Science Cafe explores skin cancer, sun safety

Ashley Wysong, MD

Ashley Wysong, MD, founding chair of the UNMC Department of Dermatology, will discuss skin cancer — the most common cancer in the United States — and its prevention, diagnosis and management during the next virtual Science Cafe on May 25. She also will discuss sun safety and overall skin health.

To ensure social distancing, the Science Cafe will be offered via Facebook Live and begin at 10 a.m. Viewers do not need a Facebook account to view the livestream.

Dr. Wysong, who holds the William W. Bruce, MD, Distinguished Chair of Dermatology at UNMC, is a nationally recognized Mohs micrographic surgeon – the most effective way to treat common skin cancers — as well as a translational skin cancer researcher and educator.

She has a special interest and expertise in locally advanced and metastatic squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, as well as treatment of rare skin tumors. As director of the skin cancer program at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, she is developing multidisciplinary programs in melanoma, sarcoma, high-risk non-melanoma skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma and supportive oncodermatology.

As a cancer epidemiologist and translational scientist, Dr. Wysong has a broad background in clinical, translational and outcomes-based research in high-risk squamous cell carcinoma and is widely published in the medical literature.

She is particularly interested in identifying novel genetic mutations in skin cancer that can help predict which tumors can be cured by surgery alone, and which tumors are at higher risk for metastasis and death.

Science Cafes involve a face-to-face conversation with an expert about current science topics. They are open to everyone (21 and older) and take place in casual settings like pubs and coffeehouses. Each meeting is organized around an interesting topic of conversation. The expert gives a brief presentation followed by a Q&A period.