Campuses Recognized for Adopting Sun Safety Protocols

The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention continues to recognize university campuses with its “Skin Smart Campus” designation, earned by several more schools in December 2024, according to the Council’s website.

The most recent honorees include George Washington University (GWU), Washington, DC; Miami Dade College West Campus, Miami; Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia; the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville, South Carolina; Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Indoor Tan-Free Skin Smart Campus initiative was developed by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention in the wake of the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer, issued in 2014.

At GWU, the initiative was introduced by Sarah Millan, MD, a former GWU medical student and current second-year dermatology resident at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, Nikkia Zarabian, a third-year medical student at GWU, said in an interview.

“The initiative first came to the attention of Millan through her work founding Learn2Derm, an organization that brings skin health topics, resources, and services to communities with limited access to dermatology,” said Zarabian, who took the lead with fellow medical student Savanna Vidal in applying for the designation, under the guidance of Adam Friedman, MD, professor and chair of Dermatology at GWU.

The students developed a website to raise awareness about skin cancer prevention and sun safe practices, Zarabian told Medscape Medical News. “The website offers the GWU community valuable information on the risks of indoor tanning and strategies for reducing the risk of skin cancer through prevention and education,” she said.

The Indoor Tan-Free Skin Smart Campus designation is based on several actionable items that show a university’s commitment to sun safety, according to the Council. Specifically, the university must agree to prohibit indoor tanning devices in all university-owned and controlled buildings, maintain a dedicated website on sun safety, and install sunscreen dispensers on campus for community use.

The designation should have lasting benefits, Zarabian said in the interview. “The Skin Smart Campus Initiative is dedicated to educating and protecting the campus community from the dangers of UV exposure and skin cancer, while fostering a safe and supportive learning and living environment,” she emphasized.

“Open access to sunscreen dispensers across campus ensures equitable access to sun protection for all members of the community,” she said. “Additionally, the indoor tan-free initiative functions to protect the GW community from harmful UV radiation and reduce the risk of future skin cancer diagnoses,” Zarabian noted. “We believe this initiative is a crucial step toward promoting long-term health and well-being on campus, helping to prevent skin cancer and raise awareness about the importance of sun safety.”

The Council, in partnership with IMPACT Melanoma, provides a 1-year supply of sunscreen as part of the Skin Smart Campus designation. At GWU, the Department of Dermatology will fund the replenishment of the dispensers, and members of the GWU Dermatology Interest Group will keep them filled, Zarabian told Medscape Medical News. “We are excited to see the installation of the sunscreen dispensers and look forward to playing a key role in fostering a safer campus,” she said.

“Being named a Skin Smart Campus is a testament to our commitment to raising awareness about the dangers of UV exposure and skin cancer and providing our community with the tools to make informed decisions,” Friedman said in a statement announcing that GWU had received the designation in December.