

Calgary Radiologist and PCC board member, Dr. Shelley Spaner, is the founder of Women for Men’s Health (WFMH). Dr. Spaner witnessed the disparity between women and men’s health firsthand, and started this initiative to engage women as active players in closing the gender gap when it comes to health and wellness.
Her vision is to create a program at Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Centre that resides within the Southern Alberta Institute of Urology (SAIU) that is all inclusive and accessible for men. This initiative will mobilize women as key players in helping to to shift men’s behaviours towards maintaining their health.
The message is simple: to prevent Albertan men from dying from modifiable health factors related to diet, weight, blood pressure, and prostate cancer. We need to encourage men to visit their doctor and #GETCHECKED regularly.
The mission behind Women for Men’s Health’s is to create awareness about Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Centre’s Men’s Health program – Know Your Numbers. The initiative was started in order to raise money for programs which increase awareness and support research in areas that impact men’s health.
The four key areas of focus:
The current goal of the Men’s Health Program is to leverage off Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre’s #GETCHECKED program that is delivered to men through our MAN VAN™. As well as offering free PSA tests, we felt it made sense to have men understand other numbers that impacted their long-term health. Since 2010, we have administered over 50,000 PSA tests and captured data around this test. In four years, we have collected over 11,000 statistics from men on blood sugar, blood pressure, waist circumference, and this last year, the addition of a mental health stress check.
Events
The Big Ball is Calgary’s premier event that takes place the last Friday of January. Hosted by our presenting sponsor Hotel Arts, the gala raises awareness and funds for the Women for Men’s Health initiative at Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Centre. The Big Ball promises to be a grand soiree resplendent in eye catching décor, toe tapping tunes, amazing auction items,and delicious fare that is the talk of the town. Moreover, it serves as a great fundraiser for our initiative that, for the past two years, has focused its efforts towards men’s mental health.
To check out the latest articles for Women for Men’s Health, check out the links below:
Brooks: Big Ball 2020 kicks off poolside at Hotel Arts
Brooks: Women for Men’s Health Gala launch at Hotel Arts
Women for Men’s Health takes over fundraising gala for Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Centre
In Canada, one in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. When detected early, prostate cancer is one of the most successfully treated types of cancer.
The staff and volunteers at Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre are dedicated to educating men about the importance of early detection.