The Kakaʻako based students and faculty of the University of Hawai’i (UH) at Mānoa raised more than $1,300 to promote men’s health during November — the “Movember month.”
Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in Hawai’i. There are about 800 men diagnosed with the disease in the state each year according to Hawai’i Cancer Facts and Figures.
“The UH Cancer Center has taken an active role in the Movember cause to improve men’s health and fight prostate and testicular cancer for the last several years,” said Dr. Joe Ramos, PhD, a professor and the director of the Cancer Biology Program at the UH Cancer Center. “It has been a great pleasure to captain our team once again and to join in the fun for a serious cause.”
Medical students at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) joined the effort to raise funds to support The Movember Foundation, the leading global organization committed to improving men’s health. The foundation challenges men to grow moustaches (the “m” in “Movember”) during the month of November to spark conversations and raise funds for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health problems.
“This past month I received many comments about my mustache that were both good and bad, and questions about why I decided to grow it out. I enjoyed talking with people about the Movember movement, many of whom had a family member affected by prostate cancer. As future healthcare providers, we will be educating our patients about such issues as prostate cancer and Movember is a fun way to get the word out,” said Harry Wynn-Williams, a second year medical student at JABSOM.
UH Cancer Center MOVEMBER Team, L-R, Front: Cathy Zhang, Claude Kutaka, Kornelia Szauter, Namrata Gurung, Amber Chang and Janet Iraha. Back row: Michelle Matter, Corie Fulgencio-Arre, Loraine Strattford, Joe Ramos, Charles Rosser, Hideki Furuya, Ian Pagano and Russel Fisher.
“The enthusiasm our Cancer Center team members and donors bring to Movember and our common goal to eliminate the burden of cancer in Hawai’i always amazes me. It is great working with such wonderful and committed colleagues to prevent and beat cancer among our ʻohana here on the islands,” said Dr. Ramos.
Pictured at the top of this story are JABSOM’s Movember 2015 Team Members: Rachel Dang, Erica Lee, Teresa Choe, Andrew Kinimaka, Tyler Ellis, Harry Wynn-Williams, James Linden, Francis Sapigao, Subodh Mishra and Trent Tamate.