A vaccine support table was available to students outside the event classroom, hosted by Dr. Kathleen Scarbrough, with Family, Population, and Preventative Medicine at Stony Brook Medicine. Dr. Scarbrough worked with students one-on-one to lookup their HPV vaccine status in NYSIIS and provide support in scheduling vaccine appointments for those not vaccinated. Dr. Scarbrough has conducted research on HPV vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs among SBU students, with one major finding being that many students are not aware of their vaccine status or how to obtain their vaccine record. Other findings from this research were used to inform our education at this event, including students’ concerns about vaccine safety and cost, as well as lack of awareness of the prevalence of HPV and associated cancers.

CPiA also partnered with leaders from four student organizations; Pre-Nursing Society, Student Nursing Association, Women in Healthcare, and the American Association of Men in Nursing, who took the reins on organizing and promoting the event, with support from SBU’s Center for Prevention & Outreach. Student leaders guided our efforts to best fit what students wanted to learn, how they wanted to learn it, where and when students were most available, and how to get the word out. Thanks to our SBU partners, we were able to take action against HPV cancers in a way that truly resonated with what students want and need to protect themselves.