PHILIPSBURG(DCOMM):--- The American University of the Caribbean (AUC) School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Positive Foundation and the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor (VSA), hosted a successful free breast and health screening event in Philipsburg on March 28.
To date, the total number of local women served within the breast screening project is 756, with the target goal of 1000. Over 250 students benefited from the project's educational components, which will continue next academic semester.
More than a dozen AUC students under the supervision of clinical medicine fellows, Drs. Simelda and Skinner provided women with general health assessments that include taking a history, checking vital signs, calculating body/mass index, measuring waist circumference, visual acuity, blood glucose, and cholesterol level.
Each screening also included a free clinical breast examination by Dr. Naira Chobanyan, clinical oncologist and professor of clinical medicine at AUC.
The Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor, Richinel Brug, paid a courtesy visit to the screening session.
"These screenings are a vital service to our community, providing women with the opportunity to take proactive steps in monitoring their health. I commend AUC, CPS, and the Positive Foundation for their dedication to improving breast health awareness and early detection,” said Minister Brug.
The educational part of the participants includes a presentation of the risk factors for breast cancer, demonstration of the clinical breast exam and breast abnormalities on plastic models, as well as assessment of individual risk for breast cancer in participating women over 35.
Results of this study are vital for understanding the prevalence of breast abnormalities within population of Sint Maarten. All results will be reported to the Ministry of Health. Social Development and Labor to help establish policies for the screening of breast abnormalities and cancer.
Major educational outcome of this project is development of Learners-as-Educators model, which is unique teaching tool for medical students to cascade medical knowledge from Faculty to Fellows to Medical Students to Community.
It was developed by Dr. Chobanyan, a principal-investigator of the project from AUC team. For medical students and clinical medicine fellows, each health and breast screening event is an opportunity to work side-by-side with patients while practicing clinical and communication skills.
Students spend much of their time explaining the signs, symptoms, and risk factors of breast cancer, and answering questions about personal breast health and self-care.
In addition to the benefits this research brings to the community of Sint Maarten breast cancer awareness and education, clinical fellows and medical students are afforded an opportunity to gain real-world clinical experience.
By working with real patients, conducting interviews, and performing an overall health assessment, medical students could enhance their preparedness for clinical rotations.
