{"id":230962,"date":"2026-03-19T14:47:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T00:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=230962"},"modified":"2026-03-19T15:05:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T01:05:27","slug":"public-health-hoike-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/19\/public-health-hoike-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Public health students tackle pressing health challenges with community support"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"students
PH 623 students make their final presentations on their research projects.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Graduate students in the Department of Public Health Sciences<\/a> (DPHS<\/abbr>) at the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa enrolled in PH<\/abbr> 623: Health Promotion Theory and Methods<\/a> are helping tackle some of Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s most pressing health challenges, including issues related to maternal health, cultural responsiveness in data collection and fall prevention. Their community-engaged research was recently highlighted at the department\u2019s annual Hōʻike<\/span> (exhibit) in December.<\/p>\n

\"students
Public health students partner with MALAMA Aquaponics on their research project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Modeled after a professional academic conference, the Hōʻike<\/span>, now in its 10th year, highlights student projects developed through partnerships with community organizations. Students work in teams to translate health promotion theory into practice\u2014building relationships, conducting interviews, analyzing qualitative data and sharing findings grounded in community perspectives.<\/p>\n

Guided by faculty Jane Chung-Do and David Stupplebeen, students collaborate directly with local partners to address pressing public health priorities.<\/p>\n

“Student projects like these help connect students with the community, provide meaningful contributions to the work of community-based organizations, and help perpetuate the vision and mission of the Department of Public Health Sciences,” said Stupplebeen.<\/p>\n

Partnerships that make an impact<\/h2>\n

The community partners of the Fall 2025 semester included MALAMA Aquaponics<\/a>, Hawaiʻi<\/span> Health & Harm Reduction Center<\/a>, Papa Ola L\u014dkahi<\/a>, Hawaiʻi Fall Prevention Alliance<\/span><\/a> and HMSA<\/abbr><\/a>. Student projects examined a wide range of topics from factors related to delayed prenatal care among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women to coalition engagement in fall prevention efforts and expanding training pathways for Native Hawaiian healthcare practitioners.<\/p>\n

For many students, the Hōʻike<\/span> marked their first formal research presentation, strengthening skills in collaboration, analysis and professional dissemination.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

“Having the opportunity to work so closely with a community of practice allowed me to uplift their values during this project, all while reflecting on my own position as a researcher,” said Shanda Shamela Delos Reyes, a graduate student in the course. “The hōʻike<\/span> itself was a practice of reciprocation, allowing us to share the community’s data back to them.”<\/p>\n

“This invaluable learning opportunity is made possible by the dedication of our community partners. We are deeply grateful for their tireless service to Hawaiʻi<\/span> and for welcoming our students into their vital work,” said Chung-Do.<\/p>\n

“The students approached the project with diligence and professionalism, and delivered valuable data that will guide us in designing and implementing effective interventions for our members and the broader community,” said Lucie Tam, clinical coordinator, Quality & Performance Improvement, Quality Management at HMSA<\/abbr>. “We look forward to partnering again on future initiatives!”<\/p>\n

The Hōʻike<\/span> reflects DPHS<\/abbr>\u2019 continued commitment to experiential learning, community engagement and advancing health equity statewide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The annual Hōʻike<\/span> highlights student research developed through community partnership<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":230966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[1466,1465,242,241,449,596,9],"class_list":["post-230962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-manoa-native-hawaiian-place-of-learning","tag-native-hawaiian-health","tag-public-health","tag-public-health-sciences","tag-myron-b-thompson-school-of-social-work","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/manoa-public-health-hoike-2025-group1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230962"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230990,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230962\/revisions\/230990"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}