Mustached Medical Students Raise Money for Movember

Competitions come in all forms, from foot races to stare offs to timed eating.

This year, 34 first and second year medical students involved in the UC College of Medicine Men’s Health Club are competing to raise awareness—and money—in November for prostate cancer research at UC, and they’re using their facial hair to do it.

At noon Friday, Oct. 28, these students will unveil their 2017 "Mustaches in Medicine” calendars at an open event in the CARE/Crawley atrium.

Each student, as well as some of the faculty, are being photographed with their mustaches for these calendars, which will be sold at $10 apiece to raise money for prostate cancer research at UC.

"We’re selling calendars—plural—because the first year students and second year students each have a calendar for people to choose from,” says Matthew Stewart, chair of the club and a second-year student. "Whoever sells the most calendars featuring their class’ mustaches wins.” 

This is the second year the club created these calendars to sell for "Movember,” when some choose to grow facial hair for the duration of the month to raise awareness for prostate cancer.

"The motivation for this project occurred last November as several of us were growing mustaches for our club’s traditional Movember fundraiser,” says Stewart, adding that only first year students in the club participated in the calendar last year. "As I was looking at my peers’ great ‘staches, I thought we might be able to enhance our fundraising efforts, and I thought a calendar was unique and useful, so the ‘Mustaches in Medicine’ calendar was born.

"Last year we raised $2,000 with our calendar sales. Four research projects proposals were submitted to us, and we chose two, split the funds in half and provided them to both Dr. (Sadhna) Verma and Dr. (Susan) Waltz.”

Verma, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Radiology, and Waltz, PhD, professor in the Department of Cancer Biology, are both members of the Cincinnati Cancer Center and UC Cancer Institute studying prostate cancer. 

This year, Stewart says the goal is $10,000.

"I think we can do it,” he says. "We now have two calendars for sale and there’s a fun rivalry going on. I can’t wait to see who wins.”

The cost of a calendar is $10. Cash is accepted, but you can buy online at www.stachecalendar.com. Shipping is offered for an additional fee, but free pickup on the medical campus is being offered. 

>> More on last year’s fundraiser

For more information, contact Stewart at stewamp@mail.uc.edu.