From the Desk of Samantha Guild

As I reviewed the articles for this month’s newsletter, I thought about the fact that AIM at Melanoma, and the greater melanoma community, is nothing if not—to use the term currently in the public domain—led by science.

Research is science. And research is the key; it’s the future; it’s the way to the cure.

One of the articles you’ll read this month is by Maria Ascierto, Ph.D., Translational Cancer Immunology Director, Providence Saint John’s Cancer Institute. It’s her first piece for AIM at Melanoma and the first of a series about translational science (or translational medicine). You’ll learn much more in the article, but it’s a newer approach to medicine that helps bridge the gap between the patients in the clinic and the scientists in the lab.

Dr. Kim Margolin continues her series of In Plain English articles with a primer on vaccines. In it she describes what vaccines are and how they work; she explains the COVID vaccines; and, most importantly, she describes where we are with melanoma vaccines—and where we might be headed.

Be sure to read the latest installment of Melanoma by the State; this month’s feature is Oregon. The article covers all things Oregon and melanoma—again, with an emphasis on the state of research (science!) in the state.

So many of you ask us, how can I help? We love hearing this question! We often answer by asking what it is you like to do as a volunteer. For those who like to raise funds—or even those who don’t necessarily like to but who understand that research (science!) needs funding—one of the simplest ways to help AIM is to use Facebook as a fundraising tool. This month we’ve written an article that tells you how you can use Facebook to fundraise and describes a few members of our community who raise funds using this method.

Finally, as with every newsletter issue, we have several stories about people in the melanoma community. Don’t miss the stories about Traci Cunningham, José Correia, and Raleigh Minning—each story so different yet so similar, as they all involve surviving melanoma—at least in part thanks to science.

I hope the beginning of Fall and the back-to-school season have been enjoyable for you and your families. Thank you for your support of AIM.

Sam Guild
President
AIM at Melanoma Foundation