Contact: Abena Foreman-Trice
(434) 243-2734
abena@virginia.edu
UVA HEALTH SYSTEM SKIN CANCER SCREENINGS HAVE COME A LONG WAY
Early Screening Program Gave Way to National Effort to Catch a Disease
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 13, 2009 -- The Department of Dermatology and the Cancer Center at the University of Virginia Health System observe National Skin Cancer Awareness month by sponsoring a free skin cancer screening event each year in May. What many do not know is that UVA's skin cancer screening program, which began in the early 1970s, was the model for screening programs held nationwide under the direction of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Since 1985, the AAD has screened more than 1.9 million people and detected more than 100,000 suspicious skin lesions. When people sign up for the Health System's free skin cancer screening, to be held this Saturday, May 16, from 8 a.m. to 12noon, they will become beneficiaries of an important UVA Health System legacy of fighting skin cancer.
Dr. Peyton Weary, professor emeritus and former dermatology department chairman at UVA Health System and a past president of the AAD, published a paper that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1971 chronicling his experiences with skin cancer screenings in Central Virginia. At the time it was recognized that farmers and rural outdoor workers were more prone to develop skin cancer as an occupational hazard.
Taking up the torch and continuing this legacy, Dr. Mark Russell, dermatologist at UVA Health System, urges everyone in the community to take advantage of the free screening because everyone shares the risk of developing skin cancer.
"Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime," says Russell. "The skin cancer screening is quick, painless and is a great way to have a physician examine a suspicious spot on your skin at no charge.
"Anybody worried about a spot on their skin should consider taking advantage of this screening."
The free screening event will be conducted by the UVA Department of Dermatology and will take place in the dermatology clinic located on the 3rd floor of the Primary Care Center at the UVA Medical Center. Appointments are necessary. To make one, please call 434-924-9333.
For more information about the history of free skin cancer screenings conducted by the UVA dermatology department or to set up interviews, please call (434) 243-2734.
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