Public and professional educational materials on skin cancer

Abstract

In 1988, Dr. Thomas Jansen, then president of the American Academy of Dermatology, established a Presidential Commission on Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer, with Dr. Arthur Sober as commission chairman. The Commission was directed to coordinate the Academy's diverse public and professional educational and screening activities related to skin cancer. Among the mandates of the Commission was the organization of a clearinghouse of current educational materials on skin cancer for health care providers and consumers. This complication is considered to be especially significant now because of increased effort by dermatologists to encourage physician visits and routine patient self-examination for early detection of skin cancer. The national and international campaigns to increase awareness of the harmful effects of the sun have generated much excellent educational information. Some audiovisual material, notably slide sets, will be especially helpful to meet increasing demand on dermatologists to present lectures to local consumer groups. This listing should facilitate ordering of these materials. Because of the lag time between preparation of this document and its publication, cost and availability data may have changed. The compilation will be updated periodically and printed in the Journal. The ongoing development of new educational materials requires continuous updating. It is hoped that readers who become aware of new relevant material will send this information to the author, in care of the Communications Division at the Academy offices in Evanston. International materials will be included in the next compilation.