PT professor presents on therapeutic yoga intervention for women with breast cancer at conference

Department of Physical Therapy Associate Professor Gustavo Almeida, PT, PhD, was invited to speak at the 5th annual Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations conference held in San Antonio in February.

Almeida was one of five investigators selected to present during the Early-Career Investigator Session on Feb. 18. His presentation was titled “Therapeutic Yoga Improves Quality of Life and Reduces Perceived Stress in Women with Breast Cancer: 6-Month Intervention in South Texas Communities." 

“Our program demonstrated significant improvements in quality of life among 29 breast cancer survivors in South Texas [San Antonio and Laredo],” Almeida shared in his presentation.  

Participants showed meaningful gains in physical functioning, vitality, mental health, social functioning, pain and overall quality of life, with a reduction in perceived stress, he said. 

“These results highlight therapeutic yoga as an accessible, low‑cost strategy to support survivorship in underserved communities, especially for Latinas,” he added.

Almeida’s presentation included data gathered during a pilot study funded by the Susan B. Komen Foundation, for which he served as a co-principal investigator, along with Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH, MPH, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research and chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences at UT Health San Antonio.