Despite making up 20% of the United States population, Latinos remain strikingly underrepresented across research, nursing, and doctoral fields. This persistent disparity leaves critical gaps not only in academic leadership but also in clinical trials and medical schools, where diverse perspectives are vital for addressing health inequities. To combat this systemic issue, a transformative initiative was established to pave the way for future Latino scholars and health professionals.
Created by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) located at UT Health San Antonio, the Éxito! program was designed to fill that exact gap. Over an 11-year span, the program successfully recruited 226 students and health professionals, guiding them through a culturally tailored curriculum aimed at inspiring the pursuit of doctoral degrees and careers focused on Latino cancer research.
As the IHPR celebrates its 20th anniversary on October 1, 2026, the milestone offers a meaningful opportunity to look back and evaluate how Éxito! trainees have progressed, evolved, and made their mark in academia, public health, and clinical research.
About the Éxito! Program at the IHPR
Between 2011 and 2021, the IHPR’s Éxito! program hosted an intensive, five-day summer institute in San Antonio, Texas, year after year. The core of the event featured prominent Latino researchers and program alumni who gathered to share the latest advancements in Latino cancer research, offer robust career development strategies, and provide powerful motivation for participants to apply to rigorous doctoral programs.
Beyond lectures and academic planning, institute participants engaged in intimate group discussions designed to foster networking. These sessions encouraged the sharing of personal cultural experiences and helped attendees navigate what it truly means to thrive in a demanding academic environment.
The impact of these gatherings has been profound. Of the 226 Éxito! trainees who participated in the program since 2011, over 30% have either enrolled in or successfully graduated from a doctoral program. Furthermore, academic evaluations have highlighted the tangible efficacy of the initiative. A dedicated study found that the Éxito! summer institute significantly increased trainees’ academic self-efficacy and their overall confidence to apply to doctoral programs. The same study also documented a significant boost in research skills among program interns.
Recognizing its immense value and evidence-based approach, the Éxito! program was honored in 2018 as a winner of Excelencia in Education’s prestigious “Examples of Excelencia” awards, which spotlight top-tier programs supporting Latino student success in higher education.
Ileana Cepeda: 2018 Éxito! Trainee at the IHPR
Reflecting on her time in the program, Ileana Cepeda, MPH, CCRP, describes her Éxito! experience as incredibly inspiring and motivating. When she first joined, the prospect of pursuing a doctorate felt like a distant aspiration she might entertain someday. However, the program helped turn that vague thought into a concrete, actionable goal. The experience provided her with the tools and encouragement to believe she could take that next decisive step, ultimately sparking her journey toward doctoral studies.
Cepeda notes that Éxito! planted the educational seed that ultimately led her back to school. Following the program, she began seriously exploring doctoral options, reflecting on her long-term career goals, and strategizing how she could integrate graduate school into her life while maintaining her professional commitments. It challenged her to think beyond her current professional standing and envision the broader impact she wanted to achieve. That initial spark eventually propelled her into a Doctor of Public Health degree program, with a specialized focus on improving health access and health outcomes for the communities she serves.
Today, Cepeda works as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Children’s Mercy, bringing vital pediatric research opportunities to children and families across the Wichita, Kansas area, including rural and Spanish-speaking communities. Among her proudest milestones is the ongoing balancing act of growing professionally while advancing through her Doctor of Public Health degree at the University of Illinois Chicago as a member of the 2024 cohort. Her work and doctoral journey seamlessly combine her passions for research, community engagement, and a deep commitment to making healthcare and research more accessible to all families, regardless of the barriers they face.
Mayra Serrano: 2013 Éxito! Trainee at the IHPR
Participating in the 2013 cohort proved to be a transformative turning point for Mayra Serrano, DrPH, MPH, CHES, shaping both her personal trajectory and professional path. The program provided a deeply supportive community of Latino scholars, mentors, and leaders who demonstrated firsthand that a career in high-level research and academia was entirely attainable. Seeing Latino faculty members and researchers holding prominent leadership roles was an especially powerful experience, offering her role models she had rarely encountered previously. The institute increased her confidence, expanded her professional network, and forged lifelong friendships, helping her feel a true sense of belonging in academic and research spaces where Latinos have historically been underrepresented.
Serrano credits Éxito! with providing the exact confidence, encouragement, and support system required to pursue a doctoral degree and center her professional life around cancer prevention and health research. The relationships formed with fellow scholars became an invaluable source of continuous mentorship, motivation, and camaraderie throughout her grueling doctoral journey. These peers celebrated her successes, helped her navigate unexpected challenges, and served as a constant reminder that she was never alone in the process. Many of those original connections remain active today as colleagues and leaders collaborate across various fields.
In her current professional capacity, Serrano leads Community Outreach and Engagement as Associate Director at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. Over the years, she has held significant leadership roles dedicated to advancing health equity. Previously, she guided health equity initiatives for Anthem Blue Cross California Medicaid, where she helped direct programs addressing the non-medical drivers of health for underserved populations. In her current role at City of Hope, she builds and leads programs connecting communities directly to cancer prevention, screening, research, and education, while remaining dedicated to mentoring the next generation of Latino researchers and public health leaders.
Erica Chavez Santos: 2017 Éxito! Trainee at IHPR
For Erica Chavez Santos, PhD, MPH, the Éxito! program offered an essential space to celebrate and uplift underrepresented student voices while acquiring tangible skills tailored for a passionate career in health equity and cancer prevention research. The week-long intensive was defined by the development of lasting relationships, robust network building, and thorough preparation for the realities of graduate school.
At the time of her participation, Santos was actively debating whether a PhD program was the right path for her. Having an immediate network of peers and mentors cheering her on fundamentally shifted her perspective. She realized she did not have to navigate the arduous doctoral endeavor in isolation, finding comfort in the presence of other Latinos who shared her exact passions and academic ambitions.
Now working as an occupational health equity researcher and epidemiologist for Washington State Labor & Industries, Santos reached a major milestone by graduating from her PhD program in 2024. She also recently finalized the publication of her dissertation papers, a triumph made even sweeter by the fact that she always envisioned occupational health research being driven by individuals belonging to those very same communities, ensuring that community ideas and lived experiences are authentically represented.
Crystal Costa: 2019 Éxito! Trainee at the IHPR
Describing her experience in a single word, Crystal Costa, MPH, RPCV, calls her time at Éxito! deeply impactful. During the in-person Summer Institute, her cohort was introduced to numerous leaders in cancer research, including prominent Latina, Latino, and Latinx figures who cultivated an intentionally culturally responsive environment. Their lived experiences and relatable perspectives mirrored Latino culture, the underrepresented communities they aimed to serve, and the structural barriers many face when attempting to enter higher education. This safe, welcoming space enabled participants to learn from one another, share vital resources, build lifelong mentorships, and cultivate an enduring sense of community.
The program directly advanced Costa’s education and career by deepening her understanding of the importance of cancer control research and the critical need to address persistent health disparities. By connecting her with renowned researchers like Dr. Amelie Ramirez and providing practical guidance for doctoral applications, the program helped solidify her lifelong commitment to improving cancer-related outcomes among Latinos and other underserved populations.
Today, Costa serves as a doctoral research assistant, actively collaborating on several cancer control and health equity projects. Her recent milestones include being selected for competitive oral presentations at high-profile national gatherings, such as the American Society of Preventive Oncology and the Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Global Congress. In addition to co-authoring publications that address critical gaps in current literature, she is currently developing an implementation plan to support the national scale-up of an evidence-based program for childhood cancer survivors while simultaneously putting the finishing touches on her dissertation work.
Looking Back at the Éxito! Program at the IHPR
The experiences shared by Cepeda, Serrano, Santos, and Costa echo a sentiment shared by countless Éxito! alumni: the program provided the fundamental motivation, clarity, and structural support necessary to successfully pursue and complete a doctorate.
Angela Gutiérrez, a 2014 Éxito! trainee, found the program invaluable as she navigated her own path into academia. Following her time at the institute, Gutiérrez earned her doctoral degree in public health from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. After serving as an assistant professor in the Department of Social Medicine at The Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, she transitioned to an associate professor role at the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California.
Gutiérrez’s academic research utilizes the life course framework and social stress theory to quantitatively investigate psychosocial and behavioral risks and resources, examining their direct implications for health among Latinos and other overlooked demographics. Her secondary research domain employs qualitative methodologies to carefully assess working conditions for community health workers.
Reflecting on how the program shaped her career, Gutiérrez credits Éxito! with demystifying the complex mechanics of applying to doctoral programs. The one-on-one feedback she received on her statement of purpose drafts prepared her extensively for the application cycle, eliminating the guesswork of entering unknown academic territory.
As the Institute for Health Promotion Research marks its 20th anniversary since its launch at UT Health San Antonio on October 1, 2006, the legacy of programs like Éxito! continues to reverberate through the halls of academia, hospitals, and community health centers nationwide, driven by a growing network of empowered Latino researchers.
