Vanderbilt designated a Skin Smart Campus; free sunscreen, skin cancer prevention tips available

Vanderbilt University has been recognized as a platinum-level Skin Smart Campus by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention. As part of the designation, Vanderbilt pledges to keep indoor tanning devices off campus and out of university-affiliated buildings and to promote skin cancer prevention and ultraviolet safety education.

In addition, the NCSCP has awarded the university two free sunscreen dispensers and a year’s supply of sunscreen. The dispensers are in Rand Hall and The Commons Center. As part of its Skin Smart Campus designation, Vanderbilt has pledged to provide free sunscreen for the university community for a minimum of two additional years.

Undergraduates Brina Ratangee, Lena Kim, Sharmila Adapa and Milind Muthiah worked to earn Vanderbilt the designation, with funding from Vanderbilt Student Government and The Mayfield Experience living-learning community and support from Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students G.L. Black. The students created an educational webpage featuring important information about skin cancer prevention.

The Indoor Tan-Free Skin Smart Campus Initiative was developed in response to the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2014 Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer, which concluded a strong association between indoor tanning use and increased risk of skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, and melanoma—the deadliest form of skin cancer—is one of the most common cancers diagnosed among young adults. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer Working Group, the use of indoor tanning facilities before age 35 can increase one’s risk for melanoma by up to 75 percent.

For more skin cancer facts and prevention tips, visit Vanderbilt’s Skin Smart Campus webpage.