Block the Sun, Not the Fun

Dr. Mok's Notes - May 2006

One of my medical school professors gave me some important career advice: “Choose the specialty that bores you the least.”  In my opinion, every type of work, including healthcare, can become routine unless new and invigorating activities are built in at regular intervals.

I had the opportunity to jump into the arena of clinical research some years ago when a public health researcher from the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center , Lori Crane, called to ask if I was interested in working on a study about sun protection in children.  Because I have had close family members with skin cancer, the idea seemed worth exploring.

There are reasons to believe that starting sun protection practices early in life might prevent the severe, blistering sunburns that can double the risk of developing malignant melanoma later in life.  The study design involved delivering specific sun protection advice at well-child visits from 2-36 months of age. The control group of infants would get the standard anticipatory guidance at their visits. 

Read Kids Sun Care Program . 

I have been involved in the sun protection study for seven years with no regrets, even though I have had to spend several Saturdays carefully counting nevi in squirming infants and children.  The study has been able to show that it is possible to increase the amount of sun protection advice given by clinicians in the study group, which in turn motivates parents to more consistently use sun protection for their children.  Up until now, there has not been a significant difference in tanning, freckling or the number of nevi in the study group compared to the control group.  On average, a three-year old child will have 6 nevi (there’s your pearl of knowledge for reading this article).

In summary, I encourage you to continue to find ways to ignite your own enthusiasm for taking care of kids.  Learning opportunities are all around us!  Being able to apply new knowledge in your practice setting can help to keep things fresh and fun while you do your very important work.  Who knows – maybe you will become the local expert on a topic or two for your practice partners.   You and your patients will benefit immensely.

If you are interested in participating in formal clinical research, you can get in touch with the American Academy of Pediatrics at www.aap.org to inquire about the Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) Program.  Additionally, you can contact any of the specialists at The Children’s Hospital to see if they are looking for help with a clinical research project. 

- Dr. Stefan Mokrohisky