UAMS and Little Rock Trojans Win $5,000 for Breast Cancer Research in National Medline Pink Glove Dance Contest
| Sept. 30, 2016 | Thanks to the support of thousands of online voters, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the Little Rock Trojans today won $5,000 for breast cancer research in the national Medline Pink Glove Dance video competition.
The $5,000 prize was presented by Robin Ward of Medline to UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., and Chasse Conque, director of athletics, Little Rock Department of Athletics, at a news conference at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. As part of the contest, the prize is donated to a breast cancer charity chosen by UAMS — the Arkansas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen.
From left, Robin Ward of Medline; Sherrye McBryde, executive director of Komen Arkansas; Chasse Conque, director of athletics, Little Rock Department of Athletics; and UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., are pictured with the $5,000 prize from Medline.
“Congratulations to UAMS for putting together such an amazing video that has grabbed the attention of thousands of people from around the country,” said Ward, Medline account manager. “It is Medline’s unified mission to eradicate breast cancer. The Pink Glove Dance competition provides communities with an organized event that supports everyone who’s been touched by breast cancer.”
UAMS and the Little Rock Trojans partnered to produce the breast cancer awareness video that featured more than 100 UAMS employees and members of the Little Rock Trojans men’s and women’s basketball teams wearing pink surgical gloves and attire and dancing to “Shut up and Dance” by Walk the Moon. Media personalities from the local ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates also put on their dancing shoes to join the action.
Visit www.pinkglovedance.com to view UAMS’ winning video.
The video received 16,925 online votes to finish second in the large-bed category. This marks the second time UAMS has won in the Pink Glove Dance contest, taking first place in 2014 in the non-health care organization category, which included universities. The $10,000 prize money that year was donated to the 20th Century Club, which provides free housing to cancer patients who have to leave their hometown for treatment.
“This video is a way for us to express our admiration and encouragement for all courageous breast cancer survivors,” said UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D. “We are honored with the overwhelming support our video received across Arkansas and pleased to donate the prize money to such a worthy organization as Susan G. Komen.”
Conque said the Little Rock Trojans were thrilled to be a part of the video production. “We have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with UAMS over the years, and this was certainly a fun way to partner while at the same time helping raise awareness and resources for a very important cause.”
UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., shakes hands with Robin Ward of Medline at a check presentation Sept. 30 while Sherrye McBryde, executive director of Komen Arkansas, left, and Chasse Conque, director of athletics, Little Rock Department of Athletics, look on.
Sherrye McBryde, executive director of Komen Arkansas, was there to accept the donation.
“We are so fortunate to have a partnership with UAMS and the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and we value their support for finding a cure for breast cancer,” said McBryde. “The Pink Glove Contest is a fun way to raise awareness while raising funds to reach our united goal.”
The competition received video submissions from 29 hospitals, nursing homes, schools and other organizations throughout the United States and Canada. Entries are divided into three categories, with each category’s total vote-getter earning a $10,000 prize for their charity of choice. The overall vote-getter received an additional $5,000 for their charity of choice.
The competition dates to 2009 when Illinois-based Medline Industries Inc., which manufactures and distributes health care supplies, turned everyday exam gloves from green to pink and launched an aggressive breast cancer education campaign to help make detection exams less intimidating and remind nurses about the importance of creating a comfortable, friendly and open dialogue with their patients.
A few years later, Medline created the Pink Glove Dance video competition to celebrate hope for a cure and honor all who have been affected by the disease. The competition has inspired more than 1,000 dance videos and raised nearly $2.5 million for breast cancer prevention and free mammograms for women in need through the National Breast Cancer Foundation and other charitable organizations across the country.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###