Weber State University group sheds light on the dangers of skin cancer
OGDEN, Utah — Utah has the highest per-capita rate of melanoma in the country, and a new group at Weber State University is on a mission to change that.
Gennie Parkman, human anatomy and physiology assistant professor, formed the UV Crew to help educate the public on skin cancer prevention. The group started in Parkman’s lab, where she works with students to research how genetic changes influence cancer development and treatment response..jpg)
“I really love the clinical aspect of cancer biology and working to find treatments that will help cancer patients,” Parkman said. “We have mice experiments, we have cell culture — we can do so much at Weber.”
Ten students currently participate in Parkman’s research, where they get hands-on experience growing cells, designing experiments, contributing to publications, and presenting at regional, national, and international conferences. Driven by a need for public awareness, several members of the research team launched the UV Crew with Parkman, an initiative open to students university-wide.
“Students are extremely passionate about this topic, and they understand the importance of it,” Parkman said. “Our hope is to continue growing the UV Crew into a sustainable public health initiative that reaches more students and community members each year.”
UV exposure early in life can cause DNA damage with longterm consequences, so Parkman says early prevention is critical. As a mother of three, that’s something she emphasizes in her own life.
“Poor sunscreen habits enhance children's risk of getting skin cancer later in life,” Parkman said. “Our skin cells don’t divide as much as we age, so when they're actively dividing, like in my 10-year-old, any damage can cause more problems down the road.”
The UV Crew meets frequently to discuss public outreach opportunities. Last month, they hosted a sunscreen awareness event on a hot and sunny day at Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah.
Lauren Armstrong, Parkman’s former student and recent WSU zoology graduate, spearheaded gathering donations to hand out. By knocking on the doors of local health businesses and using connections in the dermatology industry, she secured around 1,500 donated sunscreen samples.
“I think it's really important to get the community involved in their own health,” said Armstrong, now a patient care technician at Primary Children’s Hospital. “There's a lot of misinformation in society.”
The UV Crew tries to educate others about common misconceptions, like only needing sunscreen on sunny days or that people of color cannot develop skin cancer. While lighter-skinned people are more at risk of melanoma, Parkman says everyone can be affected by the disease.
“Even if it’s cloudy outside or there’s wildfire smoke, you still need sunscreen,” she said. “The UV index is very high right now.”
During the Lagoon event, Parkman said crowds swarmed their information booth, where the crew distributed 250 gift bags containing informative flyers, sunscreen samples, water bottles, sun-activated bracelets, and sunglasses.
“Our event was successful because we gave away sunscreen samples, but we also had so many great conversations with people who came up and just wanted to chat about sunscreen,” said Parkman. “It was fun to connect with the community.”
The UV Crew received funding from WSU’s Student Senate and earned a Sustainability Teaching, Application, and Research grant from the Sustainability Practices and Research Center. The crew is hoping to become an official university-sponsored club to host more community awareness events.
On September 9, the UV Crew will be at WSU’s Environmental Health & Safety program’s Lab Safety Day in the Tracy Hall Science Center Atrium from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m to engage with students and the public.
“It’s my life goal to be able to say that the death rate decreased in Utah, and I had something to do with that, or at least inspire other people to do the prevention,” Parkman said.
Follow the club on Instagram and look for information and updates on the Weber State College of Science Facebook page.
Alexis Cirkovic, News Coordinator
801-626-7362, alexiscirkovic@weber.edu- Contact:
Alexis Cirkovic, News Coordinator
801-626-7362, alexiscirkovic@weber.edu