This article is part of our 2024-25 Annual Report.
For melanoma, timing is everything. When caught early, this aggressive skin cancer is highly treatable; yet for too many, their diagnosis comes too late. Barriers like “dermatology deserts” in rural communities, workforce shortages, and gaps in public awareness put early detection — and lives — at risk. At the heart of the movement to change this is Dr. Sancy Leachman, Vice Chair of Faculty Engagement and Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Utah, whose mission blends innovation, education, and partnership to close these gaps and reshape the landscape of early detection and prevention.
“The kind of work I do is a slow, plotting, persistent, absolutely committed endeavor to catch every melanoma before it can kill somebody.”
-Dr. Sancy Leachman
MRA, the world’s largest non-profit funder of melanoma research, has been a driving force in this progress. Its support for pioneering leaders like Dr. Leachman has transformed the research landscape, delivering real solutions to people who might otherwise be left behind.
Vast swaths of rural America — so-called “derm deserts” — have limited or no access to dermatologists. Wait times stretch for months, and travel distances can be daunting, leading some to forgo care altogether. Workforce shortages compound the problem, with too few experts available to meet growing demand.
“People in rural areas are at a disadvantage,” Dr. Leachman notes. “You can’t just say ‘go see a dermatologist’ and expect everyone to have that option.” These realities underscore the need for scalable solutions, educational outreach, and technological innovation to even the playing field.
Machine learning and AI are no longer distant dreams, but active collaborators in the fight against melanoma.
As one of the nation’s foremost experts on prevention and early detection, Dr. Leachman leads the War on Melanoma, a groundbreaking public health initiative guided by the fundamental belief that “if you catch melanoma early, you save lives.”
Unlike traditional medical models, Dr. Leachman’s approach extends far beyond clinics and hospitals. She knows doctors alone can’t win this war. That’s why her team trains not only physicians but educates everyone from hairstylists to massage therapists — anyone who routinely works with people’s skin — on what melanoma looks like and how to guide clients toward medical evaluations. The program also provides community members with easy-to-understand resources and practical tools to recognize warning signs early. By teaching individuals how to spot suspicious moles and conduct skin self-exams, the program arms people with knowledge to protect themselves.
Recognizing that technology can inspire individuals, the program has also used tools like digital imaging apps and artificial intelligence to make skin monitoring more accessible and effective. Dr. Leachman wants to leverage technology to turn every smartphone into a tool for prevention. Apps like MoleMapper™ empower people to photograph, track, and compare moles over time, making it easier to notice changes that might otherwise go unchecked. “AI and digital imaging are really important because they put the power in the hands of the people,” says Dr. Leachman. These innovations can transform how and where melanoma is caught, especially for those far from specialty care.
At the intersection of medicine and technology, Dr. Leachman is charting new territory. Machine learning and AI are no longer distant dreams, but active collaborators in the fight against melanoma. With tools that analyze thousands of skin images in seconds, AI helps identify lesions that warrant closer inspection — especially useful in places where dermatologists are scarce.
Dr. Leachman's team educates everyone from hairstylists and nail technicians to massage therapists on what melanoma looks like and how to guide clients toward medical evaluations.
“AI gives us the ability to triage and prioritize who most needs an expert’s attention and who can safely wait,” Dr. Leachman observes. By putting world-class diagnostics within reach — even virtually — AI and video consultations with dermatologists shrink the distance between patients and lifesaving expertise, regardless of where they live. As these digital tools are integrated into programs like the War on Melanoma, an initiative launched in Oregon, they are reshaping what early detection can look like, accelerating diagnosis, and paving the way toward prevention on a scale never before possible.
The War on Melanoma initiative is a statewide public health effort and has yielded promising results. Surveys conducted before and after its melanoma literacy campaign revealed marked improvements in public confidence in conducting skin checks. Training of licensed skin-care professionals who perform cosmetic treatments at places such as spas and salons showed a 35% increase in the number of professionals who reported feeling very comfortable suggesting their client see a doctor for a suspicious lesion. As even one blistering sunburn prior to adulthood is estimated to double lifetime melanoma risk, Dr. Leachman’s team also tested the ability of the War on Melanoma’s multimedia high-school curriculum to improve knowledge, attitudes, and confidence toward melanoma primary prevention and early detection behaviors. Notably, there was a 37.1, 32.1, and 21.6 percentage point increase respectively in confidence in students conducting self-skin checks, encouraging loved ones to get skin exams, and knowing when to seek provider skin evaluation pre-test versus post-test. Dr. Leachman envisions this model as a blueprint that can be expanded nationally and internationally, emphasizing how education and innovation go hand-in-hand in reducing melanoma mortality.
Dr. Leachman’s vision goes beyond detection to include personalizing care. By using genetic testing and risk stratification, she works to identify those most likely to develop melanoma — and to provide targeted prevention messages and surveillance. Through research, she’s helping build better ways to uncover risk and intervene earlier.
None of this progress would be possible without committed organizations like the MRA championing innovation with flexible, swift funding. “MRA is really focused on getting treatments out to patients as fast as possible, and everything they do is really about that — whether it’s putting together a business collaboration, or a collaboration between a team of scientists that never would have worked together otherwise, or bringing together people from different disciplines at an amazing one-of-a-kind meeting alongside patients,” says Dr. Leachman. “Every single aspect of what they do is all directed towards the vision of getting better treatment and prevention out to the people that deserve to have better.”
“Every single aspect of what [MRA does] is all directed towards the vision of getting better treatment and prevention out to the people that deserve to have better.”
- Dr. Sancy Leachman
With a history of supporting prevention, diagnostics, and care, MRA’s role as a convener and catalyst is also global. Its investments — spanning 165 institutions in 19 countries — push advancements across continents, ensuring best practices, new technologies, and life-saving breakthroughs are shared far and wide. The MRA has invested over $175 million to date, supporting breakthroughs in melanoma prevention, diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment.
The journey toward ending melanoma’s deadly toll is far from over, but with people like Dr. Sancy Leachman on the front lines, hope is stronger than ever. Her work shows that by harnessing the power of community, technology, and research, we can bridge gaps caused by geography and resources. By empowering people everywhere to detect, diagnose, and prevent melanoma, we’re building a future in which no one’s fate depends on where they live or whether they can find a dermatologist nearby.
By harnessing the power of community, technology, and research, we can bridge gaps caused by geography and resources.
