Dear NIH leaders,

As the leader of Salud America!, an organization that promotes health improvement for all people, including Latinos, I know that health research is a priority. 

Understanding the health issues that impact communities is the foundation for creating better health outcomes for families and communities. 

That is why I hope the NIH, as it builds its strategic plan, will consider integrating our findings about 13 key areas that drive the Latino cancer burden.

Our Task Force: Researchers Against Cancer recently published these findings in the journal Frontiers in Public Health (https://bit.ly/taskforceresults). The task force, comprised of specialists in oncology, public health, and behavioral sciences, spent a year meeting together to unpack the influences contributing to cancer, from genetics to societal practices. Findings highlight environmental hazards, genetic susceptibilities, stigmas, and linguistic barriers as significant drivers among Latino populations. Additional issues, such as inadequate healthcare coverage, financial challenges, and lack of participation in clinical trials, further compound these issues.

Incorporating this kind of lens, NIH can be a leader in biomedical and behavioral science research, scientific research capacity, and scientific research operations to ultimately improve health for all people. 

I support the goals of improving research resources and infrastructure, fostering transparency and accountability to improve public trust in science, advancing and optimizing interventions, treatments, and cures, among the other goals set by the strategic plan framework. Let’s truly improve health for all.

Thank you, 

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, Director, Salud America!