The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center and UNM Department of Dermatology will offer free skin cancer screening in Gallup on Aug. 5. The event will take place from 11 am to 1 pm at the UNM Health Gallup Specialty Care Clinic, 205 Nizhoni Blvd, Suite 3.
The event is free and open to the public. No appointments or referrals to a dermatologist are needed to get a screening, and everyone arriving during event hours will be seen.
Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can cause up to 90 percent of skin cancers. Regular skin cancer screenings can find potentially cancerous cells before they become cancerous. New Mexico faces a significant shortage of practicing dermatologists, which can challenge some residents to get the screenings and care they need. UNM encourages the public to take advantage of events like this one.
Free events are planned throughout the state. In addition to this event in Gallup, events are planned for Carlsbad in November, Taos in February 2024, Las Vegas in April 2024, and Albuquerque and Rio Rancho in May 2024.
Skin Cancer Screening Event
Saturday, August 5
11 am to 1 pm
UNM Health Gallup Specialty Care Clinic
205 Nizhoni Blvd, Suite 3
Gallup, NM 87301
No appointment needed.
Everyone arriving during event hours will be seen.
For more information about these events, please visit the UNM Dermatology Website: https://hsc.unm.edu/medicine/departments/dermatology/community-initiatives-alumni/
John Durkin, MD, MBA, FAAD, UNM assistant professor of Dermatology, leads these skin cancer screening events throughout the state. For interviews, please contact Michele Sequeira or Jeffrey Tucker.
Press Contacts:
Michele Sequeira
UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center
MSequeira@salud.unm.edu
Jeffrey Tucker
UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center
JJTucker@salud.unm.edu
UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center
The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center is the Official Cancer Center of New Mexico and the only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center in a 500-mile radius.
Its more than 136 board-certified oncology specialty physicians include cancer surgeons in every specialty (abdominal, thoracic, bone and soft tissue, neurosurgery, genitourinary, gynecology, and head and neck cancers), adult and pediatric hematologists/medical oncologists, gynecologic oncologists, and radiation oncologists. They, along with more than 600 other cancer healthcare professionals (nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, navigators, psychologists and social workers), provide treatment to 65% of New Mexico’s cancer patients from all across the state and partner with community health systems statewide to provide cancer care closer to home. They treated almost 15,000 patients in more than 100,000 ambulatory clinic visits in addition to in-patient hospitalizations at UNM Hospital.
A total of nearly 1,855 patients participated in cancer clinical trials testing new cancer treatments that include tests of novel cancer prevention strategies and cancer genome sequencing.
The more than 123 cancer research scientists affiliated with the UNMCCC were awarded $38.2 million in federal and private grants and contracts for cancer research projects. Since 2015, they have published nearly 1000 manuscripts, and promoting economic development, they filed 136 new patents and launched 10 new biotechnology start-up companies.
Finally, the physicians, scientists and staff have provided education and training experiences to more than 500 high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellowship students in cancer research and cancer health care delivery.