Members from the Human Papillomavirus Awareness (HPV) and Vaccination Project team have visited several social club meetings on campus to share their research and information.

“We found that cervical cancer in the state of Arkansas was a significant problem, and White County was the second-worst county in the state,” Dr. Jeanie Smith, co-adviser of the awareness project, said. “HPV is a direct link to cervical cancer. The HPV vaccines that are available cause an immune response to one of the HPV strains that causes cancer. They’re highly available, very safe and extremely effective.”

Smith and Dr. Rayanne Story from the College of Pharmacy direct this team that was founded in 2009 by faculty and students who wanted to research something that would be relevant to the people who live in White County.

“Surveys were administered, trying to determine what the community knows,” Smith said. “We surveyed members of the community mainly in our target vaccination age, which is teen boys and girls. The bottom line is that very few people were aware of the link between HPV and cervical cancer, and even fewer knew about the available vaccine. The goal of the team is to educate the community and encourage them to get the HPV vaccine. Ultimately, we want to stop cervical cancer.”

According to Ellen Jones, a third year pharmacy student on the HPV awareness team, the group found that the best way to educate students at Harding in particular was through meetings with social clubs.

“The team has a 10-minute presentation for as many men’s or women’s clubs who are interested,” Jones said. “We show the 30-second public service announcement that we’ve created and then we talk about what HPV is, how many people are infected with it nationally, how it leads to cervical cancer and how many people are diagnosed. We also talk about the vaccine available for both men and women that prevents HPV.”

Jones said they are trying to remove the stigma from HPV, a sexually transmitted infection, and place the spotlight on awareness and living a healthy life.

“We try to focus on cancer prevention and make it less about behavior,” Jones said. “HPV is a sexually transmitted disease, but we focus more on the fact that the virus exists and how you can protect yourself with the vaccine no matter when you may be exposed to it. For me, the most important thing is to make sure that everyone has all of the facts so they can make the best possible decision for themselves.”

Senior Iota Chi member Haleigh Edge listened to the team’s presentation at one of her social club meetings.

“The presentation by the HPV awareness team was definitely informative,” Edge said. “A lot of people don’t know what HPV is or how you get it and personally, I’ve never really thought about it. It’s always good to be informed about different diseases and vaccines.”

According to Smith, the presentations for social clubs will not end the HPV Awareness and Vaccination Project.

“We’ve switched gears a little bit from educating the county to educating undergraduate students here on the Harding campus,” Smith said. “After we do our social club education, we’ll start to focus again on the residents of White County because that’s been the true heart of this effort from the very beginning.”