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Partnership

Partnerships and $15M Grant to Improve Health and Wellbeing in Hawaii

November 15, 2021 by University Communications & Marketing

Research has shown Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos and other medically underserved populations in Hawaii have disproportionately higher rates of physical ailments and mental health conditions. And the pandemic has only exacerbated those issues — and spotlighted a lack of community resources.

Addressing these health disparities will require everyone’s help.

That’s exactly the idea behind the newly-formed Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge and Opportunities (PIKO) — an innovative collaboration of Hawaii universities, including Chaminade, and organizations that will support critical areas of study and seek to turn research into positive change.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded the University of Hawaii PIKO a five-year, $15 million grant in which Chaminade University is a partner of the initiative. The funds will be distributed to researchers, especially those at the beginning of their careers, but will also go to professional development opportunities, outreach programming, and other opportunities.

The PIKO partnership includes the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Chaminade University and Hawaii Pacific University — along with the statewide network of organizations. PIKO is led by two UH professors: Dr. Joseph Keaweaimoku Kaholokula, who is chair of Native Hawaiian Health, and Dr. Neal Palafox, whose focus at the John A. Burns School of Medicine includes community health.

Kaholokula said PIKO is focused on improving the health and wellbeing of Hawaii’s people and supporting new research. “This is an unprecedented partnership and initiative in Hawaii to support talented junior researchers in doing culturally responsive and community-engaged research,” he said.

Faculty from Chaminade University who are part of this PIKO project include:

  • Dr. Jonathan Baker, assistant professor of Biology, who is one of the leads for tracking and evaluating the grant,
  • Dr. Rylan Chong, assistant professor of Data Science, who is the data science lead for the biostatistics, epidemiology and research design core, and
  • Dr. Claire Wright, an associate professor of Biology at Chaminade, is the lead who oversees the grant distribution and broadening the center’s reach.

Dr. Claire Wright said the pandemic has magnified the impacts of health disparities on underserved communities and underscored the need for action-oriented research.

“With this grant, we really wanted to focus on where the rubber meets the road,” she said.

In particular, the center and its partnering institutions will be working to recruit and fund more emerging researchers who come from the communities they hope to serve — and give them support along the way. There is also a strong emphasis on engaging community members, Wright said, by partnering with them for research projects and then communicating the results.

She added the center’s goals and the overall grant align with Chaminade’s mission to help build stronger, more resilient communities and to support projects that pursue social justice, peace and equity. “There is a lot of positive impacts you can make in this type of research,” Wright said.  

Funding for the first year of the grant is already rolling out, and projects for year two are being sought.

Wright said a call for abstracts is set for December.

She added that she’s optimistic about the positive impact the collaboration is poised to bring about and excited about the prospect of helping to develop more researchers—across a variety of disciplines—who are focused on addressing health disparities. Those researchers will in turn serve as mentors.

“At Chaminade, we have a close relationship with our students,” Wright said. “To be able to show more faculty entrenched in this kind of research, showing their students how they can help with their community, that’s a massive win for Chaminade and for changing their perspectives.”

Filed Under: Campus and Community, Diversity and Inclusion, Featured Story, Innovation, Natural Sciences & Mathematics Tagged With: Partnership

Teacher Candidates Explore Hawaii Military History Through Partnership with Pacific Aviation Museum

November 3, 2017 by University Communications & Marketing

Under a new partnership, the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is helping preservice teachers at Chaminade University gain a greater understanding of Hawaii’s military history so they can share this knowledge with students.

The future teachers are accessing the museum’s non-formal education resources that will eventually reinforce and expand formal classroom instruction in local schools. This includes materials from museum STEM camps, which integrate science and history for children as they explore aviation topics such as weather and atmosphere, flight planning and flight physiology.

The preservice teachers are also gathering information by visiting other Pearl Harbor historic sites, including the USS Arizona Memorial, Battleship Missouri Memorial and USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park.

The museum intends to use this partnership with Chaminade’s Division of Education as a springboard for outreach activities involving teachers statewide.

Working with the museum and other historic sites benefits teacher candidates in multiple ways, according to Chaminade Assistant Professor of Education Katrina Roseler, Ph.D.

“First and foremost, their final products for the Pacific Aviation Museum are a performance assessment demonstrating the integration of their three years of education coursework,” Dr. Roseler said.

The museum’s outreach to Chaminade is also beneficial, Dr. Roseler said, because it “models the types of relationships teachers should expect from their local educational resources.”

“This partnership demonstrates that teachers have resources available to them beyond their classroom and school,” Dr. Roseler said, “that can and should be leveraged to the benefit of K-12 students.”

Located on Ford Island, the nonprofit Pacific Aviation Museum is housed in two historic seaplane hangars that survived the attack on December 7, 1941, by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The museum features an extensive collection of warplanes and helicopters, including an iconic B-17E “Flying Fortress” heavy bomber from World War II.

Chaminade’s Division of Education offers bachelor’s degrees in early childhood, elementary and secondary education, and master’s degrees in teaching and education.

Cover Image courtesy of Pacific Aviation Museum

Filed Under: Campus and Community, Education Tagged With: Partnership

Chaminade Partnering with Kamehameha Schools, UH at New Learning Space & Educational Incubator

September 8, 2017 by University Communications & Marketing

Kamehameha Schools is partnering with Chaminade University and the University of Hawaii to help high school students prepare for college and careers through Hālau ʻĪnana, a new collaborative learning space and educational incubator in Mōʻiliʻili.

Hālau ʻĪnana gives high school students access to creative, culturally-grounded, interdisciplinary collaboration with university researchers, mentors and industry experts. Programs focus on Native Hawaiian leadership development, social entrepreneurship and innovation

“The educational programs and services offered at the newly formed innovation hub aim to create new interactions, collisions and engagement which allow our learners and educators to tap into their innate creativity and ingenuity,” said Stacy Clayton, executive strategy consultant for Kamehameha Schools.

Dr. Helen Turner, Dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Among the speakers at the center’s August 24 blessing and grand opening was Dr. Helen Turner, Chaminade Dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. A biology professor and internationally-regarded cellular immunology researcher, Dr. Turner is Chaminade’s inaugural Vice President for Innovation. She also serves on Hālau ʻĪnana’s steering committee.

Also representing Chaminade at the event were: President Lynn Babington, faculty member and Hālau ʻĪnana Data Scientist in Residence Dr. Mark Speck, Biology lecturer Dr. Chrystie Naeole and STEM Cultural Engagement Specialist Kahoalii Keahi-Wood.

In addition, Chaminade’s “I Am a Scientist” educational outreach team gave demonstrations regarding the scientific aspects of a traditional Hawaiian diet.

Located next to the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii at 2438 South Beretania St., Hālau ʻĪnana features flexible spaces for public and private events, programs and meetings. For information, visit halauinana.com or call (808) 534-8297.

Filed Under: Campus and Community, Natural Sciences & Mathematics Tagged With: Partnership

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