Hey, Wanna Go to the PechaKucha on November 10?

Pecha-wha??

A reasonable response.

A PechaKucha is a Japanese term for chitchat. It is also an informal, fun gathering that brings together community and experts, who present engaging, lively stories in less than 7 minutes.

This event, titled Improving Health and Wellness by Linking Communities, will be held at the State Room on November 10. It is free to the public, but a ticket is required to enter the venue.

Tatiana Allen-Webb, BS, CCRP, a Community Liaison for the Collaboration and Engagement Team at the University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences and organizer of the November 10 event, is a self-professed PechaKucha groupie.

"I became energized and excited about what was happening in my community," she said after attending her first PechaKucha. "I noticed that partnerships between professors and community were happening as the event took place."

Allen-Webb wanted to bring this magic to her U of U Health colleagues and the community. She organized this PechaKucha around issues of health and wellness, bringing together health experts from the university and local non-profit organizations.

Deanna Kepka, PhD, MPH, investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI), quickly jumped on the PechaKucha bandwagon.

"I was excited to do something different than your standard presentation," Kepka said. "I think this is a great way to reach a different crowd with this important message."

She will discuss how the human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can prevent 30,000 cancers, but less than half of those eligible in the state get the vaccination. She will explain the benefits of the vaccine and who is eligible.

"This is a cancer prevention vaccine that is available for boys and girls," Kepka said. "Ask any cancer patient if they had an opportunity to receive a vaccine to prevent cancer they would say yes."

Kepka will be joined by Stephen Alder, PhD, professor in Family and Preventive Medicine, who will present on Health2Go, a program that is working to bring primary health care to the entire country of Ghana.

"This program was designed to be global, and we can use these experiences to improve the quality of life for people here in the United States," Alder said. "For example, we could use what we learn in Ghana to help us as we formalize the role of community health workers in the U.S. health system to improve our capacity to help vulnerable populations in Utah."

A complete list of the evenings 11 speakers is available on thestateroom.

"We would like to address topics that are of interest to the community," Allen-Webb said. "Hopefully, the event will help demystify research and science."