Since medical school, Joseph E. Ravenell, MD, associate professor in the Departments of Population Health and Medicine, has been working to address the health disparities that affect communities of color, and in particular, the Black community.

By partnering with barbershops, Dr. Ravenell engages with Black men to raise awareness about hypertension (with the Department of Population Health) and colorectal cancer (with the Department of Population Health and NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center). Dr. Ravenell also co-directs the Beatrice W. Welters Breast Health Outreach and Navigation Program, which engages with Black women to raise awareness about breast cancer.

Dr. Ravenell and David Brown, a peer advocate in the Division of Comparative Effectiveness and Decision Science who works with Dr. Ravenell on the barbershop outreach program, talk about their work to improve cancer health equity in the Black community with Cancer Support Community’s Frankly Speaking About Cancer podcast.

“I learned that barbers are phenomenally talented people who know how to connect with people and how to get their customers to really get involved in their health. They are incredible allies and trusted key opinion leaders,” says Dr. Ravenell, who is co-leader of Perlmutter Cancer Center’s Community Outreach and Engagement Program. “Whenever we’re talking about health equity for any community, I think finding those trusted leaders in whatever community you are talking about is the key to us starting to achieve equity.”

Listen to Dr. Ravenell’s entire interview with Cancer Support Community’s Frankly Speaking About Cancer.