News 12 Staff

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May 13, 2024, 6:02 PM

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Updated

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Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance partnered with Downstate Medical School to teach health care students things they won't learn in a textbook. Volunteers spoke on their survivor stories, identifying symptoms, warning signs, diagnosis and treatment.

Deborah Polinsky, program facilitator and ovarian cancer survivor, tells News 12 that this program shows medical students the human side of medicine, noting "They may not remember our names or our faces, but they may remember something about our story."

Survivor volunteers from the "Survivors Teach Students" program have been educating from experience for over a decade. The program consists of over 1,000 volunteers and have educated over 115,000 medical students.

In 2024, it is projected that 20,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, per the Ovarian Cancer Research Allliance. Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women.

Click here to learn more about the program or apply to volunteer.