Dr. Isabel Scarinci Provides Update on RCB Cervical Cancer Prevention Program

Rotarian Isabel Scarinci, Associate Director for Globalization and Cancer at the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and Chair of RCB's Cervical Cancer Prevention Program, provided an update on the program to club members during the April 17th meeting. She shared an overview of the development of Operation Wipe Out, a collaborative effort to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem in Alabama, that began as a decade-long RCB project in Sri Lanka.

Statistically, Alabama ranks 6th in incidence and 4th in mortality in the U.S. Scarinci, who was recently appointed to lead a workgroup charged with creating the U.S. cervical cancer elimination plan, said that through successful HPV vaccination, screening, follow-up, treatment and care, the preventable cancer can be eradicated.

"I think that Rotary is the catalyst," said Scarinci. "We did it with polio, it started right here. For me, as a polio survivor, not to see other kids go through what I have gone through is a major gift. I think our club has the opportunity to do this again with a disease that can be eliminated."

Click here to watch a video about the formation of Operation Wipe Out.