Tell us about when and how you

found out you had skin cancer.

I was first diagnosed in March 1997.

During a routine physical with my family doctor, he suggested I have a suspicious-looking mole on my chest

removed. I have a lot of moles, and several had been removed prior to this. I

went to Johns Hopkins and had it

removed. Two weeks later, while back at

school at Brown University, I received a

call one evening from my dermatologist.

He said “Doug, remember that mole we

removed?” Of course I remembered, but

I hadn’t thought about it in 2 weeks. It

turned out to be

malignant melanoma

in situ. Luckily all of

the malignant cells

were encapsulated, so

after surgery, I was

essentially cured of

that episode.

What type of skin cancer were you

diagnosed with and what kind of

treatment did you undergo?

In March 1997, I was diagnosed with

melanoma in situ. In June 1997, I was

again diagnosed, this time with invasive

An Update on EPA's SunWise School Program

Agency

www.epa.gov/sunwise

I

t’s hard to believe

that summer is just

around the corner.

Of course, that

means a break from

school, summer vacations,

and lots more time spent

outside enjoying the

warm, sunny weather.

Now more than ever, it is

important to properly protect ourselves from the

damaging ultraviolet (UV)

rays of the sun. Skin cancer has been on the rise

and is one of the most

prevalent and serious current public health problems. In fact, in the

United States alone, we

can expect more than 

1 million nonmelanoma

cancers to be diagnosed

this year. Nonmelanoma

skin cancer is the most

D

oug Ulman is considered a hero and role model by many. At only 22

years of age, he is a three-time survivor of cancer, including two

bouts with melanoma skin cancer. He now dedicates his life to advocacy work—helping young adults with all types of cancer cope with

their diagnoses, facilitating support groups, and speaking to organizations

across th e country. The SunWise School Program recently had a chance to

catch up with him.

In March, EPA’s SunWise School Program was awarded the 1999 Excellence in

Education Award at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual

Meeting in San Francisco, California. AAD established the award to recognize

groups, organizations, or institutions that have developed an educational program or programs that have contributed uniquely to

educational excellence in the specialty of dermatology. The

SunWise School Program won the award for a local, state,

regional, or national professional society or organization.

<Continued on page 3>

<Continued on page 7>

S

u

n

Wis

e H

o

n

o

r

s

Doug Ulman

A SunWise Survivor Story A Message

From the

Dermatologist
Surveys Help Identify SunWise Education Needs

S

tudent surveys are

helping the

SunWise School

Program understand

important information

about children’s sunprotection knowledge,

attitudes, and potential

behaviors that will help

guide education efforts. 

For example, did you

know that children are

more likely to use sunscreen when they are

younger than when they

get older? This reinforces

the need to continue sunprotection education with

students in higher grades.

This information was

gleaned from a survey of

more than 1,000 students

(ages 5 to 15) across the

country. To develop a

benchmark and analyze

students’ knowledge, attitudes, and intended

behaviors about sun protection, teachers from 

12 of 25 schools participating in the SunWise

School Program submitted

student surveys both

before and after using the

SunWise learning tools.

“What we found in the

pretest presents many

challenges—less than 20

percent of the students at

SunWise schools used

sunscreen, sunglasses, or

shirts before the program

was conducted, and more

than 70 percent of students had at least one sunburn in the previous year,”

said Alan Geller, Associate

Director of Boston

University’s Cancer

Prevention and Control

Center, who developed the

survey.

“At the pretest, many children did not know what

number SPF to use or the

value of hats and shirts,”

Geller said. After teachers

used SunWise materials to

educate their students,

however, a post-test survey

showed that their knowledge of the following statements markedly increased:

• I know the correct SPF

number to use (pretest,

59 percent, post-test,

83 percent).

• I have to use the most

sun protection when

the UV Index is 10

(pretest, 38 percent,

post-test, 62 percent).

• Wearing a hat and shirt

outside are ways to protect myself from the sun

(pretest, 65 percent,

post-test, 81 percent).

(See top graph at left.)

As for their attitudes,

although fewer students

thought a suntan was good

for their skin after learning

SunWise concepts, the

number who thought

“people look healthy with

a suntan” did not change

significantly from the

pretest to the post-test.

This shows that it requires

continued efforts to change

people’s attitudes. 

Although the survey didn’t

test how students actually

behaved in the sun, it did

test their intended practices before and after

learning about SunWise

behaviors. Significantly

more students said they

would try to play in the

shade after receiving

SunWise education, while

the overall percentage of

those who said they would

wear sunscreen this summer did not change.

According to Geller, this

issue was age: the older

children surveyed were

less likely to say they

would use sunscreen than

the younger children, even

after they learned more

about it. (See lower graph

at left.) 

These surveys will help

guide the SunWise School

Program in improving its

overall approach and targeting various age groups.

“Evaluation is very practical,” Geller said. “It’s a

guide for developing new

education programs.” 

0

20

40

60

80

100

% Correct Response

SPF

Knowledge Variables

UV Index Hats &

Shirts

Pre-test

Post-test

(May 1999 Pilot)

% Intending to Wear Sunscreen

5-7

Age of Student Respondents

8-9

10111213

14-15

40

60

80

100

(May 1999 Pilot)
melanoma. Between the two episodes, I have had approximately six surgeries for skin cancer and other biopsy

exploratory procedures.

What other steps did you take to cope with your

diagnosis?

I became a vocal advocate for sun protection. I speak to

kids and young adults all the time to try to convince them

that having a tan, which is really just having damaged

skin, is not worth the consequences of having cancer. I

use sunscreen every day no matter what the weather is

like and wear a wide-brimmed hat when I play golf. I take

the utmost precaution and want to share my story so that

other young people do not have to go through what I did.

What measures can people take to protect themselves from sun damage and avoid skin cancer?

Cover up. Use sunscreen correctly. Apply sunscreen 30

minutes before sun exposure and reapply after 1 to 2

hours of exposure. Wear long sleeve shirts, sun-protective

eyeglasses and sunglasses, and wide-brimmed hats. Avoid

sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Develop a

daily sun protection routine. For me, that means keeping

my sunscreen right next to my toothpaste. When I wash

my face and brush my teeth in the morning I put on my

sunscreen. It’s that simple.

You’re very active with advocacy work related to

children and young adults with all types of cancer.

Tell us more about The Ulman Cancer Fund for

Young Adults.

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults was formed to

provide support, education, and resources to young adults,

their families, and friends who are affected by cancer. This

involves support groups, survivors’ networks and information, as well as education and prevention services for young

people to teach them early detection and prevention.

Skin cancer can be treated successfully if found early. The most

important issue that The Ulman

Cancer Fund supports in

terms of skin cancer is that

children, in conjunction with

their physician and parents,

need to watch their own skin

and look for lesions or

changes in moles. If they see a

change, they NEED to tell their

parents or doctors. Over 50 percent of melanoma cases are found by

patients. My second skin cancer diagnosis

resulted after a tiny mole on my arm was itching

and I mentioned something to my doctor. She decided to

take it off as a precaution and it turned out to be invasive

melanoma. Who would have of thought that a 19-year-old

would have skin cancer twice? Not me. Another message

we convey is that skin cancer does not discriminate. It

affects young and old. People of all races. Male and female.

What’s in the future for Doug Ulman?

I will continue to dedicate my life to cancer advocacy,

including prevention and education awareness. I will not

be satisfied until children are allowed to bring sunscreen

to school with them, until children are taught in schools

about the dangers of skin cancer and that they can avoid

getting it by practicing good protection habits. I also want

to bring awareness to the fact that cancer is not a death

sentence! You can have cancer in your life (you can even

have it three different times) and still return to a normal

life and, as in my case, go above and beyond what you

were doing prior to the diagnosis. I am very lucky to be

alive at age 22, and I want to do everything possible to

help others understand the fragility of life and the importance of protecting themselves from skin cancer.

For more information on The Ulman Cancer Fund, visit

the Web site at <www.ulmanfund.org>. 

Survivor Story... <Continued from page 1>

Following its successful 1-year pilot period, EPA will launch the official SunWise School

Program with a press event in May. A new SunWise “Tool Kit” for SunWise schools will

be available to all schools beginning in September 2000. Details to follow.

Official SunWise Program Launch on the Horizon

“...I want to do

everything possibl

to help others

understand the

fragility of life and

the importance o

protecting themselves from skin

cancer.”

—Doug Ulma
SPF 15

In the SunWise Spotlight

Read about SunWise in action! The following articles share some exciting 

SunWise stories from students and teachers across the country. 

O

zone science

recently took

center stage in

Colorado as

teachers and students in

the University of Colorado

at Boulder’s (CU’s) 

1999-2000 Science

Explorer Program put new

science curricula to the

test. In a series of 17 daylong workshops held

throughout the state,

Colorado teachers and students tried out new science

lessons focused on groundlevel and stratospheric

ozone as well as UV radiation. 

Teams comprised of one

teacher and five students,

from fifth through eighth

grade, took part in three

75-minute classes during

the workshops. Each class

featured a variety of ozonerelated, hands-on lessons;

for example, the teams

searched for ground-level

ozone by using Schoenbein

paper—a special paper

made of cornstarch, distilled water, and potassium

iodide—which turns blue

or purple when in contact

with ozone.

In another activity, students

and teachers learned about

the effects of stratospheric

ozone depletion, such as

increased UV radiation

reaching Earth’s surface.

Using color-changing, UVsensitive Frisbees, the teams

evaluated the effectiveness

of various sun-protection

materials, including sunscreen, sunglasses, and

fabrics. The teams also constructed chemical models of

ozone molecules from gumdrops and toothpicks.

Studying the conditions of

Antarctica, over which an

ozone hole exists, is another

topic for curricula activities. 

“The student team members work side by side

with their teachers in the

workshops to develop

knowledge and leadership

skills,” said Lannie Hagan,

coordinator of the Science

Explorer Program. 

After participating in the

Science Explorer activities,

students and teachers will

take their new knowledge

and materials back to their

classrooms to share with

fellow students and colleagues. While this year’s

workshops and curricula

focused strictly on the science of ozone and UV

radiation, Hagan noted,

“SunWise behavior lessons

would be a perfect supplement for teachers to

incorporate when they

implement the new curricula in their classrooms.” 

Designed to encourage student interest and aptitude

in science, math, and technology in Colorado and

the West, the CU-Boulder

Science Discovery Program

has been operating the

Science Explorer Program

for 13 years, introducing

new curricula to about 300

teachers each year. 

For more information about

CU’s Science Explorer program, contact Lannie Hagan

at 303 492-0771.

Exploring Ozone Out West
..

F

orget MTV—fifthgraders in Dottie

Fundakowski’s gifted

science class used

state-of-the-art video

conferencing to tap into

EPA expertise on ozone

depletion and SunWise

behavior. As part of a

semester-long unit on

ozone, Fundakowski’s students at The Center for

Creative Learning in

Missouri’s Rockwood

School District, participated in virtual discussions

with Jeffrey Levy,

formerly of EPA’s

SunWise School

Program.

The video conference gave the students, who had

already been studying

ozone and UV radiation for 6 weeks,

the unique chance

to interact with a

scientific expert. In

addition to fielding

the students’ technical

questions about

ozone depletion, Levy

reminded them of their

responsibility to protect

their skin and eyes from

UV radiation. “Global

issues, such as ozone

depletion, can be worrisome for high-level

learning students,”

Fundakowski noted. “The

video conference with

Jeffrey Levy was a great

way to have the students

learn about experts who

are working to reduce

ozone problems and to give

students an interactive

resource for their questions

and concerns.”

Throughout the past year,

Levy participated in a total

of 10 ozone-related video

conferences with different

groups of Fundakowski’s

students and also hosted

an evening session to discuss parents’ questions

about UV radiation and

sun protection. The success of the video-based

exchanges has prompted

Fundakowski to plan additional conferences. She also

shared her students’ hightech activities with other

educators at the Midwest

Educational Technology

Conference, held March 13

through 15 in St. Louis.

The video conferences

were just one portion of

Fundakowski’s unit, which

covers both stratospheric

and ground-level ozone.

Students completed many

other SunWise activities,

including daily visits to the

SunWise UV Index Web

site, UV-sensitive bead

experiments, and lessons

on the labeling of sunscreens. While studying

the light spectrum, students became fully

informed consumers,

learning why sunscreens

should protect skin from

both UV-A and UV-B rays.

In addition to lessons

focused on what they can

do to protect themselves,

Fundakowski’s students

staged a mock congressional hearing on the ban

of aerosol sprays, learning

what other countries are

doing to protect the planet

from ozone depletion. 

For the past several years,

Fundakowski has found

SunWise lessons to be an

effective component of

teaching ozone science. “I

am usually introducing elementary school students to

curricula on the atmosphere and sun protection.

They know they’re supposed to wear sunscreen,

but they don’t know about

the ‘why’ behind that

behavior. The SunWise

School Program is very

helpful, not only in teaching kids what to do, but in

teaching them about the

scientific and health reasons attached to those

actions.” 

For more information,

contact Dottie

Fundakowski at 

636 207-2579, ext. 334 or

<CCT02@rockwood.k12.

mo.us>.

 Students play an ozone

board game—“The Hole

in the Sky”—to gather

facts and statistics on

the history of ozone

depletion.  Students film a “News Flash” on

ground-level ozone and its

harmful effects on human

health.

Hi-Tech SunWise Students Ask the EPA Expert

In the SunWise Spotlight... Continued on page 8
“Who Wants to Be SunWise?”

1. The sun is a:

a. planet

b.star 

c. meteor

d.none of the above

2. SPF is the abbreviation for:

a. skin pollution formula

b.super protective

formula

c. sun protection factor 

d.super protein food

3. You should wear

sunscreen with an

SPF of this number

or higher:

a. 3

b.5

c. 8

d.15 

4. The sun is important

for:

a. photosynthesis

b.visible light

c. warmth

d.all of the above 

5. The UV Index is

reported on a 

scale of:

a. 0-100

b.0-5

c. 0-10+

d.2-12

6. The distance from

the sun to the 

Earth is

a. 86,000 miles

b.93 million miles 

c. 26.2 miles

d.none of the above

7. This mammal

secretes an oily pink

sunscreen to protect

itself:

a. flamingo

b.hippo 

c. pig

d.human

8. The stratosphere is

located:

a. 10-30 miles above

Earth’s surface 

b.0-10 miles above 

Earth’s surface

c. 2 miles from the moon

d. 93 million miles from

Earth

9. Out of every 10 million air molecules,

about 2 million are

normal oxygen, but

only this number are

ozone:

a. one million

b.one thousand

c. one hundred

d.three 

Here’s a fun way to add some excitement and suspense to the classroom while teaching students about

SunWise behavior and ozone science. This activity starts with fairly simple questions and graduates to harder questions. Each question is worth a certain dollar value or number of points. Correct answers are found

at the bottom of this page.

SunWise Activity Corner

Would you like to submit questions for “Who

Wants to Be SunWise?”

or do you have other

fun activities that we

could publish in the

SunWise Monitor? If so,

please contact Linda

Rutsch at 202 564-

2261, or <rutsch.linda

@epa.gov>. If you submit questions for “Who

Wants to Be SunWise?”,

be sure to indicate a

dollar or point value, or

whether the question

should be categorized

as very easy, easy,

medium, or difficult.

Answers: 1. b, 2. c, 3. d, 4. d, 5. c, 6. b, 7. b, 8. a, 9. d
0-2

3-4

5-6

7-9

10+

common form of skin cancer. Unlike melanoma

skin cancer, it is not usually fatal, but can still

cause serious damage to skin and eyes.

The S’s of Sun Protection

Fortunately, there are many steps we can take to

protect ourselves from skin cancer and other

harmful effects of sun exposure. By following

these rules, we can avoid damaging sunburns and

achieve better overall health.

• Slip on a shirt.*

• Slop on sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher).*

• Slap on a wide-brimmed hat.*

• Sunglasses should be worn to prevent cataracts.

• Shadow rule: if your shadow is shorter than

you are, you are more likely to sunburn.

Remember, “No shadow—Seek shade.” The

sun is most intense between 10 a.m. and 

4 p.m.

• Sunburns should be avoided at any age and

especially by children.

• Sunbathing in natural sunlight and at tanning

parlors should be avoided.

So as we turn our sights to summer, let’s have fun,

but remember to be SunWise! Follow the steps

above and check the UV Index daily to help plan

your outdoor activities. For more information on

the SunWise School Program and the UV Index,

visit <www.epa.gov/sunwise>.

— Dr. Thomas F. Downham II, MD

Henry Ford Medical Center

thomasd@ic.net

* Copyright American Cancer Society, 1994.

A Message... <Continued from page 1>

The UV Index

I

n addition to the sun-safety tips to the left, the UV

Index also can be a valuable tool in helping to avoid

too much sun. The National Weather Service, the

Centers for Disease Control, and EPA initiated the

UV Index for 58 cities in 1994. It is a forecast of the

level of skin-damaging UV radiation reaching the Earth’s

surface at noon. Knowing the intensity of UV radiation

enables people to take appropriate sun-protection steps

to avoid overexposure. Exposure levels and index values

are categorized in the following manner:

A UV Index reading of 0 to 2 indicates

minimal danger from the sun’s UV radiation. 

A UV Index reading of 3 to

4 indicates low risk of harm to the

skin from the sun’s UV radiation.

A UV Index reading of 

5 to 6 indicates some significant risk of

skin damage due to the sun.

A UV Index

reading of 7 to 9 indicates high risk of harm

from unprotected exposure to the sun. Time in the sun

should be avoided between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

A UV index reading of 10 or more indicates very

high risk of harm from unprotected

sun exposure.

Minimal:

Low:

Moderate:

High:

Very High:
United States 

Environmental Protection Agency

(6205J)

Washington, DC 20460

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use

$300

The SunWise School Program is an Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) project.

2Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.

E

ach class started out with an introductory slide

show explaining the importance of sun safety. In

an effort to keep the lesson both entertaining and

informative, students in each class were then broken up into four groups, with each group rotating into

learning centers set up around the gym. In Laura’s learning center, students learned how

to pick the best sunscreen, hat,

sunglassees, and clothing for

optimum sun protection.

Laura also demonstrated proper sunscreen application. 

In Linda’s learning center, students made UV bead bracelets

and necklaces. The beads, when exposed to UV radiation, turn an array of vibrant colors. Many students noted

that the UV beads would be a great reminder while skiing because they sometimes forget that in the cold of

winter, UV radiation still exists, especially considering the

altitude and the reflection from the snow.

In Kristin’s learning center, the students engaged in a

sun-safe relay race. The relay race required that teams of

students run to the side of the gym where sun-safe outfits

had been left earlier. Once there, they had to dress a chosen person on their team to be sun-safe (with appropriate

hat, sunglasses, clothing, and sunscreen bottle), and race

back. Each class ended with a review of lessons learned.

A good time was had by all who participated.

In the SunWise Spotlight... Continued

SunWise on the Road... Linda Rutsch and Kristin Kenausis recently took the SunWise message on the road to Crestview Elementary School in Boulder,

Colorado. Laura Farris of EPA’s Region 8 office arranged for the school visit, where four 4th and 5th grade physical education

classes were taught how and why to be SunWise.