Cape Cod’s dancing doctors are back in action

Before agreeing to take part in the revival of the popular Dancing with the Docs event this year, Cape Cod Hospital interventional radiologist Damian Dupuy’s only dance experience was practicing the rhumba for six weeks for a father-daughter dance at her wedding. But he has put on his dancing shoes again to take part in the 2026 version of the fundraiser for Cape Wellness Collaborative, a nonprofit organization that helps residents of Cape Cod and the Islands who are facing cancer feel better through integrative therapies, nourishing meals and emotional support services.

Dr. Dupuy knows personally what it’s like to be treated for cancer.

“I wasn’t sure if my cancer diagnosis was going to be fatal or not because it was a big tumor of my left kidney,” he said. “They removed the entire thing, with negative margins, and I didn’t need any additional treatment. Ten and a half years later, I’m alive and feeling great.”

As a cancer survivor and a doctor, he said he wanted to help others going through the same experience.

“I felt that it was my duty to help other cancer patients, not only in treating them, but to raise money for all the ancillary services that Cape Wellness provides,” he said.

Dancing With the Docs, which debuted in 2017, pairs local physicians with professional dancers in a friendly competition, all in the name of charity. The event ran yearly through 2020. The last event was held less than two weeks before the COVID shutdown began.

A Popular Event

This year’s show will be held on March 28 at The Emerald Resort/Hyport Conference Center in Hyannis. As of March 13, it was sold out except for a few standing-room-only tickets. However, donations are still being accepted (see links to each doctor’s fundraising page in the lineup below). Cape Cod Healthcare is proud to be a Star Sponsor of the popular event. 

After Carol Bosco Baumann was named CEO of Cape Wellness in 2024, she heard much positive feedback about the annual event from members of the community.

“People have such deep appreciation for what we do. Many have faced cancer themselves or have been caregivers,” she said. “But there was a common thread through all of these conversations besides cancer. And it was, ‘Dancing with the Docs was awesome. When are you going to do that again?’ All I heard about from people was that it was a unique, fun way for the community to come together.

“It’s also a great way for the medical community to participate more deeply in what we do at Cape Wellness. This event provides critical funds to run our programs and operations. We need a big event like this because our demand is not waning. Almost 2,200 people a year on the Cape and Islands are diagnosed with cancer.”

The Doctor/Professional Lineup

Previous winners of Dancing With the Docs were Dr. Mary Ann Harwood (dancing with Adam Spencer), Dr. Nancy Schaefer (Adam Spencer), Dr. Mary-Amanda O'Neill (JT Thompson) and Dr. Tara Chute (Brandon Simmons).

This year’s lineup includes:

Damian Dupuy, MD, FACR (interventional radiologist) and Kimberlee McHugh

Kevin Dwyer, MD (orthopedic surgeon) and Alisha Kelly

Ingrid Hyder, MD (radiologist) and Jaclyn Kotowski

Naomi Kalliath, DO (breast surgeon) and Francis Grant

Anne Marie Kelly, MD (internal medicine) and Kumara Sidhartha, MD, MPH (internal medicine)

Hope Peters, MD (radiologist) and Doug McHugh

Kathryn Rudman, MD (pediatrician) and Brandon Simmons

Jeffrey Spillane, MD, FACS (thoracic surgeon) and Mimi Laquerre

Each physician is trying to raise at least $5,000 for Cape Wellness. You can support your favorite dancing doctor’s campaign with a donation of any amount.

Challenging But Fun

The months of rehearsals for Dancing With the Docs have been challenging but fun, said Dr. Dupuy. By the time there were a few weeks to go, he had his routine memorized.

“I’m just trying to smooth out the Cuban motion moves to look like I know what I'm doing,” he said, adding that Kim McHugh, his performing partner, is “very dedicated and is really patient with me.”

Dr. Kalliath was asked to take part by breast surgeon Jill Oxley, MD, FACS, who’s on the Cape Wellness board and danced in Season 2. “But there were a couple people who pegged me as somebody who might be interested,” said Dr. Kalliath. “I don’t know why. I like dancing, but I’ve never taken a dance lesson in my life.”

Her rehearsals with Francis Grant have been going well, she reported. “He taught me what the foxtrot is because I didn’t know prior to being assigned this dancing style. He’s been very patient. We’ve chipped away and I think we have a pretty good routine going on. I still feel nervous, but I’m feeling more confident than I was.”

When she meets a patient with a cancer diagnosis, Dr. Kalliath’s team gives them a packet that includes information about CWC. “There’s a variety of different services like yoga and acupuncture they can access through CWC, which you wouldn’t usually get in a healthcare setting. That’s just not something that is routinely offered in Western medicine, and I think these things are important. Lifestyle habits can contribute to quality of life when you’re going through cancer treatment.

“I want to further support my patients by doing what I would say is a fairly uncomfortable thing. It puts me out of my comfort zone, which patients do on a daily basis when they’re fighting cancer. It’s a way of showing my patients that I care at work and outside of work.”