#MoDukes Plan For A Hairy November
It's the time of year when things get a little hairy.
In recognition of Movember, the month otherwise known as November, men far and wide are growing mustaches to help raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer research.
The Movember Foundation, an Australian-based organization that launched the annual Movember campaign, raises funds to accelerate breakthroughs in prostate cancer research and treatments. Established in 2003, the foundation to date has raised $710 million in 21 countries and has funded more than 1,200 programs, including several at DCI.
Andrew Armstrong, MD, MSc, who’s known for attempting to grow the perfect handlebar moustache each Movember, said it’s a fun way to raise funds while also bringing attention to a serious issue. Armstrong captains Team MoDukes, made up of MoBros and MoSistas, who raise funds locally to support the cause.
MoDukes is a university-wide effort to raise awareness and funds. Participants signing on for Team MoDukes include Duke athletics, Duke undergraduates and graduate students, fraternities, residency programs, Duke University Hospital and Duke Cancer Center.
“Each year Duke University and Duke Health come together to take part in Movember,” said Armstrong who’s headed the local initiative for the past seven years. “The rules are clear. No-one starts growing his or her ‘stache before November 1.”
The MoDukes kick off Movember with a November 1 shavedown at Pedro Williams barber shop in Durham, North Carolina. Pedro Williams partners each year, providing free shaves and brews in support of Team MoDukes and the Movember cause.
MoDukes invites the Duke and the broader local community, especially Duke patients, to get involved by participating in the following events and/or through donations to the cause:
- Shave the Date: Appointments Requested
Date: Nov. 1 from 5-7 p.m.
Location: Pedro Williams 624 9th St, Durham, NC 27705
- Movember Fun-Run:
Date: Nov. 18th at 1:45 p.m.
Location: Duke East Campus
- Chili Cook-off:
Date: Nov. 18th at 3 p.m.
Location: James Joyce Irish Pub, 912 W. Main St., Durham, NC 27701
Cost: $10/person. Cooks will be asked to pay $25 for entry if amateur, and $50 if chef
- Feats of Strength:
Date: Nov. 24
Location: Bull City Crossfit 4300 Garrett Rd., Durham, NC 27707
- Bid Your Face Off:
Date: Nov. 29
Location: Fullsteam Brewery, 726 Rigsbee Ave., Durham, NC 27701
To join Duke Cancer Institute’s MoDukes team, visit Team Duke Cancer Institute.
This year, the Movember Foundation is helping fund three research grants at DCI: PROPHECY Study (precision medicine approaches to treating men with advanced prostate cancer); IRONMAN (a 5,000-man global registry examining practice patterns, patient reported outcomes, biomarkers, and survival and other key outcomes in men with advanced prostate cancer); and ASCENT (multi-center randomized trial of an innovative cloud-based, “living” survivorship care plan for men undergoing radiation therapy with ADT for localized prostate cancer).
For more information on the Movember Foundation and the programs and grants it funds, visit us.movember.com.
Photos: Shawn Rocco, Duke Health News