“This year, more than 240,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 34,000 will die from the disease,” said Skip Lockwood, CEO of ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer. “In partnership with urology groups across the country and our sponsors, ZERO works to reduce these numbers through the GPCC events, which raise funds for critical research, advocacy and awareness efforts.”

The goal of the GPCC is to end prostate cancer by building a network of local race partners across the country with a massive amount of participants in the same way that organizations like The Susan G. Komen Foundation have brought attention to breast cancer and women’s health issues.

In 2007, Chesapeake Urology Associates (CUA), one of the largest urology practice groups in the nation and located in the greater Baltimore area, created an event solely focused on prostate cancer. The first GPCC 5K Race/1 Mile Fun Walk was held in September during National Prostate Cancer Health Month. It was the most successful first-time event of its kind in Maryland, with more than 1,100 participants and over $135,000 raised.

After the success of the Baltimore event, other urology groups across the country joined the GPCC to create awareness and raise funds for prostate cancer research through highly successful 5K run events. In 2009, ZERO took on the GPCC as its signature awareness and fundraising program in its efforts to save lives through research and testing.

The GPCC series exploded in 2011 by hosting more than 12,000 athletes in 27 cities across the nation including Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit and a celebrity golf tournament Myrtle Beach, SC. In 2012, the event series will expand to 35 cities including new events in Fort Lauderdale, Cleveland, Los Angeles and Shreveport.

Funds from the event series go to national and local efforts to save lives from prostate cancer. National funds help ZERO increase prostate cancer research funding from the federal government and provide free testing for high-risk men and local funds provide education and free testing in event communities.

Premier Partner Abbott and many other national and local sponsors dedicated to ending prostate cancer support the GPCC.

To learn more about the GPCC, visit www.greatprostatecancerchallenge.com.

About ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer (zerocancer.org)

At ZERO, we commit ourselves not only to reduce prostate cancer or alleviate the pain from the disease, but also to end it. We see a future where all men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer will be cured or manage their illness with good quality of life; with the support they need to minimize physical and emotional suffering, and to cope effectively throughout their cancer journey. To accomplish our goal, we provide comprehensive treatment information to patients, education to those at risk and conduct free prostate cancer testing throughout the country. We increase research funds from the federal government to find new treatments and we fund local grants to end the disease.

Chesapeake Urology Associates, is pleased to announce that Dr. Lisa N. Hawes has joined the practice’s Maple Lawn/Howard County office. She is certified by the American Board of Urology.

Dr. Hawes treats all aspects of adult urology and specializes in female urologic conditions including incontinence, pelvic prolapse, urinary tract infections and interstitial cystitis. She also focuses on kidney stone conditions and disease.

She began practicing urology in 2004. Prior to joining Chesapeake Urology she was in private practice in Howard County, MD from 2004 through 2011.

Dr. Hawes graduated magna cum laude from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service with a B.S. degree in International Law, Politics and Economics. She received her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine where she also completed her general surgery internship and urology residency.

Dr. Hawes is accepting new patients. She is located at Chesapeake Urology’s Howard County office at the Midtown Medical Building, 7625 Maple Lawn Blvd., Fulton, MD 20759 and may be reached at 410-715-2090 or 301-725-0134. Same and next day appointments are available for urgent conditions as needed.

Chesapeake Urology Associates, one of the nations’ largest urology practices, has announced that it has acquired the practice of Dr. Richard Kurnot, M.D., located in Montgomery County, Maryland.  Dr. Kurnot will join Chesapeake and continue to serve his patients from his existing facility located on the campus of Montgomery General Hospital.

“This is the beginning of the Company’s planned expansion in Maryland and we look forward to bringing Chesapeake’s integrated model of urologic care to Montgomery County,” stated Dr. Sanford Siegel, Chesapeake’s President and Chief Executive Officer.   “Dr. Kurnot has provided exemplary care to patients in Montgomery County for many years and we are proud to have him continue to do so as a part of Chesapeake Urology.”

Dr. Kurnot has been practicing urology in Maryland since 1994 and treats all aspects of adult urology.  His areas of focus include prostate cancer, advanced kidney stone disease and no scalpel vasectomy.  He is certified by the American Board of Urology and the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Dr. Kurnot’s office is located on the Montgomery General Hospital Campus at 18109 Prince Philip Drive, Suite 270, Olney, MD 20832. The office can be reached at (301)774-2525.

The Monumental City Medical Society (MCMS) presented Sanford J. Siegel, M.D., with the 2011 Pioneers in Medicine Award during its annual Pioneers in Medicine and Medical Scholarships for Minority Students Awards Banquet on June 26, 2011. During the ceremony, Dr. Siegel was also recognized by the Baltimore City Council for his leading work in prostate cancer prevention. Dr. Siegel is president and CEO of Baltimore-based Chesapeake Urology Associates, PA, one of the leading large urology group practices in the nation.

The mission of the Monumental City Medical Society is to improve healthcare in the Africa-American community, reduce health care disparities between he community and the population at large, support and promote practices of the African-American physicians, and help younger physicians coming into the field of medicine. The Society awarded Dr. Siegel the Pioneer in Medicine award for his community outreach program, the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge® that has significantly and positively impacted Baltimore’s African-American male patient population.

In 2007, under the direction of Dr. Sigel, Chesapeake Urology Associates created a program to increase awareness, raise money for prostate cancer research, and provide free screenings for men in need. Since the first 5K race in 2007, and now in its fifth year, the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge Baltimore has raised more than $850,000 for prostate cancer research, awareness and free screenings. The GPCC is the only physician-based prostate cancer awareness and fund-raising program in the country. To date, the GPCC Baltimore has raised over $850,000 for research and awareness, and more than 3,500 men have been provided with free prostate cancer screenings. Typically, eight percent to ten percent of men screened require further testing and treatment.

In conjunction with African American Churches in Baltimore and their Pastors, Chesapeake Urology Associates has provided more than 35 free prostate cancer screenings to those in need since 2007. The GPCC is the only Free Prostate Cancer Screening program in the nation delivered through, and in conjunction with, African American Churches to:

• Promote preventive care.
• Create awareness in underserved populations.
• Bring physicians into the communities.

Chesapeake Urology Associates, along with ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer, a 501C3, together has grown the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge to include 25+ cities this year with an estimated 15,000 participants nationally.

Sanford J. Siegel, M.D, F.A.C.S., Dr. Siegel has been practicing urology in the Baltimore area for more than 25 years. As President and CEO of Chesapeake Urology Associates, he has built the practice into one of the country’s largest and highest quality urology practices, and the largest in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

In 2006, Dr. Siegel initiated the Chesapeake Urology Associates Scholarship Fund in conjunction with the Central Scholarship Bureau to provide scholarship assistance to full-time students pursuing degrees in medicine, nursing and ancillary health fields. He also established the Chesapeake Urology Associates/AUA Foundation Research Scholar program to fund urology research. In 2007, he led the formation of the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge (GPCC), to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer research and to provide prostate cancer screenings to those in need.

He is a member of the board of directors of the Large Urology Group Practice Association and serves as the chairman of its Advocacy Committee. In addition he is a member of the board of directors of ZERO — The Project to End Prostate Cancer, a director on the board of the Central Scholarship Bureau and a board member of the Park Heights Community Health Alliance (PHCHA). Dr. Siegel practices general urology and his specialties include erectile dysfunction, vasectomy and benign prostate disease.

Chesapeake Urology Associates is the largest urology practice in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic Region, delivering the most innovative and compassionate urology care available. Composed of more than 45 of the mid-Atlantic region’s top urologists, including many who are fellowship trained, 4 radiation oncologists, and a urologic pathologist, Chesapeake Urology provides the convenience of 16 urology centers and 14 surgical centers throughout the greater Baltimore, Maryland area. Experienced, board-certified urologists use advanced treatments to manage all types of urological problems for adults and children including prostate cancer, enlarged prostate, kidney stones, urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, male fertility and sexual health, vasectomy and vasectomy reversal, pelvic pain and clinical trials for urologic conditions.

The Monumental City Medical Society was founded in 1939 and is the first African-American physician association in Baltimore. Monumental is an affiliate of the National Medical Association.

We wanted to be sure you understand that we have only one mission: to provide excellent patient care.  Providing you with all of the information you need and all of the treatment options you have in order to make an informed decision is at the heart of that care.

Our method of treating prostate cancer is different than the traditional model because we utilize a fully-integrated approach to patient care.  It used to be that you would visit your urologist for an examination and potential diagnosis.  You would travel to a lab to have blood work done.   You might then travel to see a radiation oncologist at a different medical practice or at a hospital if you were going to be evaluated for radiation therapy for treatment of prostate cancer or to a surgeon for some other urologic procedure.

Today, we offer patients the opportunity to see all of those expert doctors and technicians under one roof.  It is a comprehensive team approach where your physicians and technician specialists in one medical practice provide you with all of the best available options for treatment.  We’ve created a center of excellence in treating prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.  And we’ve found that, under our model, patients get better care, have better outcomes and are much happier.

But this model is under attack from those who want to go back to the old ways. And their trade associations and public relations firms are repeating falsehoods about Chesapeake Urology.  So we wanted to set the record straight.

• Patients at Chesapeake Urology learn about all available treatment options before they and their families decide which option is best for them; Physicians here – urologists, uro-pathologists, and radiation oncologists – offer the latest, most effective treatments to address your condition.  But we will only recommend treatment options.  You and your families make the choice;

• Chesapeake Urology is operating in full compliance with all state and federal laws and any suggestion to the contrary is false;

• The cost of treating patients at Chesapeake Urology is no higher – and in some cases significantly less – than in other settings, like hospitals.

We are very proud of the work we do.  We know we do what’s best – and only what’s best – for our patients every day.  And we want to be sure you know that, too.

If you have any questions about your care here or about Chesapeake Urology, please ask your doctor or feel free to contact me personally.

Be well.

Sanford J. Siegel, M.D.
President & CEO
Chesapeake Urology Associates
ssiegel@cua.md

PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc., the makers of FIRMAGON® (degarelix for injection), a hormone antagonist therapy for advanced prostate cancer, has joined the race to end prostate cancer as an official sponsor of the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge®, the fastest growing men’s health event series in the United States. Now in its fifth year, the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge (GPCC) is led by ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer.

“The Great Prostate Cancer Challenge is an inspiring example of communities coming together in an effort to stop prostate cancer, and to support all those who have been impacted by this disease,” said William Garbarini, Vice President, US Marketing, Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. “We are extremely proud to support this worthwhile event series, and we congratulate ZERO and all GPCC participants.”

ZERO expects more than 15,000 participants across 27 cities in this year’s Great Prostate Cancer Challenge events.  Atlanta, Detroit, and Tucson are just a few of the cities where running races and walks will be held.  This year’s first GPCC event will be held in Albuquerque, NM on Saturday, May 7.  The widespread exposure generated by the GPCC events will go a long way toward advancing the organization’s mission—zero tolerance for prostate cancer.

The first GPCC event took place in 2007 in an effort to promote prostate cancer awareness, early detection and research. To date, the national event series has raised nearly $2 million.  ZERO dedicates the proceeds from each event to free prostate cancer screenings in the host community.

“The ZERO team is excited to have Ferring as a partner for the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge,” said ZERO’s CEO Skip Lockwood. “Their product FIRMAGON is one important treatment option for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Their support of the GPCC demonstrates their commitment to the goal of helping end prostate cancer and those who are suffering from this disease.”

Prostate cancer is diagnosed approximately every two minutes, and takes about one life every 18 minutes.  It is the most common non-skin cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, and one in 35 will die of this disease.

To get information on a Great Prostate Cancer Challenge event in your area, visit: http://www.GreatProstateCancerChallenge.com/

About ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer

Zero prostate cancer deaths. Zero prostate cancer cases and for those with prostate cancer, it means a zero PSA. The name stands for zero tolerance for prostate cancer.  ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer is committed to not only reducing prostate cancer and alleviating pain from the disease but to end it. They see a future where all men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer will be cured or manage their illness with good quality of life, with the support they need to minimize physical and emotional suffering and to cope effectively throughout their cancer journeys. They provide comprehensive treatment information to patients, education to those at risk and conduct free prostate cancer testing throughout the country. They increase research funds from the federal government to find new treatments and fund local grants to end the disease.

About FIRMAGON

FIRMAGON is a prescription medicine used in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

Important Safety Information

FIRMAGON should not be given to people who are allergic to any of the ingredients in FIRMAGON.  It should not be given to women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.  FIRMAGON can harm an unborn baby when given to a pregnant woman.

Before receiving FIRMAGON, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you have any heart problems, problems with balance of your body salts or electrolytes (such as, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium), or have kidney or liver problems.

The common side effects of FIRMAGON  include: hot flashes, injection site pain, redness and swelling (especially with the first dose), weight gain, increase in some liver enzymes, tiredness, hypertension, back and joint pain, chills, urinary tract infection, and decreased sex drive and trouble with erectile function (impotence). Please see Full Prescribing Information at www.Firmagon.com.

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a subsidiary of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, a Swiss-headquartered, research driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group active in global markets. The company identifies, develops and markets innovative products in the areas of endocrinology, gastroenterology, reproductive health and urology. Ferring Pharmaceuticals offers a line of urology, infertility, gynecology, and orthopaedic products in the U.S. market. For more information, call 1-888-FERRING (1-888-337-7464) or visit www.FerringUSA.com.

SOURCE Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.

We all know how passionate Dr. Siegel is about helping people in our community and his incredible dedication to helping end prostate cancer, a disease that kills more than 30,000 men each year, through the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge (GPCC).

Since the GPCC was founded by Dr. Siegel and Chesapeake Urology Associates in 2007, the program has grown to 27 cities and has raised well over $1 million for prostate cancer awareness, research and free screenings for men in need.  It is now the nation’s premier fund raising program for men’s health and prostate cancer. The program in Baltimore includes a 5K Race to raise awareness and funds and 11 free prostate cancer screening events in conjunction with Baltimore’s African American churches.  We are pleased that the MCMS and its physicians are a partner in these screenings and bring additional medical services, screenings and information that enriches the experience provided to the members of these communities.  In addition, Dr. Siegel established the Chesapeake Urology Associates Scholarship Fund in conjunction with the Central Scholarship Bureau, and the Chesapeake Urology American Urological Foundation Research Scholar program to fund urology research.  Dr. Siegel’s bio is attached for your information.

If you would like to support this special recognition of Dr. Siegel and the MCMS’s Medical Scholarship Program for Minority Students, we hope you will join us at the event, become a sponsor or feature a special message in the Souvenir Program Book.  Specific information is included in the two attachements.

Thank you for helping us to recognize Dr. Siegel (we all know what an incredibly special person he is) and to support the MCMS Medical Scholarship Program. Please feel free to pass on this information to others who may wish to join us in recognizing Dr. Siegel.

Sincerely,
P.L. Schnably

Read more here and here.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2011

Great Prostate Cancer Challenge / Dash for Dad Races Hosted in 27 Cities

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Making an expansion that creates the largest men’s health event series in America, the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge and partnering Dash for Dad races will be hosted in 27 cities across America in 2011.

“We’re more than doubling our size from last year as the idea of creating close-knit community events that join together athletes, doctors and their employees, prostate cancer patients and the family and friends who care about them is really catching on,” Dr. Sanford Siegel, founder of the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge and CEO of Chesapeake Urology Associates in Baltimore, MD, said. “With the involvement of thousands of people, the event series delivers the message that men don’t have to die from this disease. It’s a fun event that brings everyone in the community together.”

More than 15,000 runners and walkers are expected to participate in the races dedicated to raising funds for ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer to go toward prostate cancer research, advocacy, early detection and awareness.

“As a runner and someone who’s lost loved ones to cancer, it’s a labor of love to build this event series,” Jamie Bearse, ZERO’s COO and creator of the Dash for Dad said. “We’re proud to partner with urology practices, companies and volunteers all around the country in an effort to end prostate cancer.”

The Great Prostate Cancer Challenge was founded in 2007 in Baltimore and expanded to four cities in 2008, seven in 2009 and then 13 in 2010. To date more than $1.5 million has been raised through the races with most of it spent locally on prostate cancer programs.

Abbott has signed on as the lead national partner for the third year in a row.

Siegel is also on ZERO’s board which also includes current Large Urology Group Practice Association President Raoul Concepcion, lead doctor at Urology Associates in Nashville, TN (which also manages a race) and Hunter Biden, the son of the Vice President.

Complete list of race cities:

• Albuquerque, NM
• Atlanta, GA
• Austin, TX
• Baltimore, MD
• Birmingham, AL
• Buffalo, NY
• Camden, NJ
• Charlotte, NC
• Central Florida – The Villages, FL
• Cincinnati, OH
• Columbus, OH
• Dallas, TX
• Detroit, MI
• Fort Myers, FL
• Fort Wayne, IN
• Harrisburg, PA
• Indianapolis, IN
• Kansas City, MO
• Memphis, TN
• Minneapolis, MN
• Nashville, TN
• New York, NY (Long Island)
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Poughkeepsie, NY
• Rochester, NY
• Tucson, AZ
• Washington, DC

For more information about the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge and the Dash for Dad races or to register for one of them, go to www.GreatProstateCancerChallenge.com.

SOURCE ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer