Awareness

You can’t fix a problem you don’t know exists. That’s why our first order of business is sounding the alarm by letting everyone everywhere know two things:

1. NO ONE is too young to get melanoma. Adolescent and Young Adult Melanoma has reached epidemic proportions, increasing more than 250% over the past 4 decades.

2. Sun protection isn’t always enough. When it comes to this disease in young people, hormones, genetics and other factors come into play too. That’s why annual screenings are your best bet for early detection and treatment.

Explore how the Claire Marie Foundation’s awareness campaigns are reaching millions of households globally. We’re especially excited about our public service announcement featuring the cast of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory.

 

Education

Did you know a pediatrician or general practitioner doesn’t study dermatology in medical school? In other words, they are not trained to detect melanoma in their patients, which explains why it is often over-looked or misdiagnosed.

The Claire Marie Foundation is committed to change that through a collaborative partnership with Johns Hopkins Department of Dermatology.

Together, CMF and Johns Hopkins Dermatologists are partnering to offer professional educational programs to pediatric residents on melanoma in young people.

Prevention

Annual skin screenings are essential to prevent and diagnose adolescent and young adult melanoma, especially since the disease is more aggressive and invasive in young people.

But with average wait times for dermatologist visits at three months or longer, and a lack of guaranteed insurance coverage, annual screenings are far from routine. No wonder melanoma is at epidemic proportions in teenagers and young adults.

At the Claire Marie Foundation, we believe a melanoma screening with your dermatologist should be as routine as a visit to your dentist and we are stepping up to make that happen. Through our Free Screening Program, we screen hundreds of young people every year at no cost. Our screenings have found atypical moles that needed to be removed and biopsied to stop the development of melanoma in 10% of those screened.

CMF is the only melanoma non-profit in the U.S. offering free skin screenings exclusively to young people.

Learn more about our screening program and to find out how to bring one to your community.
Click here.