2008 Woodie Awards
Speech warns students of HPV risk, prevention
Virus said to affect college-age demographic more than others
R.H. Popli
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: News
In a study published by the University of Washington, the percentage of college women in the sample who had the Human Papilloma Virus 48 months after first becoming sexually active jumped from zero to 50 percent, said Jill Powell, M.D., the current adjunct associate professor for the department of obstetrics, gynecology and women's health at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
In order to raise awareness about the spread of this virus, Powell gave a presentation concerning HPV and its medical consequences to a group of about 40 SLU students and faculty on Thursday, April 3.
Powell's speech was titled "Everything you ever wanted to know (and were afraid to ask) about HPV and the new HPV vaccine."
The event consisted of Powell's speech, followed with a question-and-answer session.
During the presentation, Powell explained current efforts to help stop the spread of the virus, including the HPV vaccine Gardasil.
Powell analyzed the modes of transmission of HPV, the symptoms and potential consequences of the virus and the prevalence of the virus in recent years.
Before Powell spoke, junior Sonal Oza introduced the event and its co-sponsors, the SLU Wellness Center and Relay for Life.
Oza, a member of Relay for Life, contacted the SLU Wellness Center in hopes of bringing a guest speaker to talk about HPV and, after receiving support from both organizations, helped bring Powell to SLU to give the lecture.
After Oza welcomed the audience, the programming director of the SLU Wellness Center talked about the general mission of the organization.
Relay for Life co-chairs Sarah Turner and Lauren Verzal then took the stage, talking about the importance of HPV and how it relates to their organization.
"It's important to inform people because HPV is so prevalent in our society," Verzal said. "The more people are informed, the more they will work to prevent it."
Dr. Powell began her speech by talking about her personal belief that students needed to become more educated about HPV especially since it affected teenagers and young adults the most.
In order to raise awareness about the spread of this virus, Powell gave a presentation concerning HPV and its medical consequences to a group of about 40 SLU students and faculty on Thursday, April 3.
Powell's speech was titled "Everything you ever wanted to know (and were afraid to ask) about HPV and the new HPV vaccine."
The event consisted of Powell's speech, followed with a question-and-answer session.
During the presentation, Powell explained current efforts to help stop the spread of the virus, including the HPV vaccine Gardasil.
Powell analyzed the modes of transmission of HPV, the symptoms and potential consequences of the virus and the prevalence of the virus in recent years.
Before Powell spoke, junior Sonal Oza introduced the event and its co-sponsors, the SLU Wellness Center and Relay for Life.
Oza, a member of Relay for Life, contacted the SLU Wellness Center in hopes of bringing a guest speaker to talk about HPV and, after receiving support from both organizations, helped bring Powell to SLU to give the lecture.
After Oza welcomed the audience, the programming director of the SLU Wellness Center talked about the general mission of the organization.
Relay for Life co-chairs Sarah Turner and Lauren Verzal then took the stage, talking about the importance of HPV and how it relates to their organization.
"It's important to inform people because HPV is so prevalent in our society," Verzal said. "The more people are informed, the more they will work to prevent it."
Dr. Powell began her speech by talking about her personal belief that students needed to become more educated about HPV especially since it affected teenagers and young adults the most.
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