Articles by Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement
Living with Intention with Mucosal Melanoma: Eileen Walther’s Story
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 24 August 2023 In Allies & Partnerships, Melanoma Stories, Science
In 2018, it had been just over a year since Eileen Walther had been diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, a typically slow-growing form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that affects white blood cells. After undergoing a chemotherapy regimen known as R-CHOP, she’d been declared cancer free and was ready to get back to...
MRA's RARE Registry for Acral & Mucosal Melanoma Surpasses 100-Patient Milestone
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 10 July 2023 In Melanoma Stories, News, Science
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research, today announced that the RARE Registry for acral and mucosal melanoma has officially surpassed 100 patients, making it the largest registry of its kind in the world and marking an important milestone in advancing cutting-edge research for these rare and difficult-to-treat melanoma subtypes.
SPOTMYUV® Takes the Guesswork Out of Sunscreen
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 16 May 2023 In Allies & Partnerships, Prevention
Your skin is your body's largest organ, protecting you from external bacteria and chemicals while also helping regulate your body temperature. Simply put, your skin is your body's first line of defense.
MRA Announces $6.3 Million in Grants to Advance Melanoma Prevention, Detection & Treatment
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 1 May 2023 In News, Prevention, Science, Treatment
In recognition of Melanoma Awareness Month and Melanoma Monday, the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), announced its new $6.3 million commitment to fund melanoma research, supporting 24 scientists at leading academic and medical institutions across the US and Europe. MRA-funded research spans the entire spectrum of the disease including melanoma prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and metastatic disease.
Melanoma Clinical Trials to Watch: March 2023
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 27 March 2023 In News, Science, Treatment
Clinical trials, and the patient volunteers who make them possible, are critical to advancing melanoma research. In the Melanoma Clinical Trials to Watch article series, we’ll regularly highlight clinical trials that are currently recruiting patients, have recently shared exciting updates, or are blazing new trails.
Facing Mucosal Melanoma, this Patient Turned to a TIL Clinical Trial
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 27 February 2023 In Melanoma Stories
In July of 2018, after a string of false starts and dead ends, Chris White was finally diagnosed with mucosal melanoma, a rare subtype of melanoma that forms on ‘wet tissues’ in the body. Mucosal melanoma accounts for about 1% of all melanoma diagnosis and can affect the nasal cavity,...
From COVID-19 to Melanoma? The Bright Future of mRNA Vaccines
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 10 February 2023 In Science
Vaccines play an important role in keeping us healthy by protecting us from getting sick or by reducing the severity or duration of an illness. In addition to these preventive vaccines, researchers are also working to develop vaccines that treat disease, including melanoma, known as therapeutic vaccines.
Fish & Melanoma: What’s the Connection?
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 4 October 2022 In News
A study led by researchers at Brown University surprisingly found that people who ate the most fish were the most likely to develop melanoma. Before you change your diet, read more about the study, its findings, and limitations.
Mollie’s Fund Partners to Prevent Skin Cancers Among Firefighters
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 8 September 2022 In Prevention
Every day firefighters put their own safety on the line to protect the lives and property of others. It’s a tough job that puts those who do it at increased risk for burns, smoke inhalation, and other injuries.
What Uveal Melanoma Patients Need to Know about KIMMTRAK
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 18 July 2022 In Science, Treatment
You may have heard of KIMMTRAK, a new therapy that recently earned FDA approval for the treatment of metastatic or unresectable uveal melanoma. Uveal melanoma, also called ocular melanoma, is a rare melanoma subtype that affects about 2,500 people each year in the United States. KIMMTRAK is the first drug to earn FDA approval to treat these patients.
About the Author
Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement
Cody Barnett, MPH serves as the Director of Communications & Patient Engagement at the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA). In this role, he works to develop and cultivate strategies, messages, and stories that propel MRA and its mission forward. In addition, he develops patient-friendly articles, tools, and resources that demystify new research advances and make them actionable. Cody is responsible for media relations, web and social marketing, publications and materials development, and organizational branding. He is committed to using the power of storytelling and patient-centered thinking to advance melanoma research and improve patient outcomes.
Before joining the Melanoma Research Alliance, Cody served as Director of Communications at AIDS United, where he directed all internal, public, member, and online communications for the national HIV-focused organization. Previous to this, he managed digital communications for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s signature initiative, Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q).
Cody earned his Master of Public Health (MPH), concentrating in health policy, from The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health in 2013 and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from York College of Pennsylvania.