INCTR

BIOGRAPHY
Elmer E. Huerta, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Huerta, 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 in Perú, he moved to the United States in 1987. He completed a fellowship in oncology research at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center in 1988, a residence in internal medicine at St. Agnes Hospital in 1991, a Masters Degree in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in 1992, and a fellowship in Cancer Prevention and Control at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, in 1994.

Dr. Huerta is currently the founder and director of the Cancer Risk Assessment and Screening Center at the Washington Cancer Institute at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. There, in addition to his clinical duties in cancer prevention and screening, he continues his research and educational work with the Hispanic community.

Dr. Huerta, who has 20 years of patient care and education experience is nationally and internationally known by his 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, D.C. metropolitan area since December 1989. Recently, 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 in more than 70 radio stations in the United States and Puerto Rico. As of April 1999, 1852, different programs had been produced.

In addition, Dr. Huerta co-hosts "Hablemos de Salud" (Lets Talk About Health), a weekly, live, one hour television program on health promotion and disease prevention that airs every Saturday on Channel 56 WNVC. The show is distributed through 23 cable systems in the Washington metropolitan area and has recently started its national syndication. Dr. Huerta also writes a weekly health-related nationally syndicated column for the news agency EFE. He serves as an expert medical commentator for CNN Radio Noticias, Radio Bilingue, Univision, Telemundo, CNN en Español, and CBS Telenoticias.

Dr. Huerta is the President and Founder of Prevención, Inc., a non-for-profit company dedicated to the production and dissemination of educational materials for the Latino community in the United States. Prevención, Inc maintains a web page (www.prevencion.org) and publishes "El Boletín del Dr. Huerta" a quarterly Spanish-Language health-related newsletter.

Through his educational work, Dr. Huerta has developed a high degree of respectability and trust in the Hispanic community at the local, national, and international level.

Dr. Huerta has been recently appointed by President Clinton as member of the National Cancer Advisory Board and is a new member of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society.