During the first week that I was working at the Institute, I participated in an oral cancer screening program in an underserved community in Chennai. These screenings take place on one Sunday a month. Individuals who are smokers are encouraged to get screened and are followed up with phone calls, if there are lesions that have been identified. The psycho-oncologists, scholars, social workers, and dentists conduct the screenings. The screening takes place in a community center and announcements are posted the week before. Social workers and the psycho-oncologists conduct intakes on each person who attends and then the dentists examine their mouths.
My Sabbatical in India 