Distinguished Major to Doctorate
Former professional ballerina Molly Yeo remembers getting the HPV vaccine
(which prevents many of the high-risk genotypes of the virus that cause cervical cancer) while still a teenager, but, at least at that point, not giving much thought to whether her male peers would or should also receive it.
But during her clinical rotations, Yeo observed the brutal blow that HPV-related cancers had on men when she cared for several patients recovering from throat and neck cancers that left them unable to speak, eat, or swallow.
“Those men I cared for didn’t look at all what I imagined HPV and HPV cancer was. Once my generation becomes parents, will we be better informed about vaccinating our sons?”
PhD in nursing student and BSN graduate Molly Yeo
The experience compelled Yeo to complete a Distinguished Majors Project on the HPV vaccine’s uneven deployment in boys in the Commonwealth, despite Virginia being one of four American states that requires it. She’ll continue the work in UVA’s PhD in nursing program this fall, with mentor Emma Mitchell (MSN ’08, PhD ’11), to build awareness of HPV-related cancers in men, developing and testing interventions, policy, and education campaigns focused on vaccinating boys against HPV and how school nurses might help move the needle.
“I kept waiting to find my 'thing' only to realize that the questions I discovered in the clinical setting made me want to answer them in the research setting,” Yeo said. “Those men I cared for didn’t look at all what I imagined HPV and HPV cancer was. Once my generation becomes parents, will we be better informed about vaccinating our sons?”
Pathways, Faces, and Places
- Learning to Lead (CNL)
- When High-Level Learning is Fun (DNP)
- A Do-Able BSN for RNs (RN to BSN)
- Daring to Dream (recruiting from high school)
- An Accelerated BSN (2-year ABSN)
- Diving into Clinicals (traditional BSN)