Medical students (back row, red shirts) in a school classroom to deliver a skin cancer prevention presentation
“Service-learning” is an educational concept that has gained favor at most medical schools. In fact, most encourage or even require it. This is an approach that combines traditional academic learning with the deeper understanding and experience that’s gained by applying that knowledge while volunteering for community service.
Sun Safety for Kids, a 501(c)(3) public benefit charity, developed the UV&Me program to help fulfill its mission of skin cancer prevention. Through UV&Me, medical students volunteer to deliver sun safety presentations to children and teens in their school classroom or at their youth group.
UV&Me provides an excellent service-learning opportunity for medical students.
UV&Me chapters have been established as a medical student organization at numerous medical schools. Each chapter is supervised by a Faculty Advisor, who is a physician member of the med school’s faculty.
Medical students who join the chapter as members are first required to learn about skin cancer and its prevention by studying instructional material supplied by the board-certified dermatologists of Sun Safety for Kids. Next, they practice delivering an approved presentation from among those provided in the UV&Me Resource Library.
Chapter members are matched with teachers or youth group leaders who wish to schedule a presentation for their class or group. Depending on logistics, the med students will give their presentation onsite in person or as an interactive online event.
High school students have been a challenging audience to reach on the subject of sun protection, but medical students are natural and ideal role models for connecting with them.
We also encourage visitation to elementary schools, especially by medical students interested in pediatrics. The UV&Me program provides the med students with presentation materials for all grade levels K through 12.
To schedule a presentation, teachers and youth group leaders are encouraged to use the UV&Me Directory and reach out to the nearest chapter. Alternatively, they may use the Contact Us button on the uvandme.org website. In case demand exceeds availability, we also have material that teachers can use independently.
