Wednesday, October 23, 2002

WILMINGTON, NC—Local physician Gregory S. Henderson, M.D., Ph.D., will present “Women at Risk: The New Epidemic” at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13, in the Dobo Hall Auditorium, at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Henderson’s lecture, sponsored by the UNCW School of Nursing and Student Health Center, will focus on human papillomavirus (HPV), the number one sexually transmitted disease in the country and a known cause of cervical cancer among women. Henderson, who is the director of the Women’s Diagnostic Division of Wilmington Pathology Associates and chair of the Department of Pathology, New Hanover Regional Medical Center, is the author of Women at Risk: The HPV Epidemic and Your Cervical Health. There will be a book signing following this free, public lecture.

“HPV infection is approaching epidemic levels in this country, especially among teenagers and young women,” said Henderson, “Almost 99 percent of all cervical cancers are related to HPV infection. Yet most people know so little about HPV, especially that it is preventable.”

UNC Wilmington is the perfect venue to host this lecture, said Dr. Virginia Adams, dean of UNCW’s School of Nursing.

“The UNCW School of Nursing is committed to providing health education to the public,” said Adams. “In our partnership with the community, we are obligated to educate, to the extent possible, the young women who are most susceptible to the human papillomavirus so that preventive measures can be implemented. The virus, when left untreated, is associated with cervical cancer, so we see the need to help women understand the cause and treatment of HPV.”

A photo of Henderson is available to download from the Web at www.uncw.edu/news/headlines/2002/oct/20021023-01.html. To arrange an interview with Dr. Henderson, contact Jennifer Rader at 910/798-1420 or e-mail jrader@hpvfoundation.org.