Our team and advisory board
- Leads
- Advisory Board / Steering Committee
- Collaborators
- Leah Grout
- Sunnu Rebecca Choi
- Rebeka Rodericks
- Simone Schmid
- Daniel Heil
- Esme Yokooji
- Robin Buchthal
- Michael Phillips
- Mika Thompson
- Lance Ching
- Carrie Soo Hoo
- Saikaew Dudla
- Lauryn Hansen
- Stacy Haumea
- Kara Saiki
- Dora Carolo
- Tonya Lowery St. John
- Jenna Funakoshi
- Yan Yan Wu
- Benjamin Inamine
- Deborah Taira
- Jennifer van Alstyne
Leads
Tetine Sentell
Project CONVENER
Tetine Sentell is an internationally recognized health equity scholar and health services researcher. She’s a Professor of Public Health at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the Chin Sik & Hyun Sook Chung Endowed Chair in Public Health Studies.
Dr. Sentell brings 25+ years experience understanding and addressing health inequities. She wants to better understand and address these problems at the individual, family, and community-level with a strengths-based perspective. Dr. Sentell has executive and managerial leadership in academic units, programs, and extramurally-funded projects. She also has extensive experience supervising multidisciplinary teams in local, national, and global collaborations and innovative academic programming with cross-disciplinary community, clinical, and academic partners.
Dr. Sentell loves to hike, swim, and enjoy the outdoors with family and friends. She walked the Camino de Santiago in 2023.
Kaimuki, Hawaiʻi
Mele Look
Project Steering Committee Lead
Mele Look has worked as a health researcher, community advocate, and health administrator for over 45 years. She was the first Director of Community Engagement at the Department of Native Hawaiian Health, University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine and presently serves as a Senior Advisor on select initiatives. At the Department, Ms. Look founded and facilitates the Ulu Network, a cardiometabolic health community coalition which has grown to 41 community-based organizations with over 80 sites that serve Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Peoples across Hawai‘i and the Continental U.S. She received her Master’s in Business Administration from University of California, Berkeley. Her research includes pioneering studies in the area of Native Hawaiian mortality and recently has been focusing on initiatives that merge cultural practices and health objectives. She is a cultural practitioner in the Native Hawaiian dance of hula and has completed the ‘uniki ‘ai lolo graduation as an ‘olapa (accomplished dancer) with Hālau Mōhala ‘Ilima a renown cultural and creative arts academy.
Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi
Catherine Pirkle
PROJECT SENIOR SCIENTIST
Trained in both life-course and environmental epidemiology, I have worked for two decades in the field of women’s health. I have extensively researched pivotal reproductive health milestones across the life-course—age at first birth, lifetime childbirths, age and type of menopause—and their associations with the disablement process, especially mobility disability. My research in women’s health has involved numerous multi-country collaborations across the globe and in particular in low-income and rural communities. In the field of environmental epidemiology, I am particularly passionate about examining how marine environments affect human health, both positively and negatively. I specialize in the study of marine contaminants in fish and seafood as related to food security and nutrition. I am particularly interested in examining how overfishing, pollution, and climate change impact the health of coastal and island peoples. My work in this field has spanned from the Canadian Arctic to Oceania. In June 2023, I became the Scientific Director of the Red Hill Registry which is tracking the long-term health effects associated with the 2021 jet fuel spill at Red Hill in Hawaiʻi. The jet fuel is estimated to have contaminated the drinking water of over 90,000 people. I love outdoor activities including hiking, kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. I also regularly practice Pilates and take spin classes. However, nothing is more enjoyable than taking a walk on the beach with my daughter.
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Lola Irvin
Project STEERING Committee Member
Lola Irvin is the Administrator of the Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division (CDPHPD), in the Hawaii State Department of Health (HDOH). She has been with the HDOH since 2005, and with her diverse and talented team works on policy, systems, and environmental change strategies to advance the quality years of life for all people in Hawaii. Collectively, with community partners, the CDPHPD envisions healthy choices being the easy choice wherever people live, learn, work, and play. Work that brings forward quality of life, social justice, compassion, relationship building and understanding is invigorating. Refueling and refreshing means daily brisk walks, and on weekends digging and pruning about the garden.
Kailua, Oahu
Advisory Board / Steering Committee
David Anning
Dave Anning is a Senior Consulting Economist with Integral Consulting Inc, with expertise in the management of coastal and marine environments. He has more than 15 years of experience in consulting, and additional experience across academia, government research support, and as a board member of a coastal non-government organization. His work addresses topics such as climate vulnerability and adaptation, coastal resilience, offshore wind and marine renewable energy, natural resource damage assessment, and environmental and social impact assessment. Dave’s education includes a Bachelor of Science majoring in Marine Biology and Anatomy, a Master of Environmental Management with a major in Environmental Tourism, a Graduate Diploma of Economics, and a Ph.D. in Geography, focused on the economics of coastal management. Dave is originally from Australia, and enjoys surfing, fishing, kayaking, cycling and snowboarding.
Alban Ylli
Alban Ylli is a public health doctor, working for Tirana University of Medicine and Institute of Public Health (IPH) of Albania. I have studied medicine and public health in Tirana, Rome, Geneva and Oxford. I have been deputy director and director of IPH and now teach non-communicable disease control (NCD), health policies/planning and geriatrics at Faculty of Medicine in Tirana. I also run a department of NCD control at IPH. I am involved in several national and international organizations, networks, coalitions with focus on public health. My hobbies include history, urban development and old books. I used to play amateurish basketball with my friends in XXth century, but not anymore in the new millennium. Now, I enjoy walking, jogging and hiking, when I can. I also can enjoy some swimming but only in summer. I try to keep myself fit by doing other exercises, like 30 seconds x 10 times mixed vigorous jumps etc., but not in summer months when it is too hot. Although I am not a good dancer, I enjoy dancing in private parties or public festivals. I may also enjoy gardening but this is a rare opportunity.
Tirana, Albania
Saionara Câmara
Dr. Saionara Câmara, PT, PhD, has been a professor of Physical Therapy at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, since 2015. She mentors master’s and doctoral students in the Physical Therapy and Collective Health graduate programs. Her expertise lies in the epidemiology of aging, as well as life-course epidemiology and women’s health. Over the years, she has collaborated with researchers from various countries and institutions on international research projects. Her research focuses on the effects of early-life exposures and socio-economic and cultural factors on physical function, disability, and chronic conditions in aging populations across diverse contexts, with a particular emphasis on low-income communities in Northeast Brazil. A lifelong advocate for exercise, Dr. Câmara practiced rhythmic gymnastics during her childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, earning approximately 30 medals in various regional championships. Currently, she maintains an active lifestyle through weight training, contemporary dance, and occasional running.
Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi
Halaevalu Vakalahi, MSW, PhD is a Pacific Islander woman, born in Tonga and raised in Hawai’i. She is the President and CEO of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Prior to joining CSWE, she was a Professor and Dean of the College of Health and Society, an interdisciplinary college, at Hawai’i Pacific University (HPU). Prior to HPU, she was a tenured full-Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Social Work at Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD); Associate Professor and MSW Program Director at George Mason University (Fairfax, VA); Lecturer and BSW Coordinator at San Francisco State University (San Francisco, CA); Assistant Professor and Department Chair at BYU-Hawai’i (La’ie, Hawai’i); and Assistant Professor at New Mexico State University (Las Cruces, NM). She earned a BS in Business Management from BYU-Hawai’i, MSW from University of Hawai’i-Manoa, and MEd and PhD in Social Work from University of Utah. Dr. Vakalahi has been privileged to serve in various professional organizations across disciplines and in communities in which she has lived and worked. Her areas of teaching include social policy, human behavior and the social work environment, and organizational leadership. Her two areas of research/scholarship are Pacific Islander culture/community and Women of Color in academia, in which she has contributed extensively to the existing literature through peer-reviewed articles, chapters, books, references, and other mediums. She is a proud alum of the CSWE Minority Fellowship Program, a Fulbright Senior Scholar, a Hartford Faculty Scholar, recipient of the CSWE Feminist Scholar award, and the Morgan State University Iva G Jones award. Among many things, Dr. Vakalahi is deeply committed to the futures and advancement of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, which, in essence, has been shaped by extraordinary people and places that have invested in her. For that, she is eternally grateful.
Momi Tolentino
Momi Tolentino is the Project Director and Native Hawaiian ambassador for Next Gen Hawaiʻi, a social media initiative sharing health information in relevant, timely, and trendy ways that reach youth and young adults. The initiative focuses on providing information for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipino communities in ways that are culturally-mindful and appropriate. Momi also works at Papa Ola Lōkahi where she is a Communications and Community Relations Specialist in Native Hawaiian Health. Ms Tolentino was born in Kailua-Kona, raised in O’ahu and Hawai’i Island, and currently resides on the island of Oʻahu in the ahupuaʻa of Ka’a’awa. She is a graduate of the class of 2016 Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, and the class of 2020 from Dartmouth College, where she graduated with a BA in Sociology modified with Anthropology.
Landon Opunui
Dr. Landon Opunui holds key roles at Nā Puʻuwai Native Hawaiian Health Care System, serving as Executive Director, Medical Director, and Naturopathic Physician, where he blends traditional Hawaiian health views with modern medical practice. His team has pioneered the development of a Native Hawaiian Integrative Health Center, which offers culturally responsive healthcare services and education to the rural communities of Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. Dr. Opunui is passionately dedicated to blending traditional and modern healthcare approaches to enhance access and improve outcomes through his roles in clinical practice, executive leadership, non-profit service, and community advocacy. Dr. Opunui is an advocate for health, wellbeing and cultural empowerment in his personal life as well. His wife and two sons live in a humble yurt they built in the forest of Mahinui. An avid and competitive outrigger paddler, Dr. Opunui finds solace in the ocean, balancing his professional and personal responsibilities with his passion for the sea.
Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu
Hariata Tai Rakena
Hariata Tai Rakena, PhD is a Māori public health practitioner and scholar from the Ngāti Hauā and Ngāti Māhanga tribes of Waikato Tainui. She is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health. As a Fulbright New Zealand scholar, she has over a decade of experience in the international Indigenous public health sector in Aotearoa, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and the United States. Hariata has a rich and varied academic training pathway that synergistically informs her public health praxis. From Māori language proficiency and revitalization, to Indigenous studies, to physical health education pedagogy, sport and exercise science, and most recently, social behavioral approaches to public health. As such, most of Hariata’s public health work prior to her doctorate centered on health promotion for obesity-related disease prevention with Indigenous populations, in cardiovascular disease and type-two diabetes. Hariata’s research employs strengths-based aproaches to cultural revitalization with Indigenous communities. Her doctoral dissertation focused on joy as a protective health outcome activated via cultural immersion with an Ojibwe youth camp. She currently leads a project in partnership with an Indigenous community where they are reclaiming their traditional lifeways via canoe paddling as a physical activity practice, along with cultural teachings, and land-based education. Hariata loves all kinds of movement, but is happiest dancing to a beat or engaging in outdoor activites like surfing and running. She has many practices from kapahaka (traditional Māori perfroming arts), to competitive CrossFit, and polynesian ancestral games that go through cycles of fluctuating interest depending on where she lives. Currently based in Baltimore, she finds running, yoga and CrossFit her most consistent forms.
Baltimore, Maryland
Collaborators
Leah Grout
Leah Grout is a Research Data Analyst and Associate Research Professor with the Clinical and Health Services Research Department at Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU). She holds a PhD in public health from Otago University in New Zealand and an MPH with a concentration in global health from Tufts University.
Dr. Grout has 7+of research experience across a broad array of public health topics, ranging from environmental health to epidemiology and the primary prevention of chronic diseases. She also has extensive public policy experience. Dr. Grout currently lives in Vermont, where she enjoys trail running, paddle sports, and skiing. As an athlete, it is perhaps unsurprising that one of her research passions is physical activity across the lifespan.
Sunnu Rebecca Choi
Illustrator
Sunnu Rebecca Choi is an award-winning Korean/Canadian illustrator and printmaker based in London, UK. She specialises in visual narratives, including editorials and books for children to adults. Sunnu received a BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design in NY and an MA in illustration from Kingston University in London.
Her work has won or been shortlisted for multiple awards, including the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and World Illustration Awards. Her works were selected to be exhibited at various exhibitions, including the Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers Gallery.
Rebeka Rodericks
Becky Rodericks has worked as a Junior Specialist research faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Office of Public Health Studies since 2010. She serves as a lead investigator or project director for several research and evaluation projects including the Hawai’i Health Data Warehouse, the Healthy Hawaiʻi Evaluation Team, and the Hawaiʻi Public Health Workforce Catalyst Lab, where she has collaborated closely with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (HDOH). Her research interests have focused primarily on evaluating programs that promote physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco-free lifestyles, where she hopes to help reduce chronic disease-related health disparities. She also enjoys engaging in research around active living, the built environment, and a variety of school health topics. In her spare time, she loves traveling and spending time outdoors, especially hiking, playing tennis, and riding her bike.
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Simone Schmid
Simone M. Schmid, Post-doctoral Researcher, received her PhD in public health from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 2021, and joined the team in 2022. She has professional public health experience in the areas of health policy, research, evaluation, development cooperation, and management. This experience was gained within the United Nations, State Department of Health, non-profit sector and academia in Hawai`i, England, Denmark, Germany, Singapore, and Australia. Her goal is to connect academia and health practitioners to design applicable, research-based, innovative solutions and policies addressing health behaviour, especially to improve health equity by supporting population groups who are marginalized to reach their full potential. Simone is particularly interested in community- based solutions, and culturally and regionally relevant physical activity for people with disabilities.
Kailua, Hawaiʻi
Daniel Heil
Daniel P. Heil is an applied Exercise Physiologist at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT (USA). Dr. Heil’s research focuses on determinants of human health, energy expenditure, and work performance during free-living, recreational, occupational, and sport-related activities. As such, his research often includes the use of wearable electronic monitoring devices, novel analytical strategies, testing of new types of sport and military equipment, testing of health or performance enhancing nutrition supplements, as well as mathematical and statistical modelling as it relates to energy expenditure and physical performance. Several recent projects have focused on the development of unique strategies for improving health outcomes with via physical activity – e.g., energy expenditure assessment for culturally relevant activities (Polynesian dances; Filipina Tinikling; Ballroom dancing; outrigger canoeing); competitive walking football (i.e., soccer) in Southeast Asian middle-aged and older adults; improving physical activity habits in African American women. Many of Dr. Heil’s research interests are often inspired by his own personal interest and participation in a variety of sports that include triathlons, cross country skiing, open water swim racing, and taekwondo.
Esme Yokooji
Social Media Coordinator
Esme Yokooji is a graduate assistant with the Public Health Resonance Project and current student in the Masters of Public Health program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Esme’s specialization is in Native Hawaiian and Indigenous health. She is currently studying indigenous food systems and culturally relevant interventions for health. Esme splits her time between her work with the Public Health Resonance Project and an internship at Papahana Kuaola where she helps to steward the aina of Waipo, Heʻeia through the cultivation of Hawaiian varieties of kalo. Esme’s favorite physical activities are climbing, fishing, and all things related to growing food. You are most likely to find her in your nearest fruiting tree or loʻi kalo.
Robin Buchthal
Hi! My name is Robin Buchthal, and I’m a master’s student at Boston University studying Data Science. I also hold a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, which helped spark my interest in using data to understand patterns and solve real-world problems. I grew up in Hawaii and trained as a competitive gymnast in Trampoline and Tumbling at Hawaii Academy. Starting young taught me discipline and a lifelong love for movement. These days, I’ve found that rock climbing fills that same need to stay active and challenged. It’s also been a great way to meet new people and stay connected through shared goals. Outside of sports, I’ve developed a growing interest in film photography. I use it as an excuse to get outdoors—especially for hiking trips—since I’m still learning to enjoy hiking. It’s been a fun way to combine creativity with movement. One thing I’ve always wanted to learn next is surfing—it feels like the perfect way to reconnect with my home back in Hawaii.
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi / Boston, Massachusetts
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips is a psychologist and motivation researcher. He is broadly interested in how motivational approaches can be used to promote health behavior change, as well as how data can inform and guide these strategies. He leads the Motivation for Change (m4c) Research Group in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where his research focuses on substance use prevention and intervention. Dr. Phillips’ work spans overdose surveillance, behavioral epidemiology, health disparities in substance use and overdose, and the development of mHealth and Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAI) for young adults targeting cannabis, alcohol, and nicotine use. He is committed to bridging research and practice by helping providers make data-informed decisions. Over his career, he has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on a number of federally and state-funded grants in health and education.
Outside of academia, Dr. Phillips is an avid outdoor enthusiast. He enjoys hiking with his partner and dog, beach walks, very short jogs, swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, and occasionally hitting the pickleball court, despite admitting his game needs a lot of work.
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi (Makiki)
Mika Thompson
Mika Thompson is a Public Health Epidemiologist with the Hawaiʻi Overdose Data to Action in States (OD2A-S) team in Honolulu, HI. Joining public health in 2018, he has had the opportunity to work on a wide range of research topics, most of which related to chronic disease epidemiology and substance use prevention. Mika is passionate about data analysis and uncovering actionable insights to improve the health and wellbeing of the community that raised him. His education includes a BSc in Psychology, MSc in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology, and a graduate certificate in Measurement and Statistics, all of which from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where he is now a PhD candidate in Epidemiology. He also has a strong appreciation for research centered on physical activity, especially as it relates to the people of Hawaiʻi. Some of his favorite physical activities include chasing his kids around various beaches and parks and taking his dog on long quiet walks.
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Lance Ching
Lance Ching is a dedicated public health leader focused on improving the health of all residents in Hawaii. He leads the Surveillance, Evaluation, and Epidemiology Office (SEEO) at the Hawaii State Department of Health (HDOH), overseeing critical investigations that inform strategies to tackle complex public health challenges. SEEO supports nine key public health programs, including tobacco prevention, physical activity and nutrition promotion, and diabetes management. Driven by a commitment to equity and social justice, Dr. Ching works to shape policies that promote better health outcomes for all communities. He holds a PhD in Pathobiology from the University of Washington School of Public Health and an MPH in Epidemiology from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Outside of work, Dr. Ching enjoys training at the gym and taking long walks.
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi (Kakaako)
Carrie Soo Hoo
Carrie Soo Hoo is a research associate with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Office of Public Health Studies, where she contributes to various research and evaluation projects. She earned her undergraduate degrees from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and recently completed a Master’s in Education at Victoria University of Wellington. Her research interests include well-being, education, and physical activity. Passionate about nature and movement, Carrie enjoys staying active in her free time. She loves exploring hiking trails, swimming in the ocean, and dancing with the different community dance groups she is a part of on the Big Island. These activities bring her joy and inspire her commitment to fostering healthier, more connected communities.
Hilo, Hawaiʻi
Saikaew Dudla
Saikaew Dudla is pursuing a PhD in Public Health at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her research interests include age-friendly communities, immigrant health, mental health, and program evaluation. Sai enjoys walking with her dog, hiking, and weightlifting.
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Lauryn Hansen
Lauryn Hansen is an MPH graduate and a 2024 Grau Fellow with Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, focusing on public health and environmental challenges in Hawaiʻi. Her work currently centers on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), prioritizing Hawaiʻi’s unique needs through collaboration with local communities and integration of global strategies. Lauryn’s efforts aim to safeguard ecosystems, enhance food and water security, and improve public awareness of CEC impacts. Her interdisciplinary background includes work with the Oceans and Human Health Initiative (OHHI) alongside Dr. Catherine Pirkle and Dr. Lorinda Riley. Through OHHI, Lauryn helped facilitate workshops engaging academics, government agencies, community leaders, and conservationists across Hawaiʻi to gather ʻike (knowledge) about the reciprocal relationships between people and ocean spaces. She contributed to developing a systems map that highlights these connections and conducted a gap analysis to align global approaches with Hawaiʻi’s needs. Lauryn has also done work to advocate for culturally grounded practices as a way to improve health inequities in Indigenous communities, including promoting spearfishing as a physical activity that simultaneously fosters meaningful connections to the ocean. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking and surfing.
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Stacy Haumea
Stacy Haumea is founder of Halau Mauli‘Ola Medical LLC, a Hawai‘i-based organization specializing in delivering comprehensive services led by Registered Dietitian Nutritionist professionals. The organization is dedicated to advancing preventive medicine, fostering community-driven sustainable nutrition and physical activity initiatives, and conducting Pacific Island-focused research in prenatal care, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity prevention. With over 25 years of experience, Stacy has served as a Nutrition Provider at Hawai‘i Island’s largest federally qualified health center, the Native Hawaiian Healthcare system Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi, and an educator at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and Hawai‘i Community College. Her professional philosophy emphasizes holistic well-being: “Be active, eat a variety of whole and plant-based foods in moderation, and balance sleep, hydration, and happiness.” Beyond her professional work, Stacy is deeply rooted in her culture and community. She is a wife, mother, Hawaiian outrigger canoe paddler, student of Hula for Health and T’ai Chi Chih, and a lifelong advocate for perpetuating ‘Poly-n-Asian’ cultural practices and lifestyles. Stacy is committed to serving others in alignment with Ke Akua’s purpose, volunteering in leadership roles with the Hawai‘i Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Island of Hawai‘i YMCA, and a Governor-appointed member of the Hawai‘i County Subarea Health Planning Council.
Island of Hawaiʻi
Kara Saiki
Kara Saiki been a project manager with the Healthy Hawai‘i Evaluation Team (HHET) since 2020. Currently, her evaluation research has been focused on chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and asthma among communities who are disproportionately affected by these diseases. She is also the principal investigator for three federal and state projects conducting statewide underage tobacco sale compliance checks ensuring that retail establishments are compliant with federal and state underage tobacco sale laws, in coordination with the Hawai‘i State Department of Health – Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division. Prior to her evaluator role, her research interest was primarily in physical activity among different populations ranging from Filipino elders to postpartum mothers. Her professional interest in physical activity and utilizing strategies like motivational interviewing, were complemented by her personal interest in health and fitness. Her journey as a runner started later in life, as she didn’t begin running regularly until she was 28 years old. Now she enjoys running weekly with her running group (aka her second family) and will run at least 1 marathon per year.
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi (Kaimuki)
Dora Carolo
Dora Carolo, MEd, was born and raised in a small coastal village of Lourinhã, Portugal. Naturally, the beach and the sea were her childhood playground, which powerfully shaped her life. She has been bodyboarding and longboarding for 24 years and has always loved open-water swimming. As a child, she only needed to be at sea, with or without a board. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science and a master’s in Physical Education (PE) Teaching in Lower and Upper Secondary Schools. Professionally, she has been involved in professional lifeguarding, emergency medical first response as a member of the Portuguese Red Cross, and professional training in water rescue and long-term development in sports. She still works in water safety and education/coaching, trying to unite three great passions: human movement, aquatic environments, and education. On an academic level, Dora integrated three international projects as Assistant Researcher, the European Physical Education Observatory – EuPEO, Physical Literacy for Life, and, more recently, the GoPE! – Global Observatory of Physical Education. Between 2017 and 2025, she trained PE teachers, sports coaches, and dance teacher candidates as an Assistant Lecturer at the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon. As a PhD candidate (FCT Scholarship 2021.06516.BD), her ongoing research looks at how our aquatic physical literacy development can contribute to drowning prevention and help us be active for life by enhancing Blue Physical Activity behaviors.
Lourinhã, Lisbon, Portugal
Tonya Lowery St. John
Tonya Lowery St. John is currently the Health Analytics and Informatics Office Administrator in the Med-QUEST Division at the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services. She has lived and worked in Hawaiʻi since 2003 and has held leadership positions at the Hawaiʻi Department of Health and the Hawaiʻi Health Data Warehouse at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her work has been focused on making high quality surveillance data accessible to researchers and the public to monitor population and community health. Tonya’s education includes a BA in Biology and Sociology from Rice University, an MPH with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Connecticut Health Science Center and aPhD in Epidemiology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She enjoys dancing hula with her church sisters, walking her dogs, practicing yoga and recently pilates, and traveling to see her friends and family.
Jenna Funakoshi
Jena Funakoshi was born and raised in Hawaiʻi and is currently a graduate student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is pursuing both a PhD in Public Health, Community-Based Translational Research and a Master of Public Health focusing on Social Behavioral Health Sciences. Jena’s research is centered on addressing health disparities in rural communities throughout Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, with a focus on physical activity, food insecurity, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. By collaborating closely with these communities, she is working to better understand the unique challenges that contribute to disease development in underrepresented areas and create culturally relevant, impactful solutions. Physical activities that she enjoys are hiking and lifting weights!
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Yan Yan Wu
I am a Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. My research primarily focuses on multilevel and longitudinal data analysis, as well as genetic epidemiology. I am passionate about applying advanced statistical methods to address public health challenges. In collaboration with interdisciplinary teams of public health professionals, I analyze complex health data to uncover patterns, identify key risk factors, and generate evidence-based insights that inform public health policy and practice.
Benjamin Inamine
Hi, I’m Benjamin Inamine. I am a second-year master’s of public health student specializing in epidemiology. My research interests include the impacts of cancer and cancer screening in Hawaiʻi. In my free time, I enjoy walking my dog, Chewy!
Pearl City, Hawaiʻi
Deborah Taira
I’m Deborah Taira, a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. I’m a health economist, with a background in public health. I enjoy several activites including running, pickle ball, swimming, and aikido.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Jennifer van Alstyne
Website Designer
Jennifer van Alstyne is a Peruvian-American poet and owner of The Academic Designer LLC. She helps professors and research groups have agency and be intentional online presence in ways that help more people.
Jennifer van Alstyne hosts The Social Academic blog, podcast, and YouTube channel with advice and interviews on managing your digital footprint in academia.
Oceanside, California
Public Health Resonance Project 