UC San Diego School of Medicine
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives
Gold
According to the American Heart Association, 55% of Black adults in the U.S. have hypertension. NIH-funded studies show that barber shops are a great venue to enhance hypertension education. As such, UC San Diego School of Medicine’s student-led Fade Hypertension group offers free blood pressure screenings and health education at Black-owned barbershops and community events throughout San Diego.
“For communities with limited access or infrequent engagement with the health care system, this is an opportunity to identify individuals at risk for hypertension and to promote cardiovascular health education,” said Maria Rosario (Happy) Araneta, PhD, MPH, associate dean of diversity and community partnerships.
According to Freshly Faded Barber + Shop owner Derrick Banks, barbershops are a safe place where men are likely to be vulnerable. “It was a no brainer to bring in young (future) physicians and doctors, people of color, to come in and do these health screenings,” he said.
The School of Medicine created a “news package,” consisting of a feature story on the UC San Diego news website and a short-form video for social media in February 2024 to highlight Fade Hypertension’s efforts. The story resulted in local media coverage and new outreach opportunities for the student group.
What was the most impactful part of your entry?
The feature story, “More than a Haircut” successfully raised awareness and expanded the impact of Fade Hypertension, a medical student-led outreach program designed to address health disparities in cardiovascular disease. The story was published on the university’s primary news website, UC San Diego Today, and was featured in the weekly campus newsletter, with a distribution list of more than 125,000 students, faculty, staff and external community members. The news story received 1,729 visits on the UC San Diego Today website through July 31, 2024, representing a 107% increase compared to the average number of School of Medicine news story hits on the news site from August 1, 2023 – July 31, 2024.
What challenge did you overcome?
The team faced some challenges gaining the trust of community members to share their stories and experiences with blood pressure screenings, as it is a personal health topic. Scheduling conflicts were also challenging since outreach activities are typically held on Saturday mornings during the shop’s busy hours. However, these issues were overcome with ample planning and explaining the purpose and goals of the news story shedding light on this community work.
Contact:
Stephanie Healey
s2healey@ucsd.edu