Derms Give Back: Destination Healthy Skin Wraps Up Its 2021 Journey
Destination Healthy Skin, The Skin Cancer Foundation’s mobile skin cancer education and screening program, conducted 920 free skin cancer screenings.
Destination Healthy Skin, The Skin Cancer Foundation’s mobile skin cancer education and screening program, conducted 920 free skin cancer screenings aboard the Foundation’s 38-foot Destination Healthy Skin RV.
Approximately 4,000 participants attended events around the country and received The Skin Cancer Foundation’s educational materials and skin care product samples.
After a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program returned this year for its fourth annual drive around the U.S. Local volunteer dermatologists with precautions to protect against the virus and keep both attendees and physicians safe. The RV traveled more than 9,000 miles between August and November, making stops for educational events in New York, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Washington, DC, and finally Pennsylvania.
Forty dermatologists teamed up to donate more than 146 hours of free, full-body skin exams at Destination Healthy Skin events. The dermatologists identified 195 potential skin cancers and precancers, 10 of which were suspected melanomas.
“During the pandemic, people may have missed or postponed scheduled skin cancer screenings and I have personally seen more advanced skin cancers over the past year,” says Deborah S. Sarnoff, MD, president of The Skin Cancer Foundation, in a news release. “Bringing back Destination Healthy Skin allowed us to provide a vital public health service for those who may not have had the opportunity or means to get screened during these challenging times.”
This year’s events were made possible in part by generous support from EltaMD; ScarAway; EMD Serono and Pfizer; Merck; Almirall; Genentech, a Roche company; The Sunshine Foundation; and The Lynne Waxman Foundation. Though every type of support is integral to Destination Healthy Skin, the program’s success relies on the generous donations of time and expertise by volunteer physicians across the country. The Foundation is incredibly grateful to the dermatologists who volunteered this year:
Morayo Adisa, MD Martha Arroyo, MD Brian Bailey, MD Aly Barland, MD Kate Braunlich, DO Alina Bridges, DO Liza Brown, DO Mary Ruth Buchness, MD Jeaneen Chappell, MD Barbara Cortez, DO Dekker Deacon, MD Dayna Diven, MD Zachary Eyre, MD Adam Friedman, MD | Beth Goldstein, MD Elizabeth K. Hale, MD Carsten Hamann, MD Ryan Holzwarth, MD Erum Ilyas, MD Jesse Jensen, MD Julie K. Karen, MD Bobby Joe Kennedy, DO Neelam Khan, MD Saakshi Khattri, MD Henry H. Lim, MD Lauren Madigan, MD Katherine Martin, MD Lauren Moy, MD | Ariel Ostad, MD Neill T. Peters, MD Adelle Quintana, MD Ross Radusky, MD Nahid Shahrooz , MD Lisa Stirling, MD Karen Stolman, MD Mohiba Tareen, MD Carol Trakimas, MD Daneeque Woolfolk, MD Mark Zalla, MD Yan Isabel Zhu, MD |
Dermatologists interested in helping their communities may visit DestinationHealthySkin.org/volunteer for more information on getting involved. The Skin Cancer Foundation is currently planning the 2022 Destination Healthy Skin event schedule