Paul Sullivan's Legacy: An Early Warning Program for Detecting Melanoma Before It'...( Leading Melanoma Specialists Will...),Health

Leading Melanoma Specialists Will Give Accredited Course for Non-Dermatologists about Detection and Management of Melanoma

To be held November 1, 2008 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston, Cambridge, MA

CONCORD, Mass., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Melanoma Foundation of New England and the Boston University School of Medicine are co-sponsoring an Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) course to update non-dermatologists on the detection and management of melanoma. The course is given through the Foundation's Paul Sullivan Melanoma Institute developed to educate healthcare providers in the early detection and management of melanoma, in an effort to reduce the devastating effects of the disease. Paul Sullivan, a columnist for the Lowell Sun and a talk show host at WBZ radio, lost his battle with melanoma in 2007. Paul was an advocate for early detection of skin cancer and melanoma.

Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, is nearly 100% treatable if detected early. However, if it is not, melanoma is likely to spread to other parts of the body where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. It was Paul Sullivan's strong belief that the best way to combat melanoma deaths is by training health care professionals who see our skin to give us more regular and effective skin examinations. Paul was a great supporter of the Foundation and became closely involved with our programs toward the end of his life.

"According to a recent survey, 23% of graduating medical students had never observed skin cancer examinations, 26.7% had received no training, and 43.4% had never performed the examination. Fifty-seven percent had spent no time in a dermatology clinic," says Deb Girard, Executive Director of the Melanoma Foundation of New England. "This course is intended specifically to provide pertinent information to the non-dermatologist about identifying patients at risk for melanoma, providing counseling for high-
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