At first look, there doesn’t seem to be much in common between the Atlanta Hawks, NASCAR, Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute, and Kroger, but all four share a common partner: Georgia Tech’s American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI).

The student club’s mission is to make a difference in public health through education, advocacy, and outreach.

Mahreen Chowdhury, a third-year biology major with a minor in health and medical sciences, serves as club co-president. She has been involved since its founding and is passionate about addressing healthcare disparities.

“Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States,” says Chowdhury. “As students, we may not be able to treat patients, but we can educate and advocate for screening and prevention.”

Additional club officers include Matthew Kuimjian, co-president; Kripa Kannan, vice president; Diyanah Jilani, membership director; Malavika Niverthi, social media director; Nehal Jategaonkar and Pavan Induraj, outreach directors; and Praneetha Vishnubhotla, finance director.

ALCSI is part of a national organization with more than 66 collegiate clubs across the country. Georgia Tech’s chapter is now in its third year as a registered student organization and has grown to more than 40 members.

Growing community engagement

Chowdhury cites community partnerships as key to the club’s success.

Last fall, ALCSI members hosted a booth at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, with Kroger Health where they spoke with NASCAR attendees about smoking, lung health, and screening options.

“We talked to hundreds of people and shared information about screening centers,” shares Chowdhury. “A big part of it was listening to their stories about smoking, and for those who were interested, we provided a hotline number for follow-up questions.”

The club’s community engagement also included attending an Atlanta Hawks game where members received a public shoutout, partnering with Georgia Tech’s Fraternity and Sorority Life and the American Heart Association to decorate paper hearts with messages of support for heart patients, and collaborating with Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute for the White Ribbon Project, where they delivered white wooden ribbons with encouraging notes for those affected by the disease.

Expanding access

Chowdhury and Georgia Tech’s ALCSI have set an ambitious goal for the upcoming school year — working with local cancer centers like Winship or Northside Hospital to improve access to lung cancer screenings, particularly for underserved communities.

“I’ve spoken with medical school residents and advocates who’ve shared how difficult it can be to navigate insurance and primary care referrals,” says Chowdhury. “We’re trying to create a lung cancer screening referral partnership or some type of special event where individuals can get screened directly, without needing a primary care appointment.”

Faculty sponsor Lesley Baradel, lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences, is proud of the club and its accomplishments: “As faculty advisor, I am proud of the incredible impact our students have made in raising awareness about lung cancer, both here at Georgia Tech and throughout our broader community. Their dedication, creativity, and commitment to this cause demonstrate how knowledge and passion can come together to create meaningful change.”