Inclusive Hair, Inclusive Care Project Receives Back to Bedside Grant

Since its conception in 2024, the Inclusive Hair, Inclusive Care project has sought to provide a more diverse range of hair and skin care products for hospital patients.

The project earned an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Back to Bedside grant in 2024 and was one of 23 open innovation projects that were awarded funding nationwide.

Brittney Bruno, MD, a fourth-year obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) resident at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, took the reins as one of the co-leads for the project. 

“All of our results have shown that, yes, patients do care, do feel valued, do feel seen and do feel that they can take care of themselves when products are offered that fit their needs,” Dr. Bruno said. “It's not just good for the patients but translates to benefits for the hospital as well. The project also shows that offering these products influences where patients would seek care in the future and if they would recommend this hospital to others.”

The Inclusive Hair, Inclusive Care kits include sulfate-free shampoo, a wide-tooth comb, satin hair bonnet, conditioning spray and moisturizing cream — products that are designed for people with a diverse range of curl patterns and textures.

In preparation for the ACGME Annual Education Conference in February 2026 at San Diego, the team recorded a Shark Tank-style video pitch to explain to the committee why the Inclusive Hair Inclusive Care grant is necessary for patient care.

Tara Ghalambor, MD, a preliminary internal medicine resident at the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix and a Class of 2025 alumna, joined the project’s team and aided with writing the script for the video pitch.

“It feels so great to see that a project that is resident-led can be created and actually enact change in the hospital setting, where it’s so easy to feel defeated,” Ghalambor said. “It is nice that we actually have something tangible and knowing we can make a difference if we come together and find the resources.”

As a result of the video submission and poster presentation, the Inclusive Hair, Inclusive Care project won the Back to Bedside Grant Shark Tank Competition at the ACGME Annual Education Conference.

“The whole purpose of this grant is to bring people back to bedside and to bring medicine back to the person that you’re taking care of and put personhood front and center,” Dr. Bruno said.

The team involved with Inclusive Hair, Inclusive Care had a multi-disciplinary approach to the project. Some are involved in OB/GYN, others with family medicine or internal medicine. Additionally, the project also has nurses and a medical student.

“It was a unique benefit. The beauty of it was to see the problem from multiple places and work in all these different spaces,” Dr. Bruno said. “It allowed us to be more successful because we had people in so many facets of medicine.”

The journey to reach this success involved much work, research and trial runs for the concept.

In November 2024, the project was submitted to an Institutional Review Board for ethical review and approval. The following January, the project started with a focus group with veterans at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

After the team was awarded the grant, it was broken down into three components: a needs assessment, a value system to determine the importance of the kits for patient care and distribution the kits into the hospital.

Starting September 2025, the team behind Inclusive Hair, Inclusive Care issued kits on the Antepartum and Medical Oncology floor and collected patient surveys.

Vy Bui, a first-year medical student at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, said working on the project was an amazing opportunity for her to see how physicians can improve the patient experience from a behind-the-scenes perspective.

“We provided resident seminars to ensure that the residents are aware of the importance of hair on the patient identity and how a little action of providing an inclusive hair kit could help show in the care to the patient,” Bui said. “Those seminars provide us with valuable information and motivated us to make this happen.”

Isaiah Herrera, MD, a third-year internal medicine resident and member of the Inclusive Hair, Inclusive Care project, felt that being a part of it provided a meaningful experience for him as a physician.

“This project has allowed me to feel more connected to the patients I serve,” Dr. Herrera said. “It has been a rewarding experience to improve the health care environment for patients who have felt ignored by the health care system in the past.”

Chisom Okuagu, DO, a third-year family medicine resident and a co-lead for the Inclusive Hair, Inclusive Care project, stated that the project has made her feel inspired and reminded her that patients care needs to be provided holistically.

“I feel like this project broadened the concept of quality improvement and honestly gave me another reason to appreciate initiatives that help better patients’ lives,” Dr. Okuagu said.