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Advocacy

Spread the Word

While there are those who have said that the printed media is a dying industry, newspapers and magazines still remain vital resources for sharing critical issues, especially those that affect underrepresented communities. As a dentist, Dr. Khadine Alston has developed a passion for health outreach initiatives, especially in the areas of oral and pharyngeal cancers awareness.

You might have seen Dr. Alston's oral cancer awareness Public Service Announcement (PSA) in:

Outreach

Awareness can save lives

During her tenure as a dental student at New York University College of Dental Medicine, Dr. Alston realized that few of her patients had ever heard of oral cancer. Many were often surprised to learn that it was possible to develop cancer in the oral cavity. It was at that moment Dr. Alston realized that she had to do something to heighten the awareness of the disease. In the fall semester of her senior year, Dr. Alston partnered with her dental school, New York University College of Dental Medicine; Columbia University College of Dental Medicine; Student National Dental Association; Harlem Hospital and the Oral Cancer Foundation to pioneer an oral cancer awareness walkathon in NYC. Prior to that inaugural event, no other dental school had ever organized an oral cancer awareness walkathon.

The event was largely successfully. It was attended by over 300 people and raised $30,000, which was donated to the Oral Cancer Foundation. After the event, Dr. Alston presented her results at the Student National Dental Association Convention. The event was attended by dental students and industry professionals from across the nation. During her presentation, Dr. Alston, petitioned her colleagues to organize similar events in their hometowns.

Today, there are now several dental schools across the nation that have organized similar events and have subsequently raised awareness of this deadly disease.

Check Out a few throwback pictures from the first NYC oral cancer awareness Walkathon:

Oral Cancer in the News:

Bringing Oral Cancer Awareness to South Florida

After Dr. Alston was graduated from NYU College of Dental Medicine, she moved back to South Florida and soon realized that there was also a deficit of oral cancer awareness in her hometown. While working as an assistant professor at Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine (NSU) and presiding over The Truth Outreach Project Inc., a non-profit organization she co-founded to provide access to health information and resources to underserved communities, Dr. Alston worked with her non-profit partners, NSU, her dental students and other business and corporate partners to organize the inaugural South Florida Oral Cancer Awareness Walkathon in April 2012.