UCSF MEDICAL STUDENTS TEACH LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN HOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM SUN DAMAGE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2005

UCSF MEDICAL STUDENTS TEACH LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN HOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM SUN DAMAGE

FRESNO – Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A CDC report indicates more than one half of a person’s lifetime exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which causes about 65 to 95 percent of melanomas, occurs during childhood and adolescence.

UCSF medical students Marsha Ayzen and Allie Robbins will teach local school children how to protect themselves from harmful UV rays that can cause skin cancer tomorrow, Friday, April 15 from 9 a.m. to noon at Orange Center Elementary School, located at 3530 S. Cherry Avenue in Fresno.

“We chose to educate children about sun damage prevention and skin cancer after seeing a number of patients in Fresno clinics who have sun damage as a result of working outdoors for years without sun block protection,” said Ayzen.

Ayzen and Robbins selected Orange Center Elementary School because of its diverse student population, which is largely Latino, African American and Hmong.

“The teachers are really excited about this opportunity for the students,” said John Stahl, principal at Orange Center. “Any time our kids have access to new, interesting and educational information, we view it as a positive.”

Ayzen and Robbins will conduct 30-minute educational sessions with students in each grade level. In addition, the pair will distribute samples of sun block supplied by Kaiser Permanente. They also will distribute age-appropriate educational brochures from the American Cancer Society.

Every two months, three third-year medical students at UCSF come to Fresno to complete a six-week rotation in Family and Community Medicine. One of the requirements of the rotation is to assess needs and make a public service contribution to the community. 

For more information, please call Marsha Ayzen at (415) 505-9250 or Allie Robbins at (415) 225-4828.