Elmer E. Huerta, MD, MPH, was born in Perú, where
he obtained his medical degree at the University of San Marcos
in 1981. Trained in internal medicine and medical oncology, he moved to the
United States in 1987. He completed a fellowship in oncology research at the
Johns Hopkins Oncology Center in 1988. In 1991, he completed his residency in
internal medicine at St. Agnes Hospital. Then, in 1992, Huerta received a
masters in public health at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public
Health. He completed his fellowship in Cancer Prevention and Control at the
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, in 1994.
Huerta is currently the founder and director of the Cancer Preventorium at the Washington Cancer Institute at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. The Preventorium uses culturally appropriate social marketing approaches to promote health and prevent cancer, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease among members of the Latino community. The program has persuaded more than 15,000 Latinos, 85 percent of them without symptoms, to seek medical education and screening before symptoms of prevalent diseases begin to emerge. There, in addition to his clinical duties in cancer prevention and screening, he continues his research and educational work with the Hispanic community.
Huerta, who has 20 years of patient care and education experience, is nationally and internationally known by his voluntary efforts in educating the Hispanic community through the media. His popular radio program "Cuidando su Salud" (Taking Care of Your Health), has been on the air continuously in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area since December 1989. The program has been nationally syndicated and has become the only daily radio show produced and hosted by a Latino physician in the United States. The program is broadcast on more than 100 radio stations in the United States, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Bolivia and Perú.
Another radio program, "El Consultorio Comunitario" (The Community Clinic of the Air), is the only talk show that is broadcast daily from a health facility. A radio studio was built for him at his office. From there, he broadcasts on a daily basis.
In addition, Huerta is involved with his own Web site www.prevencion.org. Huerta also co-hosts "Hablemos de Salud" (Let's Talk About Health), a weekly, live, one hour television program on health promotion and disease prevention that airs every Saturday on Channel 56 MHz. The show is distributed throughout 23 cable systems in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and is carried nationally by the EchoStar satellite system. Huerta also has a weekly health segment on the local Telemundo station (Channel 64 WZGS) in Washington, DC. In addition, he serves as an expert medical commentator for CNN Radio Noticias, Univision, CNN en Español and Telemundo.
Huerta has presented the results of his work at meetings sponsored by the National Institutes of Health Office of Women's Research; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; the National Cancer Institute; the American Public Health Association; the Pan American Health Organization; the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; The Mayo Clinic; and The MD Anderson Cancer Center, among others.
Huerta is the president and founder of Prevención, Inc., a non-profit company dedicated to the production and dissemination of educational materials for the Latino community in the United States.
Through his educational work, Huerta has developed a high degree of respect and trust in the Hispanic community at the local, national and international levels. In addition, Huerta has testified before the U.S. Congress on minority health issues.
Some of his awards include The Broadcast Leadership Award by the Board of Sponsors of The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the 1997 Leadership Award by the Latino Caucus of the American Public Health, The Year 2000 Oscar E. Edwards Memorial Award for Volunteerism and Community Service by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine. Philadelphia, The 2001 Walter C. Alvarez Award by the American Medical Writers Association, the 2002 Spirit of Life Foundation Humanitarian Award and the 2004 Innovations in Prevention Award by the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Recently, during the 40th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Huerta's Cancer Preventorium was recognized by Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. His Cancer Preventorium was awarded recognition for its achievements in Closing the Health Care Gap by "changing the point of contact with the health care system for thousands of Latinos in the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Area."
Huerta's Cancer Preventorium is one of the models for the Patient Navigator, Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005, signed into law by President Bush on June 2005.
In 1998, Huerta was appointed by President Clinton as member of the National Cancer Advisory Board. He is member of the Board of the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation and the American Legacy Foundation. Huerta has been named first vice president of the American Cancer Society and is in his way to become the first Latino president of that prestigious organization.