The Marshall University College of Medicine and the College of Pharmacy are competing throughout November to raise money for the Men’s Health Organization by growing out their mustaches.

Two teams from each college of about a dozen students each are participating in the competition called “Movember” and are encouraging their friends, family and fellow students to sponsor their facial hair by donating to MHO.

The Men’s Health Organization distributes the funds raised to help with prostate cancer screenings, testicular cancer screenings, erectile dysfunction, foundations and research in those areas and men’s health and suicide.

“We decided this year, as a friendly competition with the school of pharmacy, we invited them to join the Movember campaign,” Daniel Kahn, founder and former chair of MHO at Marshall University, said.

Kahn said the competition was started between students to just get involved, but the administration latched onto it and gave it a lot of the exposure to help grow the campaign.

Kahn said last year the Movember campaign raised over $1,100 by the end of the month, but this year they have almost passed that mark already and are on track to do much better. Last year, they were ranked in the top ten med school teams in the nation for donations.

Kahn said at the end of the month both schools will have an end of Movember celebration at a bar to announce how much money they have raised and to give awards for the best moustaches. He said it also helps to grow those interpersonal relationships between the two colleges as well.

“Next year we will try and reach out to West Virginia University and explain what we do every November and then ask if they would like to participate and compete,” Kahn said.

Kahn said the competition is not limited to only men, and women can participate as well. He said some of them wear fake mustaches, but ultimately the goal isn’t to grow a mustache, but to raise money for MHO.

Kahn said men’s health issues effect women too and Movember is a great way to get involved.

Noah Gillispie can be contacted at [email protected].