In talking with two third-year students at the University of Colorado School of Medicine with a common interests in dermatology and skin cancer, it sounds only natural that they would partner up on several community projects on skin health.
“When we met, we hit it off, and we really work well together as a team,” says Ferdos Abdulkader. Adds Kenzie Hanigan: “We have similar personalities and working styles, which makes it easy to act as a team. I think I probably text her more than anyone else I know because of everything we work on together.”
At the invitation of CU Department of Dermatology Professor Robert Dellavalle, MD, PhD, a CU Cancer Center member, Abdulkader and Hanigan serve as co-chairs of the Colorado Cancer Coalition’s Skin Cancer Task Force, which works to increase awareness around skin safety and cancer prevention through community outreach and educational initiatives.
Through a Good Skin Knowledge Community Grant from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the two students have been leading an after-school educational program on skin health for 140 students in Denver’s 10Four youth center and in the COMPASS after-school program in the Aurora Public Schools near the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.
They joined with Dellavalle in sponsoring a grant application from the nonprofit group Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges to fund a shade structure to protect users of an archery range in a treeless area of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, a sprawling nature preserve near the campus.
They also have secured a grant from UCHealth, the CU School of Medicine’s clinical partner, to help pay for installing sunscreen dispenser stations at seven Colorado state parks this year.
Kenzie Hanigan and Ferdos Abdulkader volunteering to scan for hidden sun damage at a Melanoma Research Foundation event.
UV exposure a risk factor
According to the AAD, skin cancer is the most common cancer type in the United States. It estimates that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Excess exposure to UV radiation from sunlight is a risk factor for all skin cancer types, especially melanoma, which is considered the most dangerous of the three main types of skin cancer.
The AAD says that seeking shade is an important way to reduce the risk of skin cancer, along with covering up and wearing a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher.
Abdulkader, who has bachelor’s degrees in premedical studies and kinesiology from Miami University of Ohio, says she became interested in dermatology for a variety of reasons, including her own skin issues when she was younger, and because of her concern about health disparities involving people of color.
“My dad had severe psoriasis that was undiagnosed for a long time because it presented differently on his skin.” she says. “When he finally got proper care for his psoriasis with biologics, it was just night and day for his quality of life. And I thought that was so amazing to be able to provide that kind of care for someone. That was my spark into dermatology.”
Hanigan, a Kansas native who studied economics at the University of Michigan, spent time working as a medical assistant at a dermatology office, “so going into med school, I had an idea what I might want to do. I liked seeing the longitudinal relationships that dermatologists developed with their patients, and how they were able to connect with them.”
The community outreach and sun safety education programs she’s been involved with since starting medical school “really solidified my interest in the field,” she says.
Ferdos Abdulkader (left) and Kenzie Hanigan with one of the sunscreen dispensers installed at Colorado state parks.
Looking for ways to connect
As leaders of the Skin Cancer Task Force, Abdulkader and Hanigan seek out community public-health initiatives. Says Hanigan: “We keep our eyes open for grants for projects that would be good for the community and that, honestly, we think would be fun to do. We’re not from Colorado, and when we came to medical school here, we were both looking for ways to connect with our community and make it feel a bit more like home.”
That led to their AAD Good Skin grant in May, which funded materials and supplies for their after-school educational project.
“We teach kids about skin safety in general – things like UV rays, acne, and plants that can affect the skin,” Abdulkader says. “And then we do an interactive STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) unit. One project involves making bracelets that change colors with UV light exposure.”
Hanigan says their project is “meant to teach underserved kids and communities about skin, which is a topic that’s not always covered in health class. It’s targeted at kids ages 8 through 13, around the age when acne starts to show up and kids may not know what’s happening. It’s also a really important time to be learning how to protect your skin from the sun. We teach them about acne, what skin is, why they need to wear sunscreen, and what to do if a bug bites. We explain what a dermatologist is, so it’s also meant to facilitate role model relationships and teach kids about who can help them with their skin.”
Both students say they’re impressed by how engaged and responsive the kids in their program are.
“The kids absolutely love it,” Abdulkader says, grinning. “They’re so curious and so smart. They have such great questions, and we’re so impressed with their memories for things we told them a month ago.”
“They get so excited to see us every week,” says Hanigan. “They ask us why we’re wearing scrubs and what our jobs entail, which is great, because one goal of the program is to give these children exposure to careers in STEM.”
Kenzie Hanigan and Ferdos Abdulkader (center rear) at the dedication of a shade structure at the archery range on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
Safety from sunshine
Ironically, Hanigan says that Colorado’s reputation for year-around sunshine was “a big selling point for me wanting to come to medical school here,” but she was also aware of the risks that UV overexposure can pose. “Essentially, the whole state needs some shade.”
The two students heard about AAD’s Shade Structure Grant Program. Since the initiative launched in 2000, AAD has awarded funding for more than 450 shade structures nationwide used by an estimated 3.5 million people a day.
“After learning about these grants, we got excited,” Hanigan says. “Children especially, who spend so much time outside and live at elevation, need these resources. What we didn’t realize at first was how competitive this grant is to get, and we didn’t have a ton of grant writing experience.”
But they prevailed. With support from the AAD grant, a sail-like shade structure mounted on poles was erected at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal archery range. The students were on hand for the dedication in June.
‘All you can really ask for’
For Abdulkader and Hanigan, the hurdles of applying for residency and board exams lie ahead. Both want to pursue dermatology, which they know is a very competitive specialty. For now, both say that their community work together has helped keep them grounded through the rigors of medical school.
Says Hanigan: “Having the opportunity to go out into the community helps me visualize the impact of medicine outside the classroom. And our teamwork is a big part of that, getting to show up at events together and have fun.”
Abdulkader says their after-school program “feels like a full-circle moment, because as a kid, I remember college students volunteering and teaching me the difference between my B’s and my D’s, which confused me. And now, as I’m teaching kids, I hope that when they’re older, they can think back and say, ‘I remember those two med students who came to talk with us, and that really impacted me.’ Then I hope they’ll go back into their communities and also impact young kids. That’s all you can really ask for.”
In a joint comment, Abdulkader and Hanigan said: “We would like to express gratitude to the community members and Student National Medical Association volunteers whose time and dedication make these efforts possible. We are deeply thankful to our colleagues and mentors, particularly Robert Dellavalle, MD, PhD, and Sabrina Newman, MD, for their unwavering guidance and support. We also would like to thank the American Academy of Dermatology for their generous grants that have allowed us to make impactful changes on our community.”
Photos at top: Ferdos Abdulkader (left) and Kenzie Hanigan work with children as part of their after-school skin-health education program in Denver and Aurora. All photos courtesy of Ferdos Abdulkader and Kenzie Hanigan.
