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

We are pleased to recognize the second half of National Hispanic Heritage Month in this e-newsletter. We celebrate the high levels of HPV vaccination rates among Hispanic young people and commit to keeping those levels high. We want to learn more about how high levels of acceptance can help with efforts with groups with lower levels. Our Path to Prevention and Path to a Bright Future resources use culturally considered images. They are available in English and Spanish.

HPV vaccination is cancer prevention.

Since 1968, National Hispanic Heritage Month has been from September 15 to October 15. It is a time to celebrate and recognize the cultures, histories, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. It also provides an opportunity for us to commit to efforts to improve unbiased health care and HPV cancer prevention.

Data from 2015–19 show Hispanic young people ages 13–17 have the highest levels of HPV vaccination. Data also show that new cases of cervical cancer are more common in Hispanic women compared to non-Hispanic white women. And HPV oral cancers are rising among men, including high rates among Hispanic men. We know family is important in Hispanic cultures. HPV vaccination supports families by providing long-lasting protection. That helps people stay healthy to spend time with their children and grandchildren. HPV vaccination protects the people who receive it. HPV vaccination is cancer prevention.

The goals of our campaign, Path to a Bright Future, are to increase awareness of the dangers of HPV cancers and to support HPV vaccination for everyone.

Please join us as we work to make sure everyone has the same chance to prevent cancer with HPV vaccination.

Path to a Bright Future HPV vaccination resources available en Español:
Download our Spanish-language parent-facing fact sheet

Download our Spanish-language parent and caregiver pledge card

Access social media resources (like the image below) celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on the stjude.org/bright-future website.

The National HPV Vaccination Roundtable hosed its 2022 National Meeting last month. The two-day event featured an all-star lineup of inspiring speakers focused on improving HPV vaccination coverage. The baseball-themed meeting was a grand slam.

The first day of the meeting was open to anyone and included presentations on:

HPV vaccination data
Starting HPV vaccination at age 9
Innovations in HPV cancer prevention
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
HPV cancer survivor stories

The second day of the meeting was for National Roundtable members only. This portion presented topics in more detail. It also included discussions about how to act on the latest information.

The National Roundtable also announced the HPVRT Emerging Leaders Program. Made for diverse early-career professionals, this one-year program enhances skills, tools, and habits to improve leadership qualities. Learn more at a session on October 6. Register here.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a proud member of the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable.

Find National Roundtable resources here.

The second annual meeting of the Memphis and Shelby County HPV Cancer Prevention Roundtable showcased growth and upcoming opportunities for improving HPV vaccination. The hybrid meeting was held at the Memphis Botanic Gardens last month.

The focus of the meeting was on how to use HPV-related data and how best to communicate this data to the public. Keynote speaker Fred Dominguez, MD, assistant professor, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, presented, “Communicating Data to the Public Through Effective Visualization and Story Telling Techniques.” In addition, the meeting included a review and approval of roundtable bylaws. Members agreed on the 2030 goal of HPV vaccination coverage of 80% of those ages 13–17.

The roundtable is seeking nominations for the executive committee for the following positions: chair, vice-chair, and general representative. Nominations are due October 21. Find more information and the nomination form here.

If you are in Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee, and want to help improve HPV vaccination coverage, please join as an official member of the roundtable via the membership form.

Find meeting resources here.

A fall 2022 seminar series, Keys to Improving HPV Vaccination Coverage, launched last month. This was organized by the American Cancer Society, National HPV Vaccination Roundtable, Indiana Immunization Coalition, and St. Jude. The three-part virtual seminar series is designed to increase the capacity of state teams to improve HPV vaccination coverage.

The first seminar, Putting HPV Vaccination Data to Work, focused on the 2021 NIS-Teen data, program effectiveness reports, and state immunization information system tools.

Register to attend the remaining two seminars. Implementing Best Practices to Improve HPV Vaccination Coverage occurs October 18 and Monitoring Process and Impact of Efforts to Improve HPV Vaccination Coverage takes place November 15.

Many teens fell behind on well visits, preventive care and routine vaccines, including HPV vaccination, during the pandemic. The amount and tone of vaccine information and misinformation in the news, on social media, and even among family and friends, can be overwhelming or confusing for teens and families.

The webinar is hosted by Unity® Consortium with Chelsea Clinton, PhD, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation moderating. The discussion with health advocates will focus on engaging young adults in their preventive health decisions. The webinar is October 11 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

The webinar will:

Feature young adult health advocates working to improve vaccine rates for teens and young adults
Share examples of the power of youth engagement
Help define the role of teens and young adults in building vaccine confidence with peers, communities, parents and parent groups (e.g., parent-teacher organizations)
Discuss strategies to support well-informed vaccination decisions for young people

St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program is a member of the Unity Consortium. It supports efforts to work with young people to promote vaccinations.

Register today.

Last month, Cervivor Inc. hosted their first in-person Cervivor School since 2019. The event took place in Nashville, Tennessee. It included a diverse group of cervical cancer survivors from across the U.S, St. Lucia and Honduras. Participants spent two full days in training. Training was led by Tamika Felder, Cervivor’s chief visionary officer, and Heather Banks, Cervivor’s lead advocacy educator. The training focused on how to use survivorship experiences to advocate for HPV vaccination and cervical cancer prevention. Participants also heard from expert guest speakers, including Andrea Stubbs, administrative director of the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program, and cervical cancer survivors and Cervivor Ambassadors.

“I just want to say thank you! This weekend put a lot into perspective for me and one of the things it taught me was that I have a lot to offer but I need to stop allowing my circumstances to hold me back. So, I have decided to hold myself accountable and to write down “doable” goals and ensure I get them.” – Cervivor School participant

In October 2022, the HPV Cancer Survivors School will be adapted from the highly successful Cervivor School model. It will train approximately 30 invited survivors, representatives of all HPV cancers, to use their survivorship experiences to influence HPV cancer prevention efforts. HPV Cancer Survivors School will take place in Memphis. The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program will host the event which is powered by Cervivor. More about how these partners are building a network of survivor advocates will be shared in our November newsletter.

The 15th National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships occurred last month in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The conference focused on getting back on track with life-saving vaccinations. Partners from across the United States discussed improving coverage for all vaccinations, including the vaccine for HPV.

Citseko Staples Miller of FTI Consulting presented on public policy recommendations that could increase HPV vaccination coverage in the United States. The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program worked with FTI Consulting to analyze public policy decisions and factors that drive HPV vaccination. The report from this analysis shares 5 key policy recommendations to improve vaccination rates. They found that if these are put into practice, up to $26 million could be saved every year.

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program was an exhibitor at the conference. ImmunizeTN President Dorothy “Dee” Sinard, MD, and Immunize.org President and CEO Kelly Moore, MD, visited the exhibit as campaign partners of Path to a Bright Future. Prospective campaign partners included members of the National Conference of Negro Women Good Health WINS (Women Immunization Networks) Initiative. They are building a network of good health champions who understand the importance of vaccinations across the lifespan. All 9 of the National Pan-Hellenic Council national presidents attended and supported Good Health WINS Initiative. Together, these partners will help expand vaccination opportunities with Black, Indigenous, and communities of color.

Are you an individual or organizational partner of the Path to a Bright Future campaign?

Path to a Bright Future is a campaign to promote on-time HPV vaccination for 9–12-year-olds and support HPV vaccination for all people.

You can join the campaign today.

Join as a campaign partner and receive a quarterly newsletter sharing the campaign’s latest resources, including the partner toolkit.

The toolkit includes:

Key facts on HPV and HPV cancers
Talking points about Path to a Bright Future and the role of partners in the campaign
Suggested activities to support Path to a Bright Future
A brief article about Path to a Bright Future to use as a newsletter article or blog post
An op-ed to submit to your local or regional newspaper

In addition to the partner toolkit, the campaign has resources for parents, caregivers, partners, and health care providers. Resources include:

Learn more here.

Pragya Gautam Poudel, DrPH, joined the HPV Cancer Prevention Program as a postdoctoral fellow in September. She earned her doctorate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in fall 2020. She has an interest in quantitative research and is excited about opportunities to be involved in qualitative and mixed methods research studies.

She was inspired to begin her public health journey after seeing women in Nepal dying of preventable and curable diseases. She wants to be involved in community-based activities, working with community partners and performing research that provides evidence to support early vaccination to mitigate the risk of HPV cancers.

She enjoys traveling to new places, learning about different cultures, and spending time with her husband, Suresh, and 1-year-old son, Omic.

October typically consists of crisp days and cool nights. It’s apple season – and pumpkin season too. To get us all in the spirit of fall, the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention team shared their favorite fall desserts.

“My favorite fall dessert is s’mores with burnt marshmallows.” – Alison Footman, postdoctoral fellow

“Pumpkin pie is my favorite fall desert. I remember that was a dessert I tried when I began my master’s program as an international student.” – Pragya Gautam Poudel, postdoctoral fellow

“My favorite fall desert is peach cobbler. The crust has to be just right!” – Portia Knowlton, program coordinator

“My favorite fall dessert is a nice slice of pecan pie.” – Ursula Leflore, administrative specialist

“My favorite fall dessert is a slice of warm pecan pie.” – Duha Magzoub, program coordinator

“My favorite fall dessert is a warm apple crisp with pecans.” – Carol Minor, program coordinator

“A fall dessert that brings me joy is a slice of my aunt's chess pie.” – Brooke Morgan, program coordinator

“I love to enjoy a piece of homemade sweet potato pie, it warms my heart.” – Julia Neely, program coordinator

“If I had to pick just one dessert, I would say I love to have a nice thick slice of homemade pumpkin bread.” – Andrea Stubbs, administrative director

“I really enjoy making fall desserts. My favorites are to make my grandma’s apple crisp, pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, and apple cake.” – 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.