Barbershop Talk Heads to Fayetteville on March 7 Program Includes Appearance by Former Razorback Darren McFadden
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Barbershop Talk team will be in Northwest Arkansas this month to present its free “Real Talk. Real Health. Real Legend.” men’s health forum.
This community program will take place at noon Saturday, March 7, at Theatre Squared, 477 W. Spring St., in Fayetteville. A free lunch is available for everyone in attendance.
“We’re excited about our event,” said Camille Hart, the research program director for Barbershop Talk. “It’s good to take our information to Northwest Arkansas to reach people in an area we haven’t made it to yet, especially with Barbershop Talk being a statewide health initiative.”
Barbershop Talk, a project of the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, aims to improve men’s health. The study launched in August 2023 and is currently in 60 Arkansas barbershops spanning 15 counties with over 600 participants.
During the forum, Tiffany Haynes, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Public Health, will lead a one-on-one Q&A session with Darren McFadden, former National Football League running back.
McFadden, an Arkansas Razorback who was a two-time finalist for the Heisman Trophy, will speak about his path to overcoming alcohol abuse. McFadden, who began drinking at the age of 15, has been sober for more than two years.
Additionally, a short film about Barbershop Talk will be shown. Also, attendees will get the chance to hear the baseline findings of the project.
“We’re bringing the Barbershop Talk study results back to the community, and that’s important,” Hart said. “We’re sharing what we learned about men’s health and unhealthy drinking — and what we can do collectively to address the situation.”
The “Real Talk. Real Health. Real Legend.” forum is a byproduct of the success of Barbershop Talk. Fayetteville city councilman D’Andre Jones heard about the study in late 2025 and invited the team to Fayetteville to present info from the study to promote men’s health in his area of the state.
“Before the event, we’re going to into a Northwest Arkansas barbershop and talk to people about reducing their drinking,” Hart said.
“We encourage the residents of Northwest Arkansas to attend and learn about a program that benefits men,” she said. “We’ll present the info in a way that’s fun, engaging and worth their time.”
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,553 students and 1,015 medical residents and fellows. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###