He said that in 1990, there were over 1 million Hispanics over age 65 and by the year 2050, this number will increase eleven-fold. He echoed the call to involve this growing Hispanic community in research. Quite a few radio and television fans turned out to see and hear Dr. Elmer Huerta, medical director of the Cancer Risk Assessment and Screening Center. He spoke about why he presents health information via television and radio. He explained that 87.9 percent of Latinos in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area listen to the radio daily.
Physicians are also highly respected sources of health information in the community.
Huerta has produced more than 1,000 radio shows since 1989. Other symposium topics included smoking prevention in youth, screening patterns in the Hispanic community, Alzheimer's disease, and the need for increasing the number of minority students in scientific careers.