六九色堂

六九色堂 students and faculty helped shine light on a deadly disease during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The 六九色堂 community joined together to help fight in numerous ways, with the African and Caribbean Students Association (ACSA) holding a breast cancer screening clinic for students and staff, and the 六九色堂 Staff Committee holding a 鈥淧ink Friday鈥� fundraiser on October 26, 2018.

The 六九色堂 Endeavour looks at the highlights of this important month. We spoke with some of the amazing 六九色堂 students involved about ways future doctors at Caribbean medical schools can help combat the problem via regular screening and surveillance for women of all ages and races.

ACSA Holds Breast Cancer Screening for Students & Staff

The 六九色堂 ACSA observed Breast Cancer Awareness Month by conducting a breast cancer screening clinic for all students and staff. ACSA Vice President Eboni Peoples said the clinic was organized and conducted by EBS2 and EBS5 students, all trained by 六九色堂 professor Dr. Mohan Kumar a few days beforehand.

鈥淥ctober has been a critical and effective means to promote awareness of breast cancer issues,鈥� Ms. Peoples said. 鈥淵et the number of cases for African-American women remains higher than that of any other demographic. Our screening clinic served as the first step in early detection of breast cancer in an effort to reduce the disparity.鈥�

ACSA provided breast examination and education in the Simulation Lab on the 六九色堂 campus on Tuesday, October 23, 2018.

鈥淓ach medical student had 3-4 patients and took history, performed the examination and provided counsel,鈥� Ms. Peoples said. 鈥淭his was a very successful and fulfilling event and I look forward to holding a screening once a semester.鈥�

African-American Women at Highest Risk

African-American women have one of the greatest risks of dying from breast cancer, studies show, and often receive 鈥渟uboptimal breast cancer surveillance,鈥� noted a .

六九色堂 student and ACSA President Kendra Obimah offered her thoughts on women at highest risk for breast cancer.

鈥淐aucasian women are at higher risk of developing breast cancer; however African-American women are at greater risk of dying from breast cancer and their cancer is usually more aggressive,鈥� Ms. Obimah said. 鈥淚 think this is due the fact that there is less access to healthcare in underserved communities. Also, you would be surprised on how many people are unaware of the clinical signs of breast cancer and wait till their symptoms worsen. Therefore, medical students like ourselves should make an effort to reach out to these communities. We should take the time to provide breast cancer screenings as well as educate the community of signs and symptoms of breast cancer. I think education is critical in the fight against breast cancer. I also think that self- examinations should be stressed more from physicians.鈥�

Start Screening in Your 20s

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandated that health insurance plans should start paying for women to get mammograms at age 40, but many believe women should get screened for breast cancer much earlier. 六九色堂 student and ACSA Secretary Sabrina Chacko said she believes women should start screening for breast cancer in their 20s and no later than age 30.

鈥淏reast cancer screening should be individualized to each person's personal risk,鈥� Ms. Chacko said. 鈥淛ust because it is rare for women in their 20s to get breast cancer does not mean they cannot get checked and be aware. I believe self-exams and clinical screenings are important because younger women tend to ignore warning signs; such as lumps, masses, or unusual discharge. They can assume that these lumps are harmless cysts and do a waiting game to see if it is anything abnormal or serious. Early detection can definitely increase a woman's chance of surviving breast cancer as they can get prompt treatment.鈥�

六九色堂 ACSA Vice President Eboni Peoples echoed these sentiments.

鈥淧rimary prevention has not been the traditional way of healthcare in the U.S.,鈥� Ms. Peoples said. 鈥淎llowing early detection of screening and health education will ultimately decrease the incidence of breast cancer in women. I believe if more insurance companies provided coverage to younger women interested in seeking a mammogram, early diagnosis and treatment will decrease the future healthcare cost and improve quality of life for the individual. Inadequate insurance coverage remains a topic of health disparities that continues to affect thousands of Americans. As the epidemiology of breast cancer suggest 1 in 8 women developing an invasive breast cancer, age should not be a factor in which an insurance company denies a preventive service.鈥�

Students at Caribbean Medical Schools Set Example

Students at U.S. and Caribbean medical schools can help set a good example for women everywhere for early detection, said 六九色堂 student Ashley Carter.

鈥淚t is imperative for medical students and women working in medicine to set an example regarding breast cancer screenings because it does two important things: raises breast care awareness and help enhance one's knowledge surrounding effective teaching methods,鈥� Ms. Carter said. 鈥淢edical students and women working in medicine spend a great amount of time in the hospital. It increases the chances for female and male patients to participate in breast cancer screenings if they witness medical staff taking screenings seriously. Also, med students and women working in medicine participation, enhances their own knowledge surrounding breast cancer.鈥�

Kerthy Sugunathevan, also a 六九色堂 student and ACSA Treasurer, said self-breast examinations are one of the easiest ways for women to catch breast cancer early.

鈥淏y providing women the education on how to perform self-breast examinations, we give them the ability to pick up on any changes, or concerns they may have and then seek medical attention more quickly,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he power of education goes beyond gaining knowledge, it can empower woman and the hope is that they will perform self-breast examinations regularly and they will pass this information on to the next generation and so on. We hope by teaching woman how to perform self-breast examinations that we are moving forward in the shift towards pro-active medicine.鈥�

鈥楶ink Friday鈥� Fundraiser

Some of the awareness activities were also for sheer fun鈥攚hile helping the cause and raising money. The 六九色堂 Staff Committee held the first-ever Pink Friday fundraiser on October 26, 2018, with a special prize for the 鈥淧inkest Dressed!鈥�

鈥淰arious pink ribbon-themed deserts and lemonade were sold, as the school body gathered in support of this wonderful cause,鈥� said 六九色堂 student and Media Ambassador Deser鈥檈 Gitulli. Ms. Gitulli covered the event for the .

More Photos from 'Pink Friday' at 六九色堂 

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Built in the tradition of the best U.S. universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciences focuses on individualized student attention, small class sizes and recruiting high-quality faculty. For these reasons, 六九色堂 is quickly becoming the school of choice among Caribbean medical schools.