Skin cancer is largely preventable, but it affects more Americans than all other cancers combined, according to the National Cancer Institute.
These facts motivated students from the School of Medicine to teach sun protection to students at area middle schools this past fall. This spring, Saint Louis University School of Medicine students will join the teaching efforts.
The program, called Sun Protection Outreach Teaching by Students (SPOTS), was established through a collaboration of students and faculty at the two medical schools, a community non-profit organization called the Melanoma Hope Network and the Rockwood School District. Stephanie Lickerman, the director of the Melanoma Hope Network and a local nurse who lost her brother to melanoma, came up with the idea.
SPOTS is the first educational program of its kind that focuses on teenage skin-cancer prevention taught by medical professionals in training. The program’s goal is to teach middle-school students about sun exposure and the proper use of protective methods such as sunscreen, thereby encouraging lifestyle choices and behavioral changes to reduce the incidence of skin cancer.
“It is extremely important for teens and young adults to understand that the ultraviolet exposure they acquire during their childhood and teenage years has a major impact on their chances of developing skin cancer in the future, and we think that this message is best imparted by educators who are closer to their own age,” said Lynn Cornelius, M.D., associate professor of medicine, who is actively involved in the program.
During two 50-minute classes on two days or one 85-minute class one day, medical students use lectures, worksheets, educational games and a video to dispel myths about sun protection among the adolescents. The medical students also bring in a skin analyzer machine — a simple hooded box with a black light and a mirror — to show students the level of their skin damage.
Jason Brant, a School of Medicine student conducting research during his second and third years, said he’s surprised at the number of teenagers who have suspicious spots or have had melanoma. “The kids who have these are the ones who tan a lot and don’t use sunscreen,” he said.
Since its inception, medical students leading SPOTS have taught more than 946 students in the Rockwood School District. This year, SPOTS will be teaching all eighth-grade students in the six Rockwood middle schools.
“We think a lot of the information we’re giving them is just something that has slipped through the cracks,” said Sara Champlin, a second-year School of Medicine student. “We targeted this age group because they spend considerable time outside or in tanning beds and there are very few programs on sun protection for teens.”