The Skin Cancer Institute at the Arizona Cancer Center is a union of the Cancer Center’s state-wide skin cancer detection, prevention, treatment, outreach, education and research efforts in a single coordinated entity. The Institute serves the Cancer Center and University community as well as area dermatologists and the Arizona population at large.  Housed in various locations on the Arizona Health Sciences Center campus, the administrative personnel of the Institute will eventually be located on the first floor of the Cancer Center.

The goals of the Skin Cancer Institute are:

• To decrease skin cancer in Arizona through public awareness and behavior change;
• To foster early detection and treatment of skin cancer through improved access and referral to consolidated and enhanced dermatology clinic resources;
• To develop and evaluate new knowledge related to the etiology, prevalence, prevention and treatment of skin cancer;
• To support skin cancer patients, high risk individuals and providers through education and training.

The development of the Institute is occurring
along 4 distinct paths:

• Clinical Research and Patient Care
• Population Science and Behavioral Research
• Basic and Translational Research
• Education and Community Outreach.

Skin cancer prevention research has been at the forefront of the Cancer Center for 20 years resulting in important discoveries.  More recent areas of achievement of the Institute include the Pigmented Lesion Clinic and Cutaneous Oncology Program, both in Tucson.  Already a prominent presence around Tucson and Phoenix, the Institute is in elementary schools providing sun safety information to children through puppet shows and child-oriented activities and trains educators to teach sun safety education using the SunWise program.  The Institute also works with partners in higher education and the community to bring sun safety awareness to the university campus and to the people of our state.  An annual collaboration with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum results in Living in Harmony with the Sun on the museum grounds.  This community-wide event in the month of May includes unusual educational activities for all ages and limited free screenings for skin cancer in mobile health clinics.