IAD News & Education

State Rep. Peggy Mayfield (R-Martinsville) (fourth from left) presents Northwood Elementary School fourth-grade student Grace Anderson a certificate for winning the Sun Safety Poster Contest sponsored by the Indiana Academy of Dermatology. Anderson won first place in the kindergarten through fourth-grade category, earning a $1,000 cash prize for her school and a $100 gift card. Pictured from left to right is Northwood principal Erin Bechtold, fourth-grade teacher Regina Anderson, Grace Anderson, Mayfield, and Dr. Carrie Davis, past president of the Indiana Academy of Dermatology.

Mayfield: ‘I scream, you scream, we all scream for sunscreen’

STATEHOUSE (June 11, 2019) – State Rep. Peggy Mayfield (R-Martinsville) recently presented Northwood Elementary School fourth-grade student Grace Anderson a certificate for winning the Sun Safety Poster Contest.

The Indiana Academy of Dermatology and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association sponsored the contest to promote the use of sunscreen. Anderson won first place in the kindergarten through fourth-grade category, earning a $1,000 cash prize for her school and a $100 gift card.

“Congratulations to Grace for this well-deserved recognition,” Mayfield said. “She is a very talented artist and used this opportunity to promote good skincare habits early in life. Her poster is creative and shows how important sunscreen and hats are in preventing damage to our skin.”

According to Dr. Carrie Davis, board-certified dermatologist and past president of the IAD, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is the second most common form of cancer in young women aged 15-29. Skin cancer can affect anyone, regardless of skin color, and exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun or tanning devices is the most preventable risk factor for all forms of skin cancer.

In 2018, the IAD and the ASDSA assisted in crafting a new law passed by the Indiana General Assembly allowing students in schools to bring and use sunscreen without needing a doctor’s note and without having to store it in a special location such as a nurse's office.

“We believe that students should have the right and ability to protect their skin from the sun during recess, field trips, and other outdoor activities if they choose,” Davis said. “The goal of the Sun Safety Poster Contest is to educate K-12 students and their educators about the new law and how to protect their skin from ultraviolet damage.”

Anderson’s poster entry is titled, “I scream, you scream, we all scream for sunscreen.”

To learn more about the initiative or how to protect your skin, visit www.inacademyofderm.org or www.asds.net/SUNucate.

Elizabeth, 6th Grade, 1st Place

Grace Anderson, 4th Grade, 1st Place

View the rest of the Sun Safety Poster entries

The Indiana Academy of Dermatologists held a dedication ceremony for a shade structure at Boone Meadow Elementary, in Zionsville, Indiana.

The structure, sponsored by the IAD, covers a group of large picnic tables and provides the first area with meaningful outdoor shade at the school. The space can be used by students at recess and also as an outdoor classroom setting and picnic area.

The dedication ceremony was attended by over 50 people—including parents, teachers, the superintendent of the school system, AAD staff, and six Indiana dermatologists, including IAD member dermatologists John Stephens, Ginat Mirowski, Chris Obeime, Hannah Huddleston, Chris Nebesio, and Melanie Kingsley.

View photos of the structure

Above: L–R: John Stephens, MD; Ahmed Alomari, MD; Ashley Group, MD; Gil Yosipovitch, MD; Drew Anderson, MD

Above: John Stephens, MD, IAD Vice President presents the “Volunteer of the Year Award” to Keeter Sechrist, MD

Indiana SEA 24 (enacted March 2018):

The Indiana Academy of Dermatology worked with Senator Liz Brown and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association to introduce a bill that allows children in public and chartered schools in Indiana to bring non-aerosol sunscreen to schools without a physician's prescription and to keep and be able to apply it without having to store in a special location such as a nurse's office. Dr. Lori Sanford and Dr. Carrie Davis testified in favor of the bill. This was signed into law by Governor Holcomb in March 2018.

Indiana Becomes First 'SUNucated' State in 2018

Dr. Carrie Davis (top row, second from right) attends SEA 24 bill signing ceremony with Senator Liz Brown (bottom left) and Governor Eric Holcomb (bottom right).

Find a board-certified dermatologist

Learn more about why you should see a board-certified dermatologist (video)

IAD and AAD Sunscreen and Skin Cancer Informational Sheets