National Summit on Latino Childhood Obesity Prevention

Newswise — U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., will call for greater research and policy action to help prevent obesity among Latino children in a keynote address Sept. 10 at the Scientific Summit of Salud America!, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, based at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.

For its inaugural summit, Salud America! will unite more than 200 researchers and community leaders from across the country to address this critical health issue.

Other guests at the summit, set for Sept. 10-11 at the Sheraton Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, include Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr.; Sean Elliott, a former San Antonio Spurs player; and his wife, Claudia Zapata, a San Antonio Express-News health columnist. Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong will deliver a personal video greeting.

Although the event is by invitation only, media members are welcome to attend.

FULL SUMMIT DETAILS:

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 10, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• A welcome by Amelie Ramirez, Dr.P.H., of the UT Health Science Center School of Medicine, and keynote speech by Dr. Richard Carmona are scheduled from 9 to 10:35 a.m.
• Remarks by Sean Elliott and Claudia Zapata are set for 2:15 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 11, 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
• A panel featuring Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. is set for 8:30 a.m.

WHERE: Sheraton Gunter Hotel
205 E. Houston St.
San Antonio, Texas 78205

AGENDA: A full event description and agenda can be found at http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=a1d8aaa7-f07d-48a6-81c3-8bba7e89bd76.

About Salud America!

Salud America! is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program aims to unite and increase the number of Latino researchers, policy-makers and community leaders engaged in research on childhood obesity among Latinos to seek environmental and policy solutions to the epidemic. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Visit www.salud-america.org.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the foundation has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the foundation expects to make a difference in their lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

About the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio:

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $668 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $16.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $36 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 26,400 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and other health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit www.uthscsa.edu