Mo-tivated to Change the Face of Men's Health

For the past three Novembers, members of the Einstein community have participated in Movember, which was created by a group of men from Melbourne, Australia as a way of raising funds for and awareness of men's health issues, in particular prostate and testicular cancer. Movember was introduced at Einstein by Dayle Hodge, a third-year student in the Medical Scientist Training Program who had previously taken part in the month-long event while working in biomedical engineering in California.

Since its inception in 2003, Movember has become a global movement, boasting nearly 1 million registered members. Male participants, or Mo Bros, volunteer to hang up their razors in favor of cultivating their facial hair over 30 days, while females, or Mo Sistas, creatively simulate the mustachioed look that their male counterparts grow naturally.

Their collective efforts culminate in Gala Partés held worldwide, celebrating the end of the Movember journey through competition for accolades that include Best Mo in Character, Ultimate Mo, Team Mo Bro, Miss Movember and Man of Movember. This year, Team Einstein received seven nominations, led by team captain Mr. Hodge who, dressed as Apollo Creed from Rocky IV, claimed the U.S. Man of Movember title. In addition, for the third consecutive year, Team Einstein captured the NYC Miss Movember title when third-year medical student Chelsea McGuire won for her whole body painting of the mustachioed version of Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory."

No stranger to Mo victories, Mr. Hodge also earned Man of Movember honors for New York and Boston. He has previously won Man of Movember city titles in 2011 (Montreal), 2010 (Toronto) and in 2009 (Las Vegas and San Diego). For her part, Ms. McGuire also received a second place in Montreal and was nominated in Boston, and had won the Miss Movember title for Einstein in 2010. She and Mr. Hodge were joined by Einstein Mo Bros and Mo Sistas Jackie Gold, Bobby Hicks, Stephen Marsh, Keith Maier, Paul Bailey and Ross Kristal.

Through sponsorship, bake sales and a "Shave the Date Happy Hour," Team Einstein raised approximately $4,500 this Movember, bringing the team's overall fundraising total to nearly $20,000. In all, the Movember movement has raised $299 million globally, with funds directed to programs run directly by Movember and to other relevant programs. To learn more about Movember, view this Movember 2012 USA review video, where you can see Mr. Hodge featured among the "Top Mo Moments of 2012 (at 1:49 into the video).