American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Sint Maarten Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor and the Positive Foundation, is pleased to announce the return of our breast abnormalities screening program for women next month. This initiative started in 2017 as a way to educate the community about breast cancer while empowering women with strategies to proactively monitor their health.
The program experienced great success prior to COVID-19 and the organizers are excited to relaunch these health screenings with the community’s support. The first event is scheduled to be held on September 17, 2022, with multiple events to follow in October and November.
The program provides free health screenings along with educational information about breast cancer symptoms and risk factors. Screenings also include a clinical breast examination by Dr. Naira Chobanyan, professor of clinical medicine at AUC, and a clinical oncology expert. AUC clinical medicine fellows and students under supervision will also support the initiative by taking histories, assessing risk factors for breast abnormalities, calculating body mass index (BMI), taking blood pressure, and checking blood glucose, cholesterol and visual acuity.
Pictured from left to right:
Department of Public Health Policy Advisor Sharine Duncan, Section Head Youth Healthcare CPS Dr. Daphne Illis, Department Head CPS Mrs. Eva Lista-de Weever, Elektralyets Foundation President Mercedes “Elektra” van der Waals Wyatt, Minister VSA Omar Ottley, Section Head of General Healthcare Maria Henry, AUC Professor of Clinical Medicine Dr. Naira Chobanyan, Positive Foundation President Shelly Alphonso, Adtalem Director of Government Relations Khalilah Peters and AUC Assistant Dean for Community Engagement Dr. Natalie Humphrey.
Additional coverage of this initiative is also available via a government press release and Sint Maarten media.
