VGH doctor plans to set up health centre for men

The Vancouver Sun
Thu 27 Mar 2008
Page: A1 / FRONT
By: Pamela Fayerman

Women
outlive men by five years in B.C. and Dr. Larry Goldenberg thinks that
has a lot to do with the fact men are 20 years behind women in being
proactive about their health.  So just as he championed a prostate
cancer centre of excellence at Vancouver General Hospital a decade ago,
he is now focused on forming a men's health centre, not unlike the one
for the opposite sex at B.C. Women's Hospital.

People tend to think of penises and prostates as the only body
parts men have to worry about, but Goldenberg begs to differ.  "The
penis is like the canary in the mineshaft," he says, referring to the
fact that erection and other problems may be due to numerous medical
conditions, especially cardiovascular disease.  "But there's more to
men's health than penises, prostates, vasectomies and circumcisions.
Men are 20 years behind women in terms of gender-specific health
centres," says Goldenberg, professor and head of the department of
urologic sciences at the University of B.C. and Vancouver General
Hospital.

Major hospitals have women's health centres in recognition of their
unique attributes, and Goldenberg believes it's time to have centres
for men too. More men than women suffer and die from numerous serious
diseases and accidents, some of which he attributes to the fact that
men haven't caught up with women's progress in personal health
concerns.  "The days of men being the strong silent types, the ones
with bravado, should be over. Men get osteoporosis, they have falling
hormone levels as they age, just like women, and their life expectancy
is shorter [on average, women outlive men by nearly five years in
B.C.], so we need to address all those things."

Goldenberg has been thinking about such an initiative for many
years and now he's lending his stature to a fundraising campaign and
partnering with the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University
(Vancouver chapter).  He's being honoured at a Four Seasons Hotel
$225-a-ticket dinner April 13. Funds raised will be split between the
university in Jerusalem and a men's health centre at VGH that will
blend research, patient education and clinical programs.  "I've never
studied there and my only connection to Hebrew University is really
through Zionistic visions, but they wanted to honour me and so I
suggested we do this as a partnership with the VGH and UBC Hospital
Foundation," said Goldenberg, who is also co-director of the Prostate
Centre at VGH.

The centre received a $20-million donation from business mogul
Jimmy Pattison several years ago, after a pitch from Goldenberg.  This
time around, Goldenberg is shooting for just $1 million in seed money
for what he calls the first men's health centre in Canada, to be based
in existing space at VGH.  "Once we get the first million, the seed
will be planted and then we can start fertilizing it by garnering more
money from government and agencies which provide grants," he says.

Dinner organizers, including co-chairs Peter Bentley and Leon
Glassman, are hoping to raise $2 million in ticket sales and donations.
VGH would get $1 million and Hebrew University the same. A portion of
the total will also go toward collaborative prostate cancer research
between the hospital and the Israeli university.  "It's exciting to
establish these global networks. We're also developing one with
Australian scientists and several in the U.S.," says Goldenberg.

The men's health centre will act as an umbrella organization with
its focus on preventive health strategies, clinical research and the
treatment of ailments relating to bones, decreasing hormone
(testosterone levels), sexual health, cardiovascular conditions,
prostate cancer, nutrition, and mental health.  "It will be an
organization that will foster partnerships with other clinical and
research centres all around the world.  "It's not about building
something new or about building Rome in one day. I'm talking about an
organization that will truly look at all the issues men face,
especially as they age," said Goldenberg, adding that the centre would
act as an information clearing house where family doctors could seek
experts and also refer their patients.

Ron Dumouchelle, president/CEO of the VGH and UBC Hospital
Foundation, applauds the Goldenberg mission, saying:  "Men don't always
take care of themselves the way they should. The vision of an
integrated program at VGH to diagnose, treat and support men to keep
them healthy longer is innovative and world-leading. Dr. Goldenberg and
his team are builders and pioneers with a strong record of achievements
and breakthroughs to benefit men from across B.C."