On October 18 & 19, St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) sponsored the SMMC Symposium on Breast Cancer in the Caribbean on the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) campus, bringing together international experts to discuss research, treatments and strategies for addressing breast cancer in the Caribbean.
Among the medical specialists, general practitioners, nurses and other healthcare professionals; oncologist and professor of clinical medicine at AUC, Dr. Naira Chobanyan presented “Assessment and Evaluation of Breast Abnormalities in Women of Sint Maarten: From Community Outreach to Enhancing Clinical Medical Education.” During her presentation, she discussed the methodologies by which students have gathered data via screenings, taking patient histories and providing education and guidance in follow up. She discussed the importance of the Learners-as-Educators model used in the project execution that provides medical students and physicians-in-training the ability to take the medical knowledge passed on to them via faculty and in turn, share it with the community, becoming educators.
Dr. Chobanyan is the club advisor for AUC’s Oncology Interest Group and has worked with students for many years providing community outreach in the Sint Maarten community on topics such as breast and skin cancer. She has presented her findings in many international conferences.
Additionally, Mrs. Shirley Serbony, director of Standardized Patients program and life coach, presented “Strengthening Support in Unity: Launching a Breast Cancer Support Group in Sint Maartin to Empower Patients and Their Communities.”