Third annual New York City Oral Cancer Walk

Access, July, 2008 by Jean Majeski

On Saturday, April 19, 2008, students from New York University College of Dentistry and from other local chapters of the Student National Dental Association (SNDA), in partnership with the Harlem Hospital Center, the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, New York University, Columbia University, and Renaissance Health Care Network, led New York City's third annual Oral Cancer Walk to raise awareness about the disease.

Last spring, the second annual NYC Oral Cancer walk attracted around 500 participants, up from about 300 walkers in 2006, and raising over $30,000. This year, the goal was to double both the number of walkers and the funds raised.

Vera Malezhik and Yelena Lange are two NYC dental hygiene students who participated in the walk. Access emailed them to ask whether the program met its goals this year.

"The initiative was very successful," Malezhik and Lange said. "Although we did not reach our goal of achieving twice as many walkers and raising twice as much money, we were very pleased to see an increased number of walkers (approximately 750) while raising more than $30,000 for the Oral Cancer Foundation (OCF), which was similar what we have raised last year.

According to press materials from NYU, the walk took place in Harlem to call attention to the fact that oral cancer disproportionately affects African-American men, who have the highest rates of oral cancer in the United States. If detected in its earliest stages, however, oral cancer is easily treated. Free oral cancer screenings and general health screenings were available immediately following the walk.

"We were responsible for organizing the screenings after the walk," Malezhik and Lange said. "We set up a screening site in the Marcus Garvey Park and assisted doctors in conducting oral cancer screening for attendees. In addition, there were three vans from NYU, Columbia and Harlem Hospital. These vans were set up to perform similar screening functions. In addition to oral cancer screenings, other health-related screenings were performed (blood pressure, diabetes, eye exams, etc.)"

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Ross Kerr, DDS, MSD, clinical associate professor of oral and maxillofacial pathology, radiology, and medicine at the NYU College of Dentistry, and the faculty advisor for the walk, said, "We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with the Harlem Hospital Center, the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, Columbia University, and Renaissance Health Care Network, to bring the message that early detection of oral cancer saves lives. And April is just the beginning. In August, NYU dental students will be back in Harlem to do additional oral cancer screenings as part of HEAL, the Healthy Eating/Healthy Living Initiative sponsored by the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Harlem Hospital Center."

Additional sponsoring groups include The Oral Cancer Foundation, the Oral Cancer Consortium of New York and New Jersey, and ABC 7.

"This was a very rewarding experience," Malezhik and Lange told Access. "It was great to see so many people getting involved, asking many questions, and gathering information about the subject. Much of this credit goes to Dr. Kerr, who was the primary coordinator of this project, and other students (Marcus Johnson, Dmitry and Alex Baron, and others).

"It was great to see so many students from different dental/hygiene schools to participate in the event. These are the next generation of screeners who can impact the disease through awareness of the importance of early detection and prevention. We are all looking forward to participating in the event next year, and we hope to have even a bigger participation so that we can actively continue to promote oral cancer awareness programs."

--New York University

This edition of Extra was compiled by Jean Majeski