Prevent Cancer Foundation Blog

As a pediatrician, I have dedicated much of my life to improve the health of children. Amid my grueling schedule, during my second year of residency I noticed in a bleary-eyed post-call shower that a mole on my chest had changed a little. I recounted the ABCD’s of skin cancer: my mole was only a little larger than a pencil eraser with more heterogeneity than I remembered. When I made an appointment with my internist, ...

Last month, the Administration declared a goal of changing America’s “sick care system to a health care system” with their announcement of a national wellness strategy. The President has asked a range of Federal agencies to consider prevention in everything they do, and asks the rest of us to contribute to being healthier and making our communities healthier places. Many communities across the country have been making strides in becoming healthier. Exercise stations are being added ...

For the next few days I am attending the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Amsterdam. More than 100 countries are represented and there are 50 patient advocates from 21 countries. (That's up from two in 1997, and I was one of the two!) The International Association of the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) hosts this very important global conference. While at the Annual World Conference on Lung Cancer, I attended the Global Lung Cancer ...

I love animals. When I see a friendly animal I cannot help but ask the owner if I can pet it.  This stems from the lovely childhood my parents gave my sister and me. We always had a house full of love, both for one another and for our pets. Over the years we have had cats, dogs, fish, a bird, and an assortment of wild baby animals nursed until they could be returned to ...