Barber and Pharmacist Team Up to Lower Blood Pressure
Official title: Barber and Pharmacist Coordination to Improve Blood Pressure Management
Funded at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · NIH-11419723 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A community-based program where barbershops partner with pharmacists to help Black men lower their blood pressure in Los Angeles.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 19, 2014 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,975,305 |
| NIH project number | 4R01MD019502-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11419723 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Non-Hispanic Black men who participate in barbershop-based health programs and have hypertension or elevated BP.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals outside the barbershop program, non-high-risk BP, or those unwilling to engage with pharmacists in community settings may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project builds on a successful barbershop-based BP program that cut SBP by about 22 mmHg at 6 months. It now aims to see if these gains last over time and how to make the program cheaper and easier to run in many barbershops. The team will use the existing LABBPS cohort to track long-term BP outcomes and adverse events, while testing a streamlined delivery model that reduces pharmacist travel and clinic visits. The goal is to keep patients healthier with a scalable approach that fits real-world communities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could produce sustained BP reductions in high-risk groups with a scalable, community-based model.
How similar studies have gone: Previous LABBPS showed large BP reductions, supporting the potential for longer-term benefits with maintained, scalable delivery.
Where this research is happening
-
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Albert, Christine M — Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Albert, Christine M
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.