This September marks the fifth annual Urology Awareness Month, an opportunity for urologists, researchers, GPs, patients, and urology advocates to raise awareness of and speak openly about urology disease. In doing so, they can help to break the taboos that so often blight urology patients.
Set up by The Urology Foundation (TUF) in 2014, Urology Awareness Month (UAM) aims to encourage the public to actively take care of their urology health by raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of urology disease, breaking down stigmas and raising money for the fight against urology disease.
Getting involved
There are multiple ways to support this campaign. Firstly, you can get in touch with us for leaflets and posters for your clinics. If you have a patient with an experience of urology disease that you think others would benefit from hearing, you can get in touch with TUF and we can help to get that message out.
We are also calling on people to take part in the Big 5 Challenge. If just 120 people commit to raising £500 each, that would allow TUF to fund one extra research project in 2019. So often our research projects go on to provide big breakthroughs in urology through new treatments and diagnostic tools. We are funded entirely by our supporters across the country, so the more people that get involved, the more research that can be funded. You can find out more about the Big 5 Challenge on our website.
Make sure you can share your support for the breaking down of taboos or the importance of knowing the signs of urology disease by using the hashtag #urologyawareness. You could also encourage the hospital you work at to use the same hashtag.
In 2017, TUF reached millions of people throughout UAM. TUF radio interviews were heard by an estimated 6 million people, a urology-themed pull out was distributed to nearly 1 million Guardian readers, and TUF featured on TV through London Live and Sky’s Chrissy B Show. This year is set to be even better and we thank you for your support.
A month for all of urology
Urology Awareness Month is about breaking taboos and raising awareness of all urology diseases, not just cancers. So, whatever your area of expertise is, UAM is an opportunity to speak up and encourage the nation to actively take care of their urology health.
It’s hard to believe that we have been doing the BJUI Social Media Awards for six years now! I recall vividly our inaugural BJUi Social Media Awards in 2013, as the burgeoning social media community in urology gathered in the back of an Irish Bar in San Diego to celebrate all things social. At that time, many of us had only got to know each other through Twitter, and it was certainly fun going around the room putting faces with twitter handles for the first time. That spirit continues today as the “uro-twitterati” continues to grow, and the BJUi Awards, remain a fun annual focus for the social-active urology community to meet up in person.
We continue to alternate the Awards between the annual congresses of the American Urological Association (AUA) and of the European Association of Urology (EAU). Last year we descended on Boston, MA, to join the 15,000 or so other delegates attending the AUA Annual Meeting and to enjoy beautiful Boston. This year, we set sail for the #EAU18 Annual Meeting in the wonderful (but very cold) city of Copenhagen, along with over 13,000 delegates from 100 different countries.
On therefore to the Awards. These took place on Sunday 18th March 2018 in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Copenhagen. Over 50 of the most prominent uro-twitterati from all over the world turned up to enjoy the hospitality of the BJUI and to hear who would be recognised in the 2018 BJUI Social Media Awards. Individuals and organisations were recognised across 12 categories including the top gong, TheBJUI Social Media Award 2018, awarded to an individual, organization, innovation or initiative who has made an outstanding contribution to social media in urology in the preceding year. The 2013 Award was won by the outstanding Urology Match portal, followed in 2014 by Dr Stacy Loeb for her outstanding individual contributions, and in 2015 by the #UroJC twitter-based journal club. In 2017 we recognised the #ilooklikeaurologist social media campaign which we continue to promote. This year our Awards Committee consisted of members of the BJUI Editorial Board – Declan Murphy, Prokar Dasgupta, Matt Bultitude, Stacy Loeb, John Davis, as well as BJUI Managing Editor Scott Millar whose team in London drive the content across our social platforms. The Committee reviewed a huge range of materials and activity before reaching their final conclusions.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Most Read Blog@BJUI – “Changing the LATITUDE of Treatment for High-Risk Hormone-Naïve Prostate Cancer: STAMPEDE-ing Towards Androgen Biosynthesis Inhibition”. Dr Zach Klaassen, Toronto, Canada
Most Commented Blog@BJUI – “The Urology Foundation – Cycle to Vietnam” – Prof Roger Kirby, London, UK.
Most Social Paper – “Unprofessional content on Facebook accounts of US urology residency graduates”. Accepted by Dr Matt Bultitude on behalf of Dr Ann Gormleyand colleagues
Best BJUI Tube Video – “The value of In-111 PSMA radioguided surgery for salvage lymphadenectomy in recurrent prostate cancer”. Dr Tobias Maurer, Munich, Germany.
Best Urology Conference for Social Media – awarded to the EAU for #EAU17 and #EAU18. Accepted by Prof Jim Catto on behalf of the EAU Communications Department.
Innovation Award – EAU Communications Department, for their excellent Twitter strategy. Accepted by Prof Jim Catto onbehalf of Marc van Gurp and EAU colleagues
#UroJC Award – Dr David Penson, Vanderbilt, USA. Accepted by Matt Bultitude
Best Social Media Campaign – awarded to The Urology Foundation, London, UK. In recognition of their use of social media to promote their advocacy, awareness and fundraising efforts in urology. Also an acknowledgement of twitter super-user Stephen Fry as a supporter of TUF, and his use of twitter to share his recent personal prostate cancer journey.
Most Social Trainee – Awarded to the “Bellclapper Podcasts”, featuring Jesse Ory, Kyle Lehman, Jeff Himmelman, from Dalhousie University, Canada.
The BJUI Social Media Award 2018 – awarded to @BURSTurology, in recognition of their use of social media to engage with other urology trainee and research groups around the world to drive collaborative research, including the #identify project. Collected by BURST Chair Veeru Kasi.
A number of the BJUI senior editorial team were also present to join the fun!
A special thanks to our outstanding BJUI team at BJUI in London, Scott Millar, Max Cobb and team, who manage our social media and website activity as well as the day-to-day running of our busy journal.
See you all in Chicago for #AUA19 where we will present the 7th BJUI Social Media Awards ceremony!
Declan Murphy
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
Since 2008 we have cycled in Sicily, Malawi, Madagascar, Patagonia, South Africa and Rajasthan raising more than three quarter of a million pounds for The Urology Foundation. The seventh and latest instalment of the TUF cycling series is an amazing 450km cycle challenge through two of South East Asia’s most fascinating countries. The challenge starts in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City and finishes at the world heritage site of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. En route we will shed a lot of sweat, but also experience breathtaking scenery, ancient temples and the warmth of the local people.
The cycling will be tough but we are going to be using bikes from ecosmobike.com to make it less harder, it will be in hot and humid conditions, but the camaraderie along the way will be very special as doctors, patients and supporters team up to raise much needed funds for The Urology Foundation (TUF).
Funds raised by Cycle Vietnam to Cambodia will enable The Urology Foundation to help improve the management and treatment of urological diseases through the development and support of medical education and sponsorship of research – training healthcare professionals specialising in urology and supporting basic and clinical research by funding scholarships in the UK and abroad.
Day One (Fri 10 November 2017) – Depart UK
Overnight flights from London to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Day Two (Sat 11 Nov) – Arrive Ho Chi Minh City – Transfer Ben Treh
On arrival in Ho Chi Minh City we are met at the airport by our support team where buses will be waiting for us to transfer, approximately two hours, to our hotel in the town of Ben Treh. In the afternoon we will have the bike fitting. Dinner will be at the hotel and will be followed by a briefing about the challenge ahead.
Day Three (Sun 12 Nov) – Ben Tre – Tra Vinh 50kms (approx. 31 miles)
Today we will have a warm-up day with the cycling being relatively easy and the distance not too challenging. After breakfast we cycle out of the hotel along lovely country roads with very little traffic. We then follow a traffic free route through villages that give us an insight into Vietnamese rural life. After crossing a number of river tributaries by bridge we reach one that requires a short ferry crossing. About an hour later we reach the main Mekong River where we re-group for a longer ferry crossing.
Day Four (Mon 13 Nov) – Tra Vinh – Can Tho 104kms (approx. 64 miles)
The cycling today is fairly flat and takes us through rural communities and a number of small towns. Interest today is provided by the many Pagodas that we pass, some of which we will use for rest stops.
Day Five (Tues 14 Nov) – Can Tho – Chau Doc 70kms (approx. 43 miles)
We leave our hotel early this morning with a road transfer of approximately 2.5 hours. We start cycling from the town of Am Cham. We stop at a local restaurant in the small town of Triton for lunch before continuing through scenic agricultural land. This afternoon we encounter our first major climb. Further, smaller climbs take us into the town of Chau Doc where we find our overnight hotel. On arrival we will de-fit the bikes in preparation for our crossing into Cambodia.
Day Six (Wed 15 Nov) – Chau Doc – Phnom Penh
Today we enjoy a day off the bikes and a fascinating journey by boat from Vietnam to Cambodia. After breakfast we have a short transfer to the harbour where we embark on the boats that will take us along the historic Mekong River to the border.
We will see many boats along the way and experience life on the river which supports many thousands of Vietnamese. After crossing the border we continue our journey up-river to the city of Phnom Penh where we have lunch in a restaurant overlooking the busy harbour.
We will visit the Royal Palace which is described as an impressive Khmer style Palace. We overnight at a hotel in Phnom Penh where we will be briefed by our Cambodian support team.
Day Seven (Thurs 16 Nov) – Phnom Penh – Kampong Cham 60kms (approx. 37miles)
Today we have our first day of cycling in Cambodia. Following an early breakfast we will have a short transfer to take us out of the city to the surrounding countryside where quiet roads await us. After about 35kms we reach the end of the tarmac road and continue the rest of today on dirt roads. We overnight in the town of Kampong Cham.
Day Eight (Fri 17 Nov) – Kampong Cham – Kompong Thom 107kms (approx. 66 miles)
This is probably our most demanding day of cycling. After breakfast we leave town on an undulating road that passes many Temples and Pagodas and leads us into a forest of rubber trees. We will have lunch today in a large Pagoda complex before continuing our ride into the town of Kampong Thom.
Day Nine (Sat 18 Nov) – Kompong Thom – Siem Reap 60kms (approx. 37 miles)
This morning after an early breakfast we have a transfer of approximately 1 hour to our start point at Kampong Kdei. Our route today takes us through the Cambodian countryside until we reach the outskirts of Siem Reap. Our finish line will be at the entrance to the ancient city of Angkor where we will enjoy a celebratory drink and have a photo opportunity. This evening we will have our celebration dinner at a nearby hotel; this will be followed by a cultural show.
Day Ten (Sun 19 Nov) – Siem Reap – Visit Angkor Wat / Free Day
Today is a free day to explore the areas ancient ruins and temples, or relax by the pool, or do a spot of shopping. Why not re-visit the Angkor Wat temple, take a walking tour of the overgrown ruins of Ta Prohm which is entwined with tree roots and gigantic creepers, visit the tranquil Bayon with its multitude of serene stone faces, or see the impressive 350m long Terrace of the stone Elephants.
Day Eleven (Mon 20 Nov) – Depart Siem Reap
We depart for the airport at Siem Reap to begin our journey home.
Day Twelve (Tues 21 Nov) – Arrive UK
Altogether we will have cycled 450 Km in extremely hot and humid conditions. Do support us with a donation to a great cause by sponsoring Louise de Winter our CEO’s fundraising page here: https://cyclevietcam2017.everydayhero.com/uk/louise-de-winter All donations made will go towards funding the vital research, training and education in urology diseases so badly needed.
After the gruelling cycling challenges in Sicily, Malawi, Madagascar,Patagonia, and most recently South Africa, which together have raised many hundreds of thousands of pounds for The Urology Foundation (TUF), our next Challenge is a 500 Km ride through Rajasthan, India. We now have 50 intrepid cyclists signed up and ready to participate in this exciting, but very demanding, ride. Some grizzled veterans, such as Roger Plail and Andrew Etherington (80 years old next year!) will be joining us again. Peter Rimington, who led the South African challenge, will be there, but is replaced as “local knowledge team captain” by Abhay Rane, who has done a great job in recruiting and motivating participants this year. Our wonderful CEO Louise de Winter will be bravely accompanying us on the ride, as she did in Africa.
The ride commences in Bharatpur – the eastern gateway to Rajasthan. It is most famous for the Keoladeo Ghana National Park, a world heritage site and one of the finest water-bird sanctuaries in the world. On the first morning we will have a chance to visit the specacular Taj Mahal in Agra, one of the true wonders of the world.
From there, we start our adventure by cycling through the National Park. Our first day’s cycling takes us to the Bhanwar Vilas Palace in Karauli. The following day we will ride to the famous Ranthambore National Park, which is famous for its tigers; the conservation project there is popular with wildlife buffs and professional photographers from right across the world. With luck we may encounter some of the animals to be found in the park including sambar, cheetah, wild boar, leopard, jackal and hyena. We will overnight at the famous “Tiger Den”.
From here on it is just toil, sweat and tears, together with the ever-present risk of “Delhi Belly”! We will no doubt, just as we did before before, rise to the challenge and press on relentlessly to our final destination, the famous “pink city” Jaipur. Here the “Amber Fort” and a well-earned celebration awaits us.
I am very much hoping that many of you will support our endeavours with a donation, and participants themselves will add their own comments, stories and photographs to this blog. TUF is such a worthy cause, and really does an amazing job in supporting and promoting urology, not only throughout the British Isles, but in Africa and beyond. Do watch (and especially contribute to) this space! We will be posting updates to let you know how we get on.
Last night, I was delighted, along with other members of the BJUI Editorial Board, to attend a reception for The Urology Foundation at Number 10 Downing Street, hosted by the UK’s “First Lady” Samantha Cameron.
The reception was attended by many eminent urologists as well as a number of well-known personalities.
The primary aim of the reception was to raise awareness for the Foundation and its work and all of us at the BJUI are happy to help in that aim.
Prokar Dasgupta, Editor-in-chief
The Urology Foundation issued the following Press Release:
TUF Downing Street Reception hosted by Samantha Cameron
On Tuesday 22nd January 2013, Samantha Cameron kindly hosted a reception at No 10 Downing Street, for The Urology Foundation.
The Urology Foundation is the only UK charity that covers all urological diseases. It aims to improve the diagnosis, choice and care of patients with urological diseases by supporting pioneering research and providing specialist training to improve the skills and effectiveness of UK health professionals working in urology.
Around 120 dedicated supporters and friends gathered together in the Terracotta and Pillared Rooms, to celebrate The Foundation and the exceptional work it undertakes. Speeches were given by Samantha Cameron as well as the Hon Secretary of The Foundation, the esteemed Professor Roger Kirby, who announced an exciting new Bladder Cancer Awareness campaign for 2013.
Kindly showing their support were, amongst others, Ronnie Corbett CBE who is embarking upon a radio campaign for The Foundation, Private Eye editor Ian Hislop and actors, Jemma Redgrave, Vanessa Kirby and Douglas Booth.
Getting involved
