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

November 16 is National Rural Health Day. This annual celebration of the power of rural America pushes all of us to pause and acknowledge the important contributions of people living in rural communities. As someone who grew up in a rural area, I know first-hand about the many strengths of rural communities and also the challenges. Rural life is a choice made by 1 in 5 people, but they don’t choose to be at higher risk of cancers, including HPV cancers. We must work with people living in rural communities to understand how to change the pattern of low HPV vaccination rates and high HPV cancer rates. We must do more to make sure those living in rural America are protected too.

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program is committed to addressing disparities in rural HPV vaccination coverage. Last year, on National Rural Health Day, we announced our focus on rural communities, which has included launch of the stjude.org/hpvrural website, development and release of a fact sheet, virtual seminars in January and March, initiation of the Wide Open Spaces article series (available on the website), and formation of a rural HPV vaccination think tank. The think tank has informed key action steps for our program to address with partners. We hope if you are interested in joining us in improving HPV vaccination coverage with rural communities that you will join us. Learn more in this month’s newsletter – and watch for a special communication next Monday with resources you can use for National Rural Health Day.

If you are interested in learning more about national efforts to enhance rural health, register for The Power of Rural in Action: CDC and State Strategies for Rural Health on November 16 from 2-3 p.m. Central Time.

As always, if you have information for us to share in our monthly e-newsletter, please contact us at PreventHPV@stjude.org.

Acting to Improve Rural HPV Vaccination

Earlier this year, in January, the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program initiated programming focused on improving HPV vaccination coverage with rural communities. The program hosted a pivotal meeting with key thought leaders to convey the status of HPV vaccination and HPV cancers in rural America and also identify strategies for action. This led to a follow-up meeting in March and formation of the Rural HPV Vaccination Think Tank.

The culmination of these collaborative efforts was the release of the Think Tank’s action plan in fall 2023. The core objective of this plan is to increase HPV vaccination in rural U.S. settings, placing special emphasis on starting HPV vaccination at age 9. Actions focused on using existing resources, communication, data, training providers, and advocacy and policy.

Register for our next update on progress in improving rural HPV vaccination on November 29 from 1-2 p.m. Central Time. The meeting will include presentations by representatives from the American Cancer Society and National HPV Vaccination Roundtable. By collaborating, innovating, and strategizing, we can make a significant impact on the health and well-being of rural communities.

Rural HPV Vaccination Resources:

Website: stjude.org/hpvrural
Preventing HPV Cancers in Rural Communities fact sheet
January 2023: St. Jude Rural HPV Vaccination Introductory Meeting recording and materials
March 2023: Improving HPV Cancer Prevention with Rural Communities recording
Wide Open Spaces articles are available at stjude.org/hpvrural – read the latest article here

Email PreventHPV@stjude.org with any questions. Join the rural listserv here.

Register today for Navigating Conversations: Effective Communication Strategies for HPV Vaccination in the Southeast, November 15

The next training experience hosted by the Southeast Roundtable – Navigating Conversations: Effective Communication Strategies for HPV Vaccination in the Southeast – will be on November 15 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT. The focus will be on addressing misinformation and practical messaging to promote HPV vaccination in the southeastern United States. Presenters will address using communication approaches to build confidence in HPV vaccination, myths related to HPV vaccination, and foundations of campaigns for the southeast region.

This interactive training experience will include presentations, facilitated breakout room discussions, and large group sharing.

January 22-23, 2024: In-person Meeting of the HPV Vaccination Roundtable of the Southeast

Register for the inaugural meeting of the Southeast Roundtable on January 22-23, 2024, as space allows, in Memphis, Tennessee. The meeting will bring together people working in Southeastern states to improve HPV vaccination coverage. This meeting is an opportunity for sharing successes and challenges, generating ideas, and promoting action to improve HPV vaccination in the Southeastern U.S. by identifying strategies for collective impact.
Click here to register.

New Resources Available

The Southeast Roundtable has new resources available at stjude.org/southeast-roundtable.

Digging Deeper into HPV Vaccination Data Training Experience recording
Recap of state update meetings with links to recordings flyer
State data profiles flyer
State data profiles social media graphics (see image below as an example -- available for all Southeastern states)
State updates flyer

Visiting the National Islands:

2023 National HPV Vaccination HPV Roundtable
Annual Meeting

Representatives of the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program attended the “national islands” for the 2023 National HPV Vaccination Roundtable Annual Meeting on October 18-19 in Atlanta, Georgia.

During the meeting, attendees discussed the priorities of the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable, explored best and promising practices in HPV cancer prevention, and heard from experts on emerging topics, such as plans to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem in the United States and the status of research related to implementing a one dose HPV vaccination recommendation in the United States. Representatives also participated in small group discussions, brainstorming, and action planning on several topics in the” unconference format.”

Duha Magzoub, MPH, program coordinator of the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program, participated as one of the fellows in the inaugural cohort of the Emerging Leader’s Program of the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable. Additionally, Heather M. Brandt, PhD, director of the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program, was awarded the Leadership Award by the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable.

Wide Open Spaces:

Supporting HPV Vaccination with Rural Communities

Reaching Rural Communities with

HPV Vaccination Messages on a Budget

HPV vaccination messages have long been hijacked by misinformation and ensuing lack of knowledge. In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to reclaim the message: HPV vaccination is cancer prevention. Plain and simple. For those of us in this space, we hope to see more vaccination providers promoting this important message to parents of adolescents. The most effective way to raise acceptance of any vaccine is through a strong provider recommendation. Beyond that, community health professionals can offer additional support for HPV vaccination by increasing the number of times a parent or caregiver sees these positive HPV vaccination messages outside of a clinical setting. This can be accomplished through community outreach events, educational presentations, and media placements. In this month’s Wide Open Spaces article, Angelina Blank shares solutions for reaching rural communities with HPV vaccination messages on a budget.

Read more here.

Angelina Blank
Former coordinator of the Cancer Prevention in Action program at the St. Lawrence Health Initiative in New York. St. Lawrence County is a large, predominantly rural county.

“Effective community health outreach can be difficult if there is a struggle to get people’s attention in the first place. Lack of funding is usually the culprit, as organizations may not have large budgets for giveaways or activities. Using a low-tech device like a button maker at tabling events is a great economical way to engage the public and produce custom items.”

Updated HPV Data Profiles: 2020 HPV Cancers and 2022 HPV Vaccination Data Profiles for Selected States

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program has created updated HPV cancer prevention data profiles selected states. The state data profiles are an important tool that offer consolidated, at-a-glance look at HPV vaccination coverage and HPV cancers. Also included are state-specific opportunities and recommended actions.

Access the updated state data profile by clicking on the state name below:

We welcome your thoughts on the state 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 in the future.

Preventing HPV Cancers through
Increased Medicaid Eligibility

In September, the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program released an updated examination of public policy decisions and other factors that drive HPV vaccination coverage across the United States. The analysis examined the relation between HPV vaccination initiation and series completion and included a cost savings analysis. Access the full report and fact sheet for the updated analysis at stjude.org/hpv-policy-summary.

The St. Jude HPV program and FTI Consulting continued to work on further describing the benefits of Medicaid eligibility beyond only state expansion. To prevent HPV cancers, it is imperative to expand access to health insurance coverage for lower-income individuals and families through increased Medicaid eligibility levels. Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have significantly contributed to increased childhood vaccination rates, significantly lowering the risk of life-altering diseases like HPV cancers.

A newly available fact sheet provides additional information on the importance of increasing access to health insurance coverage through expanded Medicaid income eligibility in 32 states with eligibility levels below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. This action could directly address coverage limitations and improve cancer prevention. The fact sheet includes additional action steps to address gaps in access in support of HPV vaccination.

2023 Brooke Askew Morgan Community Champion Award:
Primary Care Pediatrics

At the third annual Memphis and Shelby County HPV Cancer Prevention Roundtable meeting in September, the inaugural Brooke Askew Morgan Community Champion Award was given to Primary Care Pediatrics in Millington, Tennessee. The award is named after Brooke Askew Morgan who was a member of the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program. Brooke previously worked at St. Jude in the infectious diseases department and also for the Shelby County Health Department. Brooke passed away almost a year ago in December after giving birth to her daughter, Margo.

Through her keen sense of serving our local community, Brooke set a standard for outstanding commitment to improving the health of Memphians most in need. Brooke received various awards for her work in community outreach, including the St. Jude Protecting Patient Privacy Award, the Memphis Business Journal's Healthcare Heroes Award for outstanding work in community outreach, and the St. Jude Light of Hope Award, an honor given for dedication and support of HIV/AIDS care, education and prevention in Memphis and Shelby County. Brooke’s dedication and commitment is appropriately honored by an award in her name that recognized similar efforts in HPV vaccination in Memphis and Shelby County.

Dr. David Algea accepted the award on behalf of the entire staff at Primary Care Pediatrics. He spoke about the importance of protecting children through HPV vaccination and the team effort it takes to get shots in arms. Having participated in a recent training sponsored by the Memphis Roundtable in May, Dr. Algea and team nurse Ashley Brooks provided teach-backs on motivational interviewing to the entire clinic staff. Additionally, Dr. Algea commented on the added value the exam room nurse provided. Hesitant parents often seek the opinion of the nurse or medical assistant on whether they should get the HPV vaccination for their child after the provider recommends the vaccine. Because Primary Care Pediatrics is committed to cancer prevention, every staff member throughout the clinic endorses HPV vaccination.

Congratulations, Primary Care Pediatrics!

VAX 2 STOP CANCER, a nonprofit organization with a mission to prevent cancer by expanding through education, public awareness, and advocacy, is pleased to offer new training for oral health providers. This free, online, and on-demand Dental Provider Education Program is now available for dentists, pediatric dentists, and hygienists. Utilizing methods endorsed by the National Cancer Institute and materials from the University of North Carolina and the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable, the training presents the best method for recommending the HPV vaccination to patients ages 9-26. If you have any questions or need more information, email info@vax2stopcancer.org.

Louisiana Families for Vaccines collaborated with the Louisiana Department of Health and local partners to organize the "I'm a Survivor: Women's Health Expo" held at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Monroe, Louisiana.

This event aimed to empower women by addressing various facets of well-being and sharing educational resources. Crystal Rommen, the director of Louisiana Families for Vaccines, presented at the event and spoke to attendees about the importance of immunizations across the lifespan. Crystal emphasized the importance of HPV vaccination by noting that the vaccine is cancer prevention. She also demystified misconceptions about the vaccine and encouraged people to get the vaccine for both boys and girls, starting at 9.

Louisiana Families for Vaccines is a grassroots nonprofit advocating for fact-based public policy and community outreach to promote accurate vaccine information and healthier communities. They partner with the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program and strive for a world free of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Updating the Tennessee State Cancer Plan

The Tennessee State Cancer Plan is being updated with the most current information for 2023-27 that will guide members of the Tennessee Cancer Coalition and cancer advocacy partners across the state in the right direction to save more lives through cancer prevention and early detection.

As a critical piece to the cancer plan, HPV vaccination updates are providing significant strategies to impact protection against six types of HPV-related cancers.

Strategies for the next five years will focus on:

Increasing public awareness and knowledge of HPV vaccination proven to reduce the risk of cancer.
Improving HPV vaccination education levels and building capacity through training of health professionals to promote HPV vaccination for cancer prevention and
Implementing evidence-based interventions to increase HPV vaccination coverage.

These three strategies encompass awareness, education, and action. Each will be needed to increase the number of adolescent boys and girls aged 13-17 (or as young as 9) who are up to date with the HPV vaccine series by 75% in 2027. Tennessee currently has HPV vaccination rates as high as 48.5% and as low as 10.9% across the state, according to the Tennessee Immunization Information System (TennIIS) teen coverage rate dashboard.

Reaching 75% completion of the HPV vaccination series will require demanding work on the part of clinicians, health advocates, and community partners in Tennessee. However, we are driven to make cancer prevention and saving lives an obtainable goal.

Boosting Public Discourse: Reframing Child and Adolescent Immunization, a program offered by the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

The Tennessee Chapter of the AAP is excited to virtually host the FrameWorks Institute to share more about these new evidence-based communication recommendations with our members. Whether we are sharing information about vaccines in social media or in a news interview, talking with policymakers or addressing a group of parents, these framing strategies can help improve how we talk about vaccines.

Please join us for a presentation on November 16, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. CT led by Dr. Julie Sweetland of the FrameWorks Institute. This session will be recorded for future access, but we hope you can join us live. Register Here.

SAFE Communities Coalition: Shot In the Arm Screening and Panel Discussion

The SAFE Communities Coalition and Tennessee Families for Vaccines is inviting you to check out a sneak peek at A Shot in the Arm, a new documentary about the dangerous politicization of vaccines and the extremist views that have taken over our national stages. This is a unique opportunity to watch the film at home, for free, on your schedule. We’re also hosting a virtual panel discussion with several of the documentary’s stars as well as a previous legislator – Register here.

The American Cancer Society, in partnership with the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable and the Indiana Coalition, launched a 6-part virtual provider education series this past summer.

The on-demand sessions ranged in topics and were designed to equip providers with the latest information, HPV vaccination guidelines, science, and implementation strategies to increase vaccination rates. Each webinar offers CME, CNE, and pharmacy continuing education credits.

Andrea Stubbs, administrative director of the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program and Marcie Fisher-Borne, PhD, formerly of the American Cancer Society, were featured in the fifth session of the provider education series. The session focused on effective evidence-based interventions and implementation. Through her presentation, Stubbs emphasized that a provider recommendation is the greatest predictor of HPV vaccination coverage, and there continues to be a need and opportunity to equip providers with tools and resources to make strong HPV vaccination recommendations consistently.

“I have been fortunate to have several women in my life across all generations who I look up to as my role models. They are all very honest, successful, tenacious, and resilient.” – Andrea Stubbs, administrative director

“My mother was a woman ahead of her time. She shared simple wisdom that applied to many areas in life. My father taught me how to be successful with the “nuts and bolts” of life and I am so glad I listened to them both."- Carol Minor, program coordinator

“My grandfather has always been my biggest role model. He became a successful and well-respected medical doctor during a time when it was hard for people who looked like him to do so. He set standards and expectations for me and encouraged me to be my best in everything I do. “– Julia Brown, program manager

“My parents are my role models. I admire how hard-working they are and their compassion and kindness. “– Duha Magzoub, program coordinator

“One of the most influential role models in my career in public health has been Dr. Anthony Fauci. His ability to navigate the politics of science while remaining true to his convictions is something I admire and wish to emulate.” – Cristóbal Valdebenito, program coordinator

“I come from a family of strong women who are educated, hardworking, and family oriented. I strive to be more like them daily.” – Karlisa Cryer, medical content writer

“My first role models were my parents and family members. I was very fortunate to be born into a home with so much unconditional love and support.” – 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.