The Melanoma Hunter.

An uphill battle is part of life; for some, it’s their whole life. These challenges create pressure, and we know what pressure can do. It can turn coal into a diamond.

Medicine was not predestined for me; it was a calling. I was homeless at 14. I did not finish high school. I grew up in significant poverty. My first diploma was my bachelor of science in human physiology. I wanted to understand how the body actually worked, and I became fascinated by prevention and cancer biology: how disease starts, and how to catch it before it does real damage.

Preventive medicine is the best form of medicine. But not everything can be prevented. For cancer, early recognition of a disease can provide a vastly different outlook on treatment and survivorship. Melanoma identified early is highly treatable. Found late, it’s a different disease.

Dermoscopy is the bridge needed to identify melanoma in its infancy. Tens of thousands of hours have been spent refining the dermoscopic structures appreciated in the skin, in conjunction with biopsy results, lesion by lesion, unifying exactly what each structure means, inside and out.

This process, of applying a dermatoscope to every mole, every sunspot and every pink spot, coupled with the expertise Dr. Christopher forged along the way, provides the foundation for why he believes skin cancer screening standards need to change.

Because Arizona requires each melanoma to be reported to the state, his results are on the public record: the most melanomas identified in Arizona for four years running, with a 2023 peak of 215 melanomas identified, 12.8× more melanomas identified than the state average.

Since 2021 he has taught dermatologists the dermoscopic features of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. He speaks at state and national dermatology conferences, publishes on dermoscopy and detection, and argues publicly for a new screening standard that would bring melanoma deaths down.

Look after yourself, look after the people around you, and enjoy your life. Good health isn’t about fearing everything. It’s about doing the important things well, so that when problems come they stay small.