• 5/26/2005
  • New York, NY
  • US Newswire

Brian Hill, founder and executive director of the non-profit Oral Cancer Foundation has received the prestigious Strusser award from the New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry. The award was presented to him at the NYU graduation ceremonies at Madison Square Garden. This award is given annually, and recognizes an individual who has excelled in public service.

In the audience, Eva Grayzel Cohen, an oral cancer survivor and an individual who has spoken on public service announcements for the American Dental Association related to oral cancer commented, “I was touched at the choice of Brian Hill, an oral cancer survivor, who has visible and audible repercussions from his treatments, to receive the Strusser award. Brian Hill’s presence and honor was a powerful message to the graduating doctors, that it is imperative to give all patients an oral cancer screening, because the dental profession is the first line of discovery of this disease. Their active participation in the screening process, which results in early detection and treatment, can mean the difference of life or death to a patient. While his unscripted acceptance and comments to the audience were in his usual casual style, the message was serious. Choose to be involved, choose to make a difference”.

When asked about the presentation Hill commented, “Receiving an award like this from an institution the caliber of NYU, in a venue like the Garden, and having the opportunity to speak to this enormous crowd, is a once in a lifetime experience. But the height of the event was receiving it from dean Mike Alfano, someone who has been an oral cancer advocate long before I came along, and who I admire greatly.”

Wording of the Strusser Award

To Brian R. Hill, entrepreneur, activist, philanthropist, and oral cancer survivor. For founding the Oral Cancer Foundation, a non-profit entity that promotes awareness of oral cancer through research and education; For promoting oral cancer screenings to the general public through partnerships with the dental profession, media, research organizations, corporations, and individuals; For your support and advocacy on behalf of the 30,000 Americans diagnosed annually with the disease; For the tremendous impact that your personal experience, character, and courage have had on the health of society, NYU presents you with the Harry M. Strusser memorial Award. Signed, Dean Michael Alfano

About the Oral Cancer Foundation

The Oral Cancer Foundation, founded by oral cancer survivor Brian R. Hill, is a non-profit 501(c)3, public service charity that provides information, support, and advocacy related to this disease. It maintains a web site at http://www.oralcancer.org which receives millions of hits per month, and whose content is linked to by tens of thousands of other medical and dental sites. At the forefront of this year’s agenda is the drive to promote solid awareness in the minds of the American public about the need to undergo an annual oral cancer screening, and an outreach to the dental community to provide this service as a matter of routine practice. Supporting the foundation’s goals is a scientific advisory board composed of leading cancer authorities from varied medical and dental specialties, and drawn from prominent cancer educational, treatment, and research institutions in the United States.