnosed with chronic vestibular neuronitis, which can cause bouts of vertigo. “If I’m really having vertigo, it’s pretty intense and I really have to focus,”
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Hispanic population faces worst oral health outcomes: What can be done?
“The Hispanic and Latino population has accounted for 56% of the US population growth since 2000, according to the 2010 Census.1 In 2022, 42.3% of the population identified as a racial or ethnic minority.2
Despite this significant demographic shift, these populations face the worst oral care outcomes, according to many studies, and disparities in oral health are significantly impacting these communities. According to the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA), “Factors such as culture, language, immigration policies, anti-immigrant sentiments, and other social detriments of health are influencing their inability to access oral care.”3…”
This top 10 is making a big difference to advance health care
Juan Robles, MD
“Dr. Robles was one of two physicians to receive the Debasish Mridha Spirit of Medicine Award. He is an Albert Einstein College of Medicine graduate who completed his family medicine training at Montefiore’s Residency Program in Social Medicine in the Bronx. His interests include caring for historically marginalized populations, medical education and health care workforce development…”
https://www.ama-assn.org/about/awards/top-10-making-big-difference-advance-health-care
Most doctors in US are from India
“India is the leading source of immigrant doctors in the United States and the second-largest source of registered nurses, according to a recent report by Remitly. However, when considering the total number of immigrant healthcare professionals, including home health aides and nursing assistants, India ranks third, after the Philippines and Mexico.,,”
https://www.msn.com/en-in/health/other/most-doctors-in-us-are-from-india/ar-BB1ogqPf
A Healthy Mouth Can Lead to a Long and Healthy Life
“…Access to quality oral health care remains difficult for many Americans but especially for rural residents, minority residents and people with lower incomes. Children living in rural communities who are members of a minority group or a lower-income household may experience higher rates of untreated cavities and gingivitis. For children ages 2 to 5 years, 33% of Hispanic children and 28% of non-Hispanic Black children had cavities and severe tooth decay in their primary teeth, compared with 18% of non-Hispanic white children. Seventeen percent of children from low-income households have untreated cavities and severe tooth decay in their primary teeth, over three times the percentage of children from higher-income households…”
West Chicago ER doctor named to ‘40 Under 40’ List
“The National Hispanic Medical Association and the National Hispanic Health Foundation awarded Dr. Jessica Muñoz from West Chicago the “40 Under 40” award on Saturday, April 13, for her work in advancing Hispanic health equity.
A first-generation Mexican-American emergency medicine physician, Muñoz was nominated by state Sen. Karina Villa.
Villa stated: “Latinas make up less than 2.4% of all doctors in the United States and even less in emergency medicine; this shortage adversely affects patients from Spanish-speaking and minority backgrounds. Our country needs physicians like Dr. Muñoz, who can advocate for underserved populations…”
Continuing efforts are addressing health disparities among Hispanic Latino people in U.S.
“…Breaking down language barriers in health care is not just about communication; it’s about breaking down walls that hinder access to vital care and ensuring every voice is heard, understood and empowered,” said Alejandro de la Cova, a member of the current 2023-2024 NHLCC Scholars Program class and third-year medical student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine who is heavily involved in working with the Hispanic Latino community in Columbus, Ohio…”
Mangoceuticals’ (MGRX) MangoRx Mexico Executes Agreement with Mexican Manufacturer for Development and Production of Mango ED Products
“Mangoceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGRX) (“MangoRx” or the “Company”), a company focused on developing, marketing, and selling a variety of men’s health and wellness products in the area of erectile dysfunction (ED), hair growth and hormone replacement therapies is excited to announce that its subsidiary, MangoRx Mexico S.A. de C.V. (“MangoRx Mexico”), has secured and executed a technical agreement with Emifarma S.A. de C.V (“Emifarma”) for the initial stages of development and testing (Bioequivalence and Accelerated Stability, required to obtain registry from COFEPRIS) of the Company’s Mango ED products intended for the Mexican and Latin American markets…”
The top 10 most common jobs for Hispanic and Latino scientists and engineers
“Jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have grown by almost 80% in the past three decades. Part of the increased need for STEM professionals can be attributed to the U.S. government’s efforts to bolster American competitiveness in strategically essential technologies such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
Revelo used data from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics to identify the most common occupations for Hispanic and Latino scientists and engineers. The report considered scientists and engineers to be U.S. residents younger than 76 with a bachelor’s degree or higher degree in science and engineering, or those working in science- or engineering-related jobs. The NCSES analysis is based on the 2021 National Survey of College Graduates.
Although the STEM fields play a vital role in U.S. advancement, Hispanic Americans continue to be underrepresented in the sector. Only 8% of all STEM workers are Hispanic as of 2021, according to the Pew Research Center.
In 2021, unemployment rates for Hispanic and Black American STEM workers were more than double that of their white and Asian American counterparts, a 2023 diversity in STEM report by the National Science Foundation noted…”
Experts Warn of Toxins in GM Corn Amid US-Mexico Trade Dispute
“…”The absence of any systematic monitoring of human exposure levels to Bt/VIP toxins and herbicides from consumption of corn-based foods is regrettable,” the brief adds. “It is also unfortunate that the U.S. government rejected the Mexican proposal to jointly design and carry out a modern battery of studies able to overcome gaps in knowledge regarding GE corn impacts.”…”
Mexican President thanks the work of Cuban doctors
“Referring to the shortage of doctors in his nation, the president said in his usual morning press conference that this was the reason why they decided to bring specialists from Cuba.
Now 700 Cuban professionals are helping us, and we are very grateful to the people and the government of that nation, “because those doctors are even in the most remote villages curing our people”, the president from the southern state of Oaxaca said…”
https://en.escambray.cu/2024/mexican-president-thanks-the-work-of-cuban-doctors/
Latin America Roundup: Brazil, Mexico lay out regulatory priorities
“…Mexico’s Federal Commission for the Protection Against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) also recently made public its priorities and work agenda for 2024, some of which parallel those laid out by ANVISA.
In a document released on 30 January, COFEPRIS described efforts to promote regulatory certainty, improve confidence in its processes, and expand digitalization as a strategy to speed approvals.
COFEPRIS said 2024 would see the launch of its biosimilars unit and pharmaceutical development committee, both of which share the goal of expanding Mexican manufacturing. The agency also promised to refine rules for conducting clinical research “with the aim of achieving competitive service times.”…”
Aging in disadvantaged neighborhoods may worsen age-related cognitive problems, especially among Mexican Americans
“…A team of researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, and other institutions analyzed data from 1,614 participants age 50 years or older in the Health and Aging Brain Study — Health Disparities. More than half of the participants identified as Mexican American, with the rest non-Hispanic White, and were on average age 66. To measure cognition, the researchers examined performance on cognitive tests assessing memory, language, attention, processing speed, and executive functioning. Neighborhood disadvantage of each participant’s current residence was characterized using the Area Deprivation Index, which uses indicators of poverty, education, housing, and employment….”
As migration to the US border rises, experts fear surge in sexual violence
“…A report published in November by the nonprofit Human Rights First found 1,300 reported attacks along the US-Mexico border since May, when US President Joe Biden tightened policies for asylum applications…”
Mexican Americans Face Higher Odds for Liver Cancer With Each New Generation
- “Mexican-Americans born and raised in the United States have higher odds for liver cancer than those born in Mexico
- This uptick in risk is increasing with each successive generation, new research shows
- Lifestyle factors — obesity, drinking, smoking — are partly to blame, but other issues may play a role…”
- https://www.healthday.com/health-news/cancer/mexican-americans-face-higher-odds-for-liver-cancer-with-each-new-generation
A Mexican American professor who struggled with impostor phenomenon helps others overcome it
“…Like many people of similar backgrounds who she meets through her research, Gutiérrez suffers from the affliction commonly known asimpostor phenomenon, a condition that Gutiérrez refers to as “impostorization.” It’s the uneasy, ever-present sensation that you’re a fraud, your successes aren’t deserved, and it’s only a matter of time before you’re unmasked as the failure you truly are.
Typically, and ironically, it tends to afflict high achievers. In the United States, impostorization also tends disproportionately to affect women, people of color and immigrants or their offspring…”
UTHealth Houston partners with Mexican organizations for $5 million NIH grant to improve implementation of cancer control interventions in Mexico and Latin America
“A five-year, $5 million grant has been awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science to support research and training in implementation science, with a focus on improving cancer control efforts in Mexico and Latin America.
The grant brings together researchers from UTHealth Houston, the Mexican National Institute of Public Health (INSP), the Mexican National Cancer Institute (INCan), and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF)…”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1007686
Warrior spotlight celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet M.D.-Ph.D. student Rafael Ramos
“Rafael Ramos is a first-generation Mexican-American enrolled in the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s M.D.-Ph.D. program. He was born in the United States and grew up in Mexico. He moved back to his birth country for higher education, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree before moving to Detroit in the late 2010s. Ramos has completed his first two years of medical school, and is in his third year of the doctoral portion of his degrees. He is a candidate in Biomedical Engineering, funded by the Detroit Cardiovascular Training Program T32 grant hosted by the Department of Physiology. He also received a Michigan Space Grant Consortium Graduate…”
There are too few Latino doctors in the US, study finds
“…Rather than treating the category of Latino as a monolith, researchers also looked at subgroups in the U.S. health workforce. They found that Mexican Americans make up 10.7% of the U.S. workforce but only 1.7% of physicians…”
https://www.witf.org/2023/09/13/there-are-too-few-latino-doctors-in-the-us-study-finds/
Hispanic Americans in Military Medicine
“…Maria G. Roach served as a flight nurse during WWII with the Army Nurse Corps and received an Air Medal and two Bronze Stars for her actions. Born in Mexico to American parents, Roach grew up in Austin, Texas, where she attended the University of Texas at Austin prior to training as a nurse anesthetist at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. With the onset of WWII, Roach joined the 24th General Hospital at Tulane University and later trained at the School of Air Evacuation at Bowman Field, Kentucky. Once graduated, Roach served as both a pilot and nurse in Africa, India, Italy, and Brazil, completing medical air evacuations. Roach was discharged in 1945 and became a foreign service staff officer in the U.S. foreign service in 1946.,,”
https://www.health.mil/About-MHS/Military-Medical-History/Historical-Timelines/Hispanic
Latin America Roundup: COFEPRIS seeks to boost production of biologics in Mexico
“Officials with Mexico’s Federal Commission for the Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) have met with local biopharmaceutical manufacturers and academics, seeking to increase national production of biological and biosimilar therapies, the vast majority of which are currently imported. The project “promises not only to transform the medical landscape, but also to strengthen the national economy,” and promote both local and regional health self-sufficiency, the agency said. COFEPRIS did not detail which entities had taken part in the meetings, or a timeframe for the project…”
