{"684137":{"#nid":"684137","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Students Making a Difference: Spotlighting the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative  ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAt first look, there doesn\u2019t seem to be much in common between the Atlanta Hawks, NASCAR, Emory\u2019s Winship Cancer Institute, and Kroger, but all four share a common partner: Georgia Tech\u2019s American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe student club\u2019s mission is to make a difference in public health through education, advocacy, and outreach.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMahreen Chowdhury\u003C\/strong\u003E, 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.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cLung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States,\u201d says Chowdhury. \u201cAs students, we may not be able to treat patients, but we can educate and advocate for screening and prevention.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAdditional club officers include\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EMatthew Kuimjian\u003C\/strong\u003E, co-president;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EKripa Kannan\u003C\/strong\u003E, vice president;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EDiyanah Jilani\u003C\/strong\u003E, membership director; \u003Cstrong\u003EMalavika Niverthi\u003C\/strong\u003E, social media director;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ENehal Jategaonkar\u003C\/strong\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EPavan Induraj\u003C\/strong\u003E, outreach directors; and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EPraneetha Vishnubhotla\u003C\/strong\u003E, finance director.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EALCSI is part of a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.alcsi.org\/\u0022\u003Enational organization\u003C\/a\u003E with more than 66 collegiate clubs across the country. Georgia Tech\u2019s chapter is now in its third year as a registered student organization and has grown to more than 40 members.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGrowing community engagement\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EChowdhury cites community partnerships as key to the club\u2019s success.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ELast 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.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe talked to hundreds of people and shared information about screening centers,\u201d shares Chowdhury. \u201cA 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.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe club\u2019s community engagement also included attending an Atlanta Hawks game where members received a public shoutout, partnering with Georgia Tech\u2019s Fraternity and Sorority Life and the American Heart Association to decorate paper hearts with messages of support for heart patients, and collaborating with Emory\u2019s Winship Cancer Institute for the\u0026nbsp;White Ribbon Project, where they delivered white wooden ribbons with encouraging notes for those affected by the disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EExpanding access\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EChowdhury and Georgia Tech\u2019s ALCSI have set an ambitious goal for the upcoming school year\u0026nbsp;\u2014 working with local cancer centers like Winship or Northside Hospital to improve access to lung cancer screenings, particularly for underserved communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI\u2019ve spoken with medical school residents and\u0026nbsp;advocates who\u2019ve shared how difficult it can be to navigate insurance and primary care referrals,\u201d says Chowdhury. \u201cWe\u2019re 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.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFaculty sponsor\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ELesley Baradel\u003C\/strong\u003E, lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences, is proud of the club and its accomplishments: \u201cAs 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.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech students are teaming up with major organizations to raise awareness and expand access to lung cancer screening through education, advocacy, and community outreach.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech students are teaming up with major organizations to raise awareness and expand access to lung cancer screening through education, advocacy, and community outreach."}],"uid":"36607","created_gmt":"2025-08-25 19:45:19","changed_gmt":"2025-08-26 14:43:03","author":"ls67","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-08-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-08-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677804":{"id":"677804","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech\u0027s ALCSI has grown to over 40 members in just three years.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s ALCSI has grown to over 40 members in just three years.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1756219128","gmt_created":"2025-08-26 14:38:48","changed":"1756219128","gmt_changed":"2025-08-26 14:38:48","alt":"A blue race car, a sculpture of a lung, and students holding a sign","file":{"fid":"261742","name":"lung.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/26\/lung.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/26\/lung.png","mime":"image\/png","size":455057,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/08\/26\/lung.png?itok=NmGIs_hM"}},"677794":{"id":"677794","type":"image","title":"The White Ribbon Project helps show support for those suffering from lung cancer.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe White Ribbon Project helps show support for those suffering from lung cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1756152061","gmt_created":"2025-08-25 20:01:01","changed":"1756152978","gmt_changed":"2025-08-25 20:16:18","alt":"Group picture with individual holding a large white ribbon.","file":{"fid":"261734","name":"IMG_0262.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/25\/IMG_0262.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/25\/IMG_0262.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":643470,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/08\/25\/IMG_0262.jpeg?itok=B0EyCvlp"}},"677798":{"id":"677798","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech ALSCI members shared information about lung cancer and the importance of lung cancer screening at a NASCAR event.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech ALSCI members shared information about lung cancer and the importance of lung cancer screening at a NASCAR event.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1756153093","gmt_created":"2025-08-25 20:18:13","changed":"1756153093","gmt_changed":"2025-08-25 20:18:13","alt":"Red race car sporting a white ribbon for lung cancer awareness","file":{"fid":"261735","name":"IMG_0257.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/25\/IMG_0257.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/25\/IMG_0257.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":650633,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/08\/25\/IMG_0257.jpeg?itok=EV2-7eUE"}}},"media_ids":["677804","677794","677798"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/student-organizations","title":"College of Sciences Student Organizations"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"168876","name":"student outreach"},{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"14906","name":"lung cancer"},{"id":"177865","name":"cancer screening"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura S. Smith, writer\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}