UAB Briefs: Getting HPV vaccinations back on track, virtual Magic Camp
In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
We also provide updates regarding UAB’s efforts to cope with the COVID-19.
Let us know about people, events and programs on campus that deserve a mention in UAB Briefs. Email jchambers@starnesmedia.com.
And remember that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Continue to follow all of the protocols currently recommended by public health officials and stay safe.
For more information about obtaining your COVID-19 vaccination through UAB, go to uabmedicinevaccine.org.
HPV VACCINATIONS
The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the delivery of important health services for children and adolescents, including the HPV vaccination to prevent cancer.
That’s the message in a recent joint statement from the National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in the United States, including the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, according to UAB News.
The statement urges the nation’s doctors, parents and young adults to get the HPV vaccinations back on track.
Dramatic drops in annual visits and immunizations during the pandemic have caused a significant vaccination gap and lag in preventive services among U.S. children and adolescents.
“The pandemic has created a significant vaccination gap in the United States, especially for adolescents,” Dr. Barry Sleckman, director of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, told UAB News.
Nearly 80 million Americans – one out of every four people – are infected with HPV, a virus that causes several types of cancers. More than 31,000 will be diagnosed with an HPV-related cancer this year.
Despite this and the availability of a vaccine to prevent HPV infections, HPV vaccination rates remain significantly lower than other recommended adolescent vaccines in the United States. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, HPV vaccination rates lagged far behind other vaccines and other countries’ HPV vaccination rates.
A MAGIC SUMMER
UAB will offer a free virtual Magic Camp this summer designed for children ages 9-18 with disabilities. The event will be held via Zoom.
Magic Camp 1 will be June 7-25, and Magic Camp 2 will be July 12-30, according to UAB News.
Learning and performing magic tricks can help children and adults with disabilities, experts say.. The approach builds motivation and improves physical, psychological, perceptual and social functions
UAB Magic Camp is a collaboration between the Department of Occupational Therapy at the School of Health Professions, Children’s of Alabama, Hocus Focus and the UAB Institute for Arts in Medicine.
Children will learn two or three magic tricks in one of the three-week camp sessions. The end of each camp will feature a streamed magic show performance for friends and family.
UAB Occupational Therapy students will lead the camps. They are trained in the protocol developed by illusionist and educator Kevin Spencer, an authority on the therapeutic use of magic tricks.
Each camper will be paired with two occupational therapy students for the duration of the camp. Through this pairing, campers will be able to work at their own speed and have a personalized experience.
The camp is free and open to children ages 9-18 who have been diagnosed with a disability. The virtual camp welcomes participants from all over the United States and internationally.
Anyone who is interested can contact Lauren Edwards at laurenme@uab.edu. Limited spots are available.
SPREADING THE JOY
For the fifth consecutive year, the UAB student affiliate of the American Chemical Society has received the Outstanding Chapter Award, according to UAB News.
The award honors the group’s commitment to spreading the joy of science with their peers and fostering an interest in chemistry at local elementary schools, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They never missed a beat as they planned virtual events and transitioned from face-to-face events to virtual ones,” said Jaqueline Nikles, associate professor in the UAB Department of Chemistry.
The UAB affiliate arranged an online chemistry learning session for students at Gwin Elementary School
“Several days before the online session, the students carefully made individual packages filled with supplies so students at (the school) could perform the activities too,” Nikles said.
Less than 25 percent of the student affiliates in the United Sates receive the Outstanding Chapter Award, Nikles said.