Dear Friends,
As I write this, I am sitting outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next door to the White House. I came to Washington DC, to collaborate with my dear friend, fellow HPV-cancer-survivor, and Executive Director of the HPV Cancers Alliance, Lillian Kreppel. We had the honor of meeting with Catharine Young, Ph.D., from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Young is Assistant Director for Cancer Moonshot Policy and International Engagement. I also spoke with Alabama representatives and their staff about HPV and the critical roles that vaccination and screening play in reducing HPV cancer rates. Why should our congressmen and women care about this? Because in the past two years, the House of Representatives introduced the ‘‘Promoting Resources to Expand Vaccination, Education and New Treatments for HPV Cancers Act of 2023’’ (the "PREVENT HPV Cancers Act"), President Biden kickstarted the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, and the White House convened a Cancer Cabinet, which brings together agencies from across the federal government—including the National Cancer Institute (NCI) - to drive progress against cancer. I think this is the perfect time to lobby for funding and research for the prevention (vaccination!) and treatment of all HPV cancers. More about this to come! In the meantime, scroll down to see photos from "the hill."
Since I last wrote, we have been hard at work, with our Provider Education and Quality Improvement program. We are actively coaching and reviewing vaccination data with 29 pediatric and family practices, and last week we trained 11 practices in the Health Services, Inc. healthcare organization (a federally qualified health center serving central Alabama). This was all happening despite V2SC being without a Program Manager. Fortunately, we had a UAB School of Public Health intern join our team for a few months; Riley Blum did a commendable job of collecting data from ADPH and inputting it into our system of spreadsheets, report cards and run charts. Read more about this ambitious MPH graduate below.
Progress with our Dental Health Provider Program has been slow; spreading the word about it has proven to be challenging, as is getting dental practices interested in the online training and the CE credit. We've taken to the street, so to speak, and are delivering, door to door, the program information and our message about the role dentists can play in RECOMMENDING the HPV vaccine.
There's always so much to do, to fulfill our mission to increase HPV vaccination rates in Alabama. With a new Program Manager on board since April and a new Digital Media specialist joining our team this week, I believe we are well-positioned to recruit and train more pediatric and family medicine practices, make significant inroads with the dental professionals, and expand our education and advocacy projects to OB/GYN practices and college campuses. With Gratitude, Barbara S. Schuler CEO and Founder |
Your gift to VAX 2 STOP CANCER will prevent HPV cancers in Alabama. |
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Barbara hard at work on Capitol Hill (Pictured with colleague, Lillian Kreppel) |
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A Shot at Prevention 2024 |
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On Thursday, April 25th, we had our 3rd annual fundraising luncheon at The Club in Birmingham. Heather Brandt, PhD (Director, HPV Cancer Prevention Program at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital) delivered an impressive presentation entitled, "We can eliminate HPV cancers beginning with cervical cancer. Here is how." And Reeves Crabtree (oropharyngeal cancer survivor) gave a moving account of his cancer journey. Reeves and Heather both applauded the work of Vax 2 Stop Cancer and emphasized how important this work is for preventing HPV cancers in Alabama.
The event was a huge success, drawing a crowd of over 100 guests and raising almost $28,000.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO... |
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Check out Jennifer's podcast, The Cancering Show, where she seeks to demystify cancer with knowledge, hope and humor. |
| Jennifer Young Pierce VAX 2 STOP CANCER Board Member
A native of Sumter, South Carolina, Jennifer went to medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina, graduating valedictorian. She completed her residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital Integrated Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harvard Medical School and completed her fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Virginia (UVA). She completed her Master’s in Public Health while at UVA.
Today, Dr. Pierce is a Senior Staff Physician and Professor of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute (MCI). She joined USA Health MCI in 2017 with national expertise in Human Papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer, and cancer disparities and currently serves as the Division Director of Cancer Prevention and Control as well as an Abraham A. Mitchell Clinical Cancer Research Scholar. She is deeply committed to the care of women with gynecologic cancers and spends the majority of her time seeing patients and performing radical surgeries for cancer treatment. Dr. Pierce lives with her husband and 2 daughters in Mobile, Alabama.
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Why did you join the board?
I feel passionately about prevention of HPV related cancers, and I feel that the work being done by VAX 2 STOP CANCER is some of the most impactful in our state. I wanted to be part of it!
What does the mission of VAX 2 STOP CANCER mean to you?
I remain committed to a world where all HPV related cancer is functionally eliminated in the same way that we have eliminated other vaccine preventable illnesses. This should be no different. I started my career doing this and I will continue this work until my last breath. But hopefully I can retire because we will get there! What is the most rewarding part of being involved with V2SC?
Being a part of a truly statewide collaborative effort that has the opportunity to make a national impact! What do you want the public to know about V2SC?
I wish more people knew that V2SC was started because of a patient turning their cancer into their passion and their microphone. These patients are all hiding in plain sight and need an organization to fight for them, to fight with them.
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VAX 2 STOP CANCER is constantly conversing and collaborating with allies in the HPV world. Eliminating cancer is not a goal to be achieved by just one group! We have been very successful at building relationships with organizations who, like V2SC, are working to make the elimination of HPV cancers a reality. A few of our partners are highlighted here. |
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Launched by The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital HPV Cancer Prevention Program, Path to a Bright Future is a campaign that mobilizes partners to promote sound, relevant, and appropriate policies that encourage on-time HPV vaccination for 9–12-year-olds and support equitable administration of HPV vaccination for all people. |
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Operation Wipe Out aims to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem in Alabama by raising awareness about HPV and cervical cancer prevention and facilitating access to vaccination, screening, follow-up, and treatment. OWO is bringing together champions from across Alabama’s public, private, academic, and non-profit sectors to save women’s lives. |
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The IPVS mission is to contribute to the elimination of papillomavirus-related diseases. Since its formation, its purpose has been to promote worldwide exchange of ideas, knowledge, and research materials among basic, clinical and public health professionals concerned with human and animal papillomaviruses and their associated diseases. |
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Thank You Riley
We are grateful for your hard work! |
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Riley Blum, MPH VAX 2 STOP CANCER Intern
VAX 2 STOP CANCER was fortunate to have Riley Blum work with us for a few months. The Ohio native has a BS in Biology from the University of Alabama and an MPH, with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health, from UAB. She is passionate about women’s health and getting women who belong to marginalized communities the resources and services they need to live healthy lives. Riley's now working as a program manager at the UAB School of Public Health’s Office of Public Health Practice.
Riley worked closely with our CEO to record data and observe data trends in practices that were participating in the program. She feels that working with Vax 2 Stop Cancer brought light to the impact that vaccine hesitancy and messaging about vaccines has on the health of individuals and communities. It also taught her that we need to discern why individuals and communities are making the choices they are regarding their health. She says, "I like to think of it as 'taking a walk in someone’s shoes,' really trying to understand who they are and their experiences that then allows us to provide resources and services that truly serve our community."
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"Through this opportunity I was able to see first-hand how important it is for us working in public health to understand the data and trends, while remembering to dig a little deeper and look into why individuals and communities are making the choices they are regarding their health." |
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Research presented recently at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference shows "The HPV Vaccine Prevents Head and Neck Cancers in Men" |
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In March, The White House issued an official presidential proclamation declaring April 2024 as the inaugural National Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month. This designation is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Prevent Cancer Foundation and supported by 84 organizations (of which VAX 2 STOP CANCER is one!).
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