Working to prevent blindness, urging parents to vaccinate kids for HPV

A UAB student will be honored for her work preventing blindness.

Americans shouldn’t let COVID-19 interrupt their kids’ vaccinations, say the experts at O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The summer at UAB will offer some magic.

And WBHM has been honored for its great reporting.

Saving vision

Shervonne Poleon — a School of Optometry graduate student — has received the 2021 Prevent Blindness Rising Visionary Award, according to UAB News.

The award is presented annually to a student or resident in optometry, ophthalmology or other field who has the best essay. The 2021 essay theme was “Our Changing Vision.”   

Poleon will receive the award and present her work at the Focus on Eye Health National Summit on July 14-15.

‘Vaccination gap’

The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the delivery of health services for children and adolescents, including the HPV vaccination to prevent several types of cancer.

That’s the message in a statement from cancer centers in the United States, including the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, according to UAB News.

The statement urges doctors, parents and young adults to get the HPV vaccinations back on track.

“The pandemic has created a significant vaccination gap in the United States, especially for adolescents,” center Director Dr. Barry Sleckman said.

A magic summer

UAB will offer a free virtual Magic Camp this summer for children ages 9-18 with disabilities.

Learning and performing magic tricks can help children and adults with disabilities by improving their physical, psychological, perceptual and social functions, experts say.

Magic Camp 2 will be held via Zoom on July 12-30, and the deadline for registering is July 2. Visit alysstephens.org/events.

WBHM honored

Public Radio WBHM 90.3 FM recently won four regional Edward R. Murrow awards, including the award for Overall Excellence, according to UAB News.

WBHM also won awards in the categories Continuing Coverage, Excellence in Sound and Hard News.

Regional winners will now advance to compete in the national Murrow Awards competition. National winners will be announced this summer.

“This was a tough year for so many people, but our news team was there every step of the way reporting on the issues our communities faced,” WBHM News Director Gigi Douban said.

The Radio Television Digital News Association has honored outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971.