Doing IT for Ourselves: Black Women, Salons & the Science of Health Equity — Episode 4
Fri Dec 05 2025
In this season finale, host Niasha Fray, MA, MSPH returns with Dr. Schenita D. Randolph, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN and Dr. Ragan Johnson, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC — the Nurse Scientists leading the HEEAT Research Lab at Duke University School of Nursing. Together, they explore how Black women, beauty salons, and community-rooted partnerships are transforming nursing science and advancing sexual health equity across North Carolina.
⭐ Top 3 Topics We Explore in This Episode
1. The Power of Beauty Salons in Community-Centered Nursing Science
Why salons remain trusted places for connection, truth-telling, and health conversations — and how the HEEAT Lab partners with stylists without adding burden, extracting labor, or disrupting culture.
2. UPDOs Protective Styles: A Culturally Grounded HIV Prevention Model for Black Women
How this community-informed intervention works, what stylists are already doing as advocates, the role of choice and autonomy, and how eligible NC salons can join the UPDOs study.
3. Freedom, Trust & Doing IT for Ourselves
A candid conversation about self-protection, sexual health freedom, and why Black women deserve access to tools and information that don’t depend on someone else’s honesty, disclosure, or behavior.
🔗 Learn More or Get Involved
HEEAT Lab https://www.theheeatlab.org
UPDOs Protective Styles Study Now enrolling high-volume, well-established salons in: Cumberland, Wake, Durham, Guilford, Forsyth, and Mecklenburg counties https://www.theheeatlab.org/updos 📧 updos@duke.edu
📣 Partner With Us in 2026
Season 5 arrives next year — with new guests, new conversations, and opportunities for business owners, organizations, and mission-aligned leaders to sponsor a series or co-create impact.
📧 niashafrayconsultingllc@gmail.com
More
In this season finale, host Niasha Fray, MA, MSPH returns with Dr. Schenita D. Randolph, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN and Dr. Ragan Johnson, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC — the Nurse Scientists leading the HEEAT Research Lab at Duke University School of Nursing. Together, they explore how Black women, beauty salons, and community-rooted partnerships are transforming nursing science and advancing sexual health equity across North Carolina. ⭐ Top 3 Topics We Explore in This Episode 1. The Power of Beauty Salons in Community-Centered Nursing Science Why salons remain trusted places for connection, truth-telling, and health conversations — and how the HEEAT Lab partners with stylists without adding burden, extracting labor, or disrupting culture. 2. UPDOs Protective Styles: A Culturally Grounded HIV Prevention Model for Black Women How this community-informed intervention works, what stylists are already doing as advocates, the role of choice and autonomy, and how eligible NC salons can join the UPDOs study. 3. Freedom, Trust & Doing IT for Ourselves A candid conversation about self-protection, sexual health freedom, and why Black women deserve access to tools and information that don’t depend on someone else’s honesty, disclosure, or behavior. 🔗 Learn More or Get Involved HEEAT Lab https://www.theheeatlab.org UPDOs Protective Styles Study Now enrolling high-volume, well-established salons in: Cumberland, Wake, Durham, Guilford, Forsyth, and Mecklenburg counties https://www.theheeatlab.org/updos 📧 updos@duke.edu 📣 Partner With Us in 2026 Season 5 arrives next year — with new guests, new conversations, and opportunities for business owners, organizations, and mission-aligned leaders to sponsor a series or co-create impact. 📧 niashafrayconsultingllc@gmail.com