From left, Urology Fellow Avinash Reddy, MD; Dennis S. Charney, MD; and Leslie Schlachter, PA, took turns at the mat during the Push-Up Challenge, while Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, far right, who spearheaded the event, looked on.
Sixty-two men and women took to the mat in the Guggenheim Pavilion on Wednesday, September 16, to participate in the Mount Sinai Health System’s Push-Up Challenge, an event highlighting Prostate Cancer Awareness Month that was sponsored by the Department of Urology.
Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System, kicked off the challenge by completing 106 push-ups that were tallied by trainers from the New York Sports Club.
“I’ve been an athlete my whole life, and I’m still doing it,” Dr. Charney told an enthusiastic crowd of faculty, staff, students, and visitors who gathered to cheer on the participants or to compete themselves. “Exercise is important to your health and your sense of self.”
Three participants at a time stepped onto a temporary podium to do their push-ups, trying to surpass Dr. Charney’s total of 106. No one was able to top Dr. Charney’s lead, but two members of the Department of Pathology at the Mount Sinai Health System had a strong showing. Martin Maurer, a laboratory technician within the department, came in second with a total of 104 push-ups and received tickets to a subway series game between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. Daphne Semet, Administrative Director of the Department of Pathology and the Department of Thoracic Surgery, was the strongest female contender, completing 80 push-ups.
The driving force behind the event—at which a total of 3,576 push-ups were performed—was Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Kyung Hyun Kim, MD Chair in Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Chairman of the Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System. “We want all men to understand their risk for prostate cancer and be aware that diet and exercise impact their risk,” said Dr. Tewari. “Push-ups are great exercise, and you don’t need to join a gym or buy expensive equipment to do them.”
An estimated one in seven American men is diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 233,000 new cases are diagnosed annually.
At the event, physicians and staff from the Department of Urology conducted 66 men’s health consultations, and provided attendees with information on diet and exercise, stress management, and wellness programs. Of the 34 PSA blood test screenings that were conducted, four required additional testing, according to Leslie Schlachter, Senior Physician Assistant, Director of the Men’s Health Program at the Mount Sinai Health System.
The public also had the opportunity to “test drive” a da Vinci Surgical System robot that was on display in the Guggenheim Pavilion. The system is considered the standard of care in performing prostatectomies. Mount Sinai physicians use the da Vinci Surgical System to treat kidney and bladder cancer, as well. They employ a new technique, MRI Fusion Biopsy, on large and small cancer lesions in order to obtain a precise diagnosis and provide more targeted treatment.
For additional information on men’s health, please visit www.mountsinai.org/menshealth.