On the Path to Prevention from the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program August 2022

This year’s “back to school” season may look a little more normal than the last two. This is the time when most adolescents are vaccinated against HPV. HPV vaccination is routinely recommended for 11-to-12-year-olds and can be given starting at age 9, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Cancer Society, and American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. National Immunization Awareness Month is a perfect time to direct focus on vaccinations required and recommended for school and also those that are routinely recommended. Take a look at the many resources included in this month’s newsletter to help.

Every month, our program will send an email like this. We hope you will share it with others who may be interested and ask them to subscribe, too. We also want to hear from you if you have opportunities and information we can share. Email PreventHPV@stjude.org with any questions.

HPV vaccination is cancer prevention.

In August of each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes National Immunization Awareness Month to highlight the importance of vaccinations for people of all ages, especially for children heading back to school.

CDC-recommended vaccinations protect children against 16 illnesses, including COVID-19, influenza, polio, hepatitis and HPV. While all of these vaccinations protect against infectious diseases, HPV vaccination prevents both the HPV virus and protects against HPV cancers later in life. This is why St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and our Path to a Bright Future partners work to encourage on-time HPV vaccination for 9-to-12-year-olds to ensure a lifetime of protection against six types of cancers—cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and oral/throat.

Last month, Path to a Bright Future hosted a Twitter chat on this topic. Jason Mendelsohn, – SupermanHPV – an HPV cancer survivor, advocate and father, and Heather M. Brandt, PhD, director of the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program, discussed the importance of HPV vaccination as a cancer prevention tool for children during the back-to-school season. In case you missed it, catch up on the Twitter chat.

COVID-19 has impacted the ability to attend health care appointments and receive recommended vaccinations. This has caused childhood vaccinations to drop dramatically. Let’s take advantage of National Immunization Awareness Month to ensure that children are up to date on recommended vaccinations, including HPV, or to schedule missed vaccinations.

Learn more about the Path to a Bright Future campaign here, and join the campaign here.

ImmunizeTN and HPV Cancer Free Tennessee launched a public awareness campaign this summer called “TN Vaccinates.” This HPV vaccination social media campaign is also supported by the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program.

The campaign aims at increasing awareness about childhood vaccinations and targets those living in rural areas of Tennessee. It also seeks to build skills to recognize vaccine misinformation among parents, especially in rural areas. Follow ImmunizeTN on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter. Be sure to like, share and retweet the posts across all social media platforms. The campaign runs through August 19.

Interested in partnering? There is still time to join the TN Vaccinates Campaign as an organization or individual.

The second annual meeting of the Memphis and Shelby County HPV Cancer Prevention Roundtable occurs Wednesday, September 21, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Memphis. This collaboration of local HPV partners and allies is dedicated to increasing HPV vaccination rates among 9–12-year-olds in Memphis and Shelby County.

At this meeting, we will build on the great work that started last year, including provider education seminars, operational growth, and development of the roundtable’s HPV goals. The keynote presentation will focus on data visualization and data storytelling. Additional presentations will include local HPV data and an HPV clinic panel on improving HPV rates.

You are welcome to attend this meeting. Register today.

Alison Footman, PhD, has joined the HPV Cancer Prevention Program. She earned her doctorate in health behavior from the University of Alabama at Birmingham this past spring.

At St. Jude, Footman will focus on multiple projects centered on implementation science and mixed-methods research approaches. Her goal is to work with the HPV Cancer Prevention Program team to improve access to and awareness about HPV vaccination. She will also collaborate on policy projects to explore factors that could improve HPV vaccination coverage.

Footman’s interest in public health began when she was in high school during a sexual health class. Learning about different infections, how cases continue to rise despite effective prevention mechanisms, and the need for improved awareness and education ignited her fire to pursue a career in public health.

“The HPV vaccine can prevent cancer and save lives,” she said. “Unfortunately, many barriers prevent people from getting vaccinated or understanding the benefits of vaccination. At St. Jude, I hope to help lessen some of these barriers so that people feel confident in getting themselves or their children vaccinated and have peace of mind in knowing they are protected from several types of cancer.”

Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Footman loves watching Duke basketball and is obsessed with March Madness. When not worrying about basketball brackets, she enjoys spending her free time with her dog, Otis, and gardening.

Access Alabama, Arkansas, California, Louisiana , Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee State HPV Cancer Prevention Data Profiles at stjude.org/hpv.

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program has created HPV cancer prevention data profiles for Alabama, Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. The state data profiles are an important tool that offer an at-a-glance look at HPV vaccination coverage and HPV cancers. Also included are state-specific opportunities and recommended actions.

We welcome your thoughts on the data profiles. Email PreventHPV@stjude.org to share your impressions, extra content we could add to the profiles, and possible uses of this resource. Be on the lookout for HPV Cancer Prevention data profiles for other states.

To have copies mailed to you, email PreventHPV@stjude.org.

While preparing for the August e-newsletter, the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program team began sharing favorite summer vacation locations. Here members of the team answer, "What are some of your favorite summer vacation locations?"

“Location is not as important as the people who I go on vacation with. If I am with friends and family who are fun, easy going and adventurous, all the places I travel become my favorite”. – Andrea Stubbs, administrative director

“I enjoy any clear water beach, under a cabana with a good book to read.” – Carol Minor, program coordinator

“My family and I love to vacation in Yauco, Puerto Rico. Yauco is surrounded by gorgeous beaches and waterfalls. Summers in Yauco are hot, but the island is such a calming escape.” – Julia Neely, program coordinator

“I enjoy going to Gulf Shores, Alabama, which touches the Gulf of Mexico. The area encompasses everything you could imagine; outlet shopping, a waterpark, daily fresh seafood and a relaxing environment.” – Brooke Morgan, program coordinator

“I enjoy taking family vacations to Destin, Florida. My family and I relax on the beach, but my favorite activity is the banana boat ride.” – Portia Knowlton, program coordinator

“One of my favorite summer vacation locations is Dubai. The food is great, there are so many shopping malls and there is so much beautiful architecture.” – Duha Magzoub, graduate student assistant

“I love going to New Bern, North Carolina, in the summer. It’s on the Neuse River, quiet, and there are a ton of historic places to explore. ” – Alison Footman, postdoctoral fellow

“I love going to the San Antonio River Walk”– Ursula Leflore, administrative specialist

“When I was growing up, my family went with several other families to Bottle Lake in Minnesota for summer fun. We would go fishing, water ski, swim, and catch crawdads at night.” – Heather Brandt, director

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program’s Path to a Bright Future campaign spotlights the benefits of on-time HPV vaccination to prevent cancer in children ages 9-12. The campaign also raises awareness of the dangers of HPV pre-cancers and cancers.

Join us:

Get your child vaccinated against HPV by their 13th birthday: If you or your child is in the recommended age range (ages 9-26 and possibly until age 45), get vaccinated.
Encourage others to get their children vaccinated: Normalize HPV vaccination as cancer prevention
Share the facts: HPV vaccination is safe, effective and durable. It prevents 6 types of cancer.

Learn more and join the campaign