May 29, 2008
Pharmacy students’ public service announcement urges sun protection
By Melinda Young
School of Pharmacy
The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 62,400 new cases of melanoma — a malignant form of skin cancer — will occur in the United States in 2008. Further, it estimates that more than 8,400 people will die from the disease this year.
As the ever-elusive Seattle sunshine returns (albeit sporadically) this year, a group of students from the School of Pharmacy are working to send the message that sun protection is in. In an effort led by third-year PharmD students Emily Schulze and Patricia “Petey” Sonnett, eight students recorded a public service announcement on melanoma awareness on KOMO-TV’s “Northwest Afternoon” last week.
The announcement ran on Tuesday’s show, just in time for Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month. In it, the students explained the importance of monitoring the “ABCD”s of moles — asymmetry, border, color and diameter — that can be warning signs of skin cancer. They also provided information about free cancer screenings. The announcement aired in conjunction with an episode that focused in part on the dangers and risk of melanoma.
Northwest Afternoon reaches an estimated 1.5 million people each day throughout western Washington and into Canada. The students hope their message will also reach close to home with college students who like to tan.
“People aren’t slathering on sunscreen every two hours when it’s nice outside,” says Schulze. “But they should be.”
Sonnett points out that it’s still a widespread misconception that young people are less likely to get skin cancer than older people. In reality, melanoma is the most common form of cancer among people 25 to 29 years old and the second most common form among people 15 to 29 years old, according to a study cited by the American Academy of Dermatology.
Schulze also created a bilingual melanoma-awareness PowerPoint presentation for Seattle Latina Health Fair that took place Saturday, May 17. Several School of Pharmacy students were on hand to provide health resources at that annual event.
This is the third public service announcement that School of Pharmacy students have recorded on Northwest Afternoon in as many years.
For information about free cancer screenings near you, visit the American Academy of Dermatology Web site at http://www.aad.org/public/exams/screenings/index.html.
