Dermatology Nurses' Association Joins Symphony To Raise Funds For Melanoma Education

Main Category: Dermatology
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 07 Dec 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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The Dermatology Nurses' Association (DNA) joined the Longwood Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and other performers last month for a benefit concert to raise funds and public awareness about melanoma. The event also honored individuals and families touched by the deadly skin disease.

The October 26 event, held at Symphony Hall in Boston, MA, raised $30,000 for the Children's Melanoma Prevention Foundation and the Melanoma Education Foundation.

The concert was one of several benefit events sponsored each year through the orchestra's "Healing Art of Music" program which supports health-related nonprofit organizations. Over 2,000 people attended, including health care providers, children from 10 Boston area schools, skin cancer patients and their families, as well as the general public. The concert was preceded by an educational health fair featuring exhibits and free product samples.

Two of DNA's most active sun protection advocates, Maryellen Maguire-Eisen, MSN, RN, and Karrie Fairbrother, BSN, CDE, DNC, addressed the musicians, singers, and audience during the dress rehearsal and concert. Maguire-Eisen, executive director/founder of the Children's Melanoma Prevention Foundation, and Fairbrother, DNA's president elect, stressed the importance of collaboration and public education to prevent skin cancer. Fairbrother also shared her personal story of loss; her husband died from malignant melanoma 18 years ago.

The LSO was joined by Chorus Boston, the Kokugikan Sumida Choral Society of Japan and New World Chorale as well as several soloists. The performers were led by Conductor Shunji Aratani.

The event was sponsored by Roche Bros, Sullivan Tire, Sullivan Toyota, Graceway Pharmaceuticals, Neutrogena Corporation, DNA, Dusa Pharmaceuticals, Boston University Section of Dermatopathology, Candella Laser, Medical Laser Technologies and Coolibar Sun Protection.

In addition to charitable events like the concert, DNA also sponsors many professional education events for nurses and skin care providers as well as broader initiatives to help increase public awareness about skin cancer and sun protection. Maguire-Eisen and Fairbrother, as well as other DNA members, speak nationally on effective sun protection methods and the risks of melanoma, which is one of the most common and deadly forms of the disease.

The Longwood Symphony Orchestra (LSO) was established in 1982 by members of the Harvard Medical School community, according to the organization's Web site. The LSO provides opportunities for advanced amateur musicians while supporting various nonprofit organizations through public performances. Since 1991, the orchestra has helped raise over $700,000 for the medically underserved by performing concerts to benefit medical charities in the greater Boston area. The orchestra's 125 members are also members of Boston's medical community.

More information

Longwood Symphony Orchestra
Children's Melanoma Prevention Foundation
Melanoma Education Foundation

The Dermatology Nurses' Association (DNA) is a professional nursing organization comprised of a diverse group of individuals committed to quality care through sharing knowledge and expertise. DNA's core purpose is to promote excellence in dermatologic care.

Dermatology Nurses Association