On Saturday, April 16, 2011, starting at 11am (rain or shine), oral cancer survivors and their families will join dental students, residents, and faculty of New York University College of Dentistry for New York City’s sixth annual Oral Cancer Walk in Edgar Alan Poe Park, Bronx, NY, to raise awareness of a disease that kills over 7,000 American men and women each year.

6th Annual NYC Oral Cancer Walk on April 16

***Media Advisory/Request for Coverage***

On Saturday, April 16, 2011, starting at 11am (rain or shine), oral cancer survivors and their families will join dental students, residents, and faculty of New York University College of Dentistry for New York City’s sixth annual Oral Cancer Walk in Edgar Alan Poe Park, Bronx, NY, to raise awareness of a disease that kills over 7,000 American men and women each year.

Other sponsors and participants include:  Bronx Lebaanon Hospital Center, Columbia, Stony Brook, students from other chapters of the Student National Dental Association (SNDA), plus participants from the Martin Luther King Jr. Health Center, the Oral Cancer Foundation, and the Oral Cancer Consortium.

Last spring, the fifth annual NYC Oral Cancer walk was a success, attracting some 700 participants, up from just shy of 300 walkers in 2006, the first year of the walk, and raising nearly $30,000.  This year, the goal will be to double both the number of walkers and the funds raised. 

If detected in its earliest stages oral cancer is easily treated. The key is early detection and prevention.  Major risk factors are tobacco and heavy alcohol use.

Free oral cancer screenings and general health screenings will be available throughout the event, and free healthy snacks and beverages will be provided to all walkers. There will be live music, a Latin and rap dance exhibition, and face painting, clowns, and a magician to entertain youngsters.

WHEN&WHERE:       Saturday, April 16, 2011 11AM– rain or shine. Registration begins at 9:30AM at Edgar Alan Poe Park, 2640 Grand Concourse & 192nd Street, Bronx, NY

Welcoming ceremonies begin at 10:30AM and Walk begins at 11AM.  Participants will receive a map of the walk route (approximately three miles) when they register.

The first 600 registered walkers will receive free T-shirts with the Oral Cancer Walk logo. Walkers are encouraged to seek sponsorship to cover and exceed their registration cost. There will be special prizes for the three walkers or team leaders who raise the most money or have the greatest number of sponsors.  Registration details, walker donation forms, and more information are available at www.oralcancerwalknyc.org

About New York University College of Dentistry

Founded in 1865, New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating more than 8 percent of all dentists. NYUCD has a significant global reach and provides a level of national and international diversity among its students that is unmatched by any other dental school.

About Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center

Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center has provided comprehensive, medical and dental services to the residents of the South/Central Bronx Community for more than 100 years.  As a leader of healthcare services, BLHC maintains an extensive network of primary and ambulatory care clinics in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Community Health Center  (a federally qualified health center) consisting of 12 primary care clinics, of which dental services are provided in five of those clinical sites.  The Department of Dentistry’s postgraduate education programs include 34 General Practice Residents, 12 Pediatric Dental Residents and several Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residents who rotate through from Montefiore Medical Center.  The Department’s demonstration of commitment is evidenced by the increase of patient visits from 6, 600 in 1996 to over 60, 000 in 2010.


Press Contact

Christopher James
Christopher James
(212) 998-6876