Mission

To increase support for melanoma research; to promote prevention and education among the general public and medical professionals; and to provide comprehensive and easily accessible melanoma resources for patients, survivors, and caregivers. 

Goals

Promote Scientific Research

• Create a tissue bank that will collect and provide samples of primary tumor tissue for study and to find the causes of disease

• Convene a biannual international think tank, composed of scientists and experts in melanoma, working with the pharmaceutical industry, to look for innovative ways to move research forward faster

• Establish melanoma “centers of excellence” for leading scientific and epidemiological research

Support for Patients & Caregivers

• Educate patients/caregivers about all aspects of the disease

• Empower and enable patients/caregivers to start support groups within their own communities

• Influence unhealthy behaviors and promote the use of sunscreens, protective clothing, shade, and the avoidance of tanning salons

Federal Legislative Policy

• Lobby to mandate sun safety education for the military and for all federal outdoor workers; and provide the appropriate personal protective equipment, including sunscreen at no charge

State Legislative Policy

• Lobby for stricter regulation of tanning salons -- raise minimum age and require in-person parental permission for all minors
• Mandate sun safety education for grades K through 12 and for all state outdoor workers

• Permit children to bring/apply sunscreen at school without a doctor’s permission and to wear hats during outdoor activities

• Include skin exams on all school physical forms

• Construct outdoor shade structures in all new school facilities

• Mandate sunscreen and sun protective clothing for all outdoor state workers

For Healthcare Professionals

• Educate all primary care physicians in their first year of residency on the detection of skin lesions for mole mapping of high-risk patients

• Aid in administration of insurance reimbursements for skin exams for high-risk patients

• Bring together interested dermatologists, oncologists, epidemiologists, and public health officials to assess current care for melanoma today and possibilities for future care