The University of Hawaiʻi accounted for more than $61.2 million—92% of all federal biomedical research funding awarded in the state from the (NIH)—in fiscal year 2025.

Hawaiʻi received $66.7 million overall in NIH funding, according to a new report from . The investment supported 902 jobs and generated $188.7 million in economic activity statewide.

NIH funding supports a wide range of research across 糖心视频, from improving disease detection and treatment to addressing health disparities and strengthening public health systems that serve island communities, reinforcing the university鈥檚 role in advancing health research and innovation in Hawaiʻi.

had the largest share, with 72 awards totaling $60.7 million, while the received two awards totaling $468,391. While overall funding remained strong, NIH鈥檚 shift to multi-year funding—which obligates the full grant value upfront—resulted in 5,564 fewer grants being funded in FY2025 compared to FY2024.

“Even in a highly competitive and uncertain federal funding environment, University of Hawaiʻi researchers continue to deliver work that improves lives here at home and beyond,” said Chad Walton, 糖心视频 interim vice president for research and innovation. “These investments fuel discoveries, support high-quality jobs and strengthen our local economy. Every dollar makes a difference for our communities.”

Research highlights

Recent awards reflect the diversity of NIH-funded research at 糖心视频:

• $322,891 from the National Cancer Institute supports Shugeng Zhao Cao, professor at the at 糖心视频 Hilo. The project, Discovery of novel natural TEAD inhibitors for the chemoprevention of liver tumors, explores natural compounds from Hawaiian microorganisms to develop the first preventive therapy for liver cancer.



• $2,039,744 from the National Human Genome Research Institute supports Lang Wu, associate professor at the at the 糖心视频 Cancer Center. The research advances genomic tools and approaches to better understand complex diseases and support precision health applications. (Related 糖心视频 News story)
• $459,287 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases supports Youping Deng, professor at the . The project, Hawaii Advanced Training in Artificial Intelligence for Precision Nutrition Science Research, strengthens training in the use of artificial intelligence for nutrition and metabolic health research. (Related 糖心视频 News story)

Ten graduate programs at the are in the nation鈥檚 top 50, and an additional 17 programs are in the top 100, according to the 2026 , released on April 7.

糖心视频 Mānoa鈥檚 (JABSOM) also placed in the nation鈥檚 top tier (tier 1) for best medical schools for primary care, and 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 ranked in a in the nation.

The highest ranked 糖心视频 Mānoa programs were in the , ranking No. 18 (tied) for best environmental law programs and law schools with most grads in federal clerkships, No. 24 for best part-time law programs, No. 41 (tied) for best international law programs, No. 47 (tied) for best dispute resolution programs and No. 48 (tied) for best legal writing programs.

The ranked No. 22 (tied) for best international programs, and the (SOEST) placed No. 40 (tied) for best Earth sciences programs. JABSOM ranked No. 42 for most graduates practicing in rural areas and No. 45 for most graduates practicing in primary care.

“糖心视频 Mānoa鈥檚 strong showing in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings underscores our commitment to excellence in teaching, research and student success,” said 糖心视频 Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos. “These results reflect the talent and dedication of our faculty, students and staff, and Hawaiʻi can take pride in knowing their university is preparing the next generation of leaders and changemakers for our community and the world.”

Rankings were based on multiple factors, including research activity (such as publications and citations), student and alumni outcomes (employment and earnings), quality assessments (from peers and recruiters), student selectivity (GPA and test scores), and faculty resources (doctoral degrees awarded and student-to-faculty ratios).

Note: not all programs are ranked every year. See these 糖心视频 News stories on previous years鈥� rankings: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Jump to program rankings:
William S. Richardson School of Law  |  John A. Burns School of Medicine  |  Shidler College of Business  |  School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology  |  School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene  |  College of Education  |  Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health  |  College of Social Sciences  |  College of Engineering  |  College of Natural Sciences  |  College of Arts, Languages & Letters

William S. Richardson School of Law

The William S. Richardson School of Law was ranked in 16 categories by U.S. News and World Report. In addition to its ranking of No. 18 (tied) for best environmental law programs and law schools with most grads in federal clerkships, No. 24 for best part-time law programs, No. 41 (tied) for best international law programs, No. 47 (tied) for best dispute resolution programs and No. 48 (tied) for best legal writing programs, the 糖心视频 law school placed No. 91 (tied) among the top law schools in the nation.

Other law school rankings include:

• Tax law: No. 80 (tied)
• Criminal law: No. 88 (tied)
• Contracts/commercial law: No. 92 (tied)
• Health care law: No. 92 (tied)
• Constitutional law: No. 95 (tied)
• Business/corporate law: No. 101 (tied)
• Clinical training: No. 102 (tied)
• Intellectual property law: No. 127 (tied)
• Trial advocacy: No. 175 (tied)

John A. Burns School of Medicine

JABSOM was one of 16 schools that placed in the nation鈥檚 top tier (tier 1) for best medical schools for primary care. JABSOM also placed in tier 3 for best medical schools for research.
In addition, JABSOM ranked No. 42 for most graduates practicing in rural areas, No. 45 for most graduates practicing in primary care, No. 139 for speech language pathology and No. 171 for most graduates practicing in medically underserved areas. .

Shidler College of Business

The Shidler College of Business placed in nine subject areas. Leading the way were international programs at No. 22 (tied), accounting programs at No. 68 (tied), information systems programs at No. 72 (tied) and marketing programs at No. 91 (tied). In addition, Shidler ranked at No. 104 (tied) for best management programs, No. 113 (tied) for best executive programs, No. 123 (tied) for best finance programs, No. 125 (tied) for best entrepreneurship programs and No. 142 (tied) for best part-time MBA programs.

School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

SOEST placed No. 40 (tied) among the nation鈥檚 best Earth sciences programs.

School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene

The School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene placed No. 55 (tied) for best nursing school–master鈥檚 and No. 62 (tied) for best nursing school–doctor of nursing practice (DNP). Both were the only programs in Hawaiʻi to be ranked by U.S. News and World Report.

College of Education

The College of Education ranked No. 57 (tied) in the U.S., the 21st straight year the college has been listed as one of the nation鈥檚 top 100 education programs. Nationally accredited since 2000, the College of Education continues to be recognized for its award-winning programs and people.

Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health

The ranked No. 89 (tied) among the nation鈥檚 top public health schools and programs in the U.S. accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The Department of Public Health Sciences offers a ; a , with specializations in , , and , and a , as well as PhD program in , specializing in community-based and translational research and a PhD in . The Department of Public Health Sciences is also home to an online master of public health program to meet workforce demands.

College of Social Sciences

The College of Social Sciences placed among the nation鈥檚 best in at No. 90 (tied) and at No. 92 (tied).

College of Engineering

The ranked among the nation鈥檚 best in at No. 91 (tied), at No. 92 (tied), and at No. 128 (tied). The College of Engineering overall ranked No. 164 (tied) among the top engineering schools in the U.S. that grant doctoral degrees.

College of Natural Sciences

The placed among the nation鈥檚 best in at No. 97 (tied), and at No. 115 (tied), and at No. 125 (tied).

College of Arts, Languages & Letters

糖心视频 Mānoa placed No. 106 (tied) among the nation’s best for fine arts programs.

Other rankings

糖心视频 Mānoa also received these notable rankings:

• 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings by Subject, March 25, 2026
• 2025 U.S. News and World Report best online programs, January 27, 2026
• 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, January 21, 2026

Kauilaon膩lani Tengan is inspired to encourage greater participation from Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Filipino communities in diabetes clinical trials to ensure research better reflects the populations most affected by the disease.

Leave your assumptions and biases at the door and engage these communities with aloha.
—Kauilaon膩lani Tengan

He is translating that goal into practice through applied research. A master of science student in epidemiology at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 , Tengan was part of a study team at The Queen鈥檚 Health Systems (QHS) whose findings were published in in the study Exploring Diabetes Clinical Trial Participation: A Diverse Group Interview Study.

“I have a family history of cardiometabolic diseases and I remember visiting extended family who had to fly from Moloka驶i just to receive quality care here on Oʻahu,” he said. “This [experience] instilled in me a desire to learn more about health issues so prevalent in our islands and contribute to innovative solutions.”

Research findings and lessons learned

While at QHS, Tengan split his time between health equity research and clinical data management, utilizing electronic medical records to address research questions. He helped conduct interviews with 56 hospitalized patients to explore what motivates—or prevents—patients from joining diabetes clinical trials.

Although 84% expressed willingness to participate, most had never been asked. Barriers included mistrust, concerns about medication risks, and lack of understanding, while many Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander participants cited family and community benefit as key motivators.

“Engaging face-to-face with people in a clinical setting humanized health data for me,” Tengan said. “It reminded me that these are people, not statistics. I realized that my work has a lasting impact, so it is my responsibility to do things in a pono manner.”

Tengan hopes to carry these lessons forward. “Leave your assumptions and biases at the door and engage these communities with aloha,” he said. “It is vital that we do work in an ethically and culturally nuanced way because there are real world impacts in the data that we publish.”

The study was part of an Food and Drug Administration-funded project at The Queen驶s Medical Center, in collaboration with the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 , and clinical partners. also found that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander participants are consistently underrepresented in U.S. clinical trials.

“Kauilaon膩lani鈥檚 perspectives and real-life application from quantitative analyses are so important to building collective public health,” said Tetine Sentell, public health professor and study co-author.

Cancer patients traveling off-island for treatment. K奴puna waiting months to see a neurologist. Rural communities struggling to access behavioral health and addiction services. These challenging realities are driving the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents request for $3,724,600 to expand Hawaiʻi鈥檚 healthcare workforce and improve access to care across the islands.

The funding would support 糖心视频鈥檚 new Health Science and Healthcare Interdisciplinary Workforce Initiative, a coordinated hire request that would add 18.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) clinician and faculty positions across five health sciences units to address severe shortages in high-need medical fields, including cancer, neurology and dementia, and behavioral health integration and addiction medicine.

“糖心视频 has a kuleana to the people and ʻāina of Hawaiʻi, and that responsibility drives us to focus on solutions that make a real difference in our communities,” said 糖心视频 President Wendy Hensel. “By strengthening our healthcare workforce, we can train more providers and expand access to care for kupuna and families across all islands.”

Expanding the healthcare pipeline, patient care

The coordinated hire would add clinician faculty who both train future healthcare providers and deliver direct patient care in rural and underserved communities across the state.

“The goal is to improve access to care across all islands by providing direct clinical services and addressing shortages in underserved communities,” said 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos. “This coordinated request for positions will increase the workforce pipeline by training more doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and other health providers essential to providing high quality care for patients with dementia, addictions, or other behavioral health challenges.”

Addressing high-priority health needs

The initiative spans five 糖心视频 units—糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 , the , the , the , and the 糖心视频 Hilo —and focuses on clinician leaders and researchers working with state and health system partners through community-based, interprofessional approaches aligned with legislative priorities.

Funding would be directed toward three high-priority health areas identified as critical needs for the state:

• Cancer ($1,674,400; 6.35 FTE): Establishing an accredited hematology-oncology fellowship and expanding clinical research capacity.
• Neurology and Dementia ($1,162,200; 7.40 FTE): Creating an accredited neurology residency program and expanding the K奴puna Workforce Innovation Hub.
• Behavioral Health Integration and Addiction Medicine ($888,000; 4.75 FTE): Expanding the Education and Research Center of Addiction Medicine and enhancing telehealth services.
• Beyond direct patient care, the initiative would support statewide continuing education in dementia care and behavioral health–primary care integration, consistent with Hawaiʻi State Department of Health and legislative priorities.

Targeted request in a tight budget climate

The initiative is one of two high-priority items in 糖心视频鈥檚 $18.8 million supplemental operating budget request () for fiscal year 2026–27, introduced amid slowing state revenue growth.

“We purposefully limited the request to major strategic items that are time-sensitive and provide essential benefits to both the state and the university,” said 糖心视频 Vice President for Budget and Finance Luis Salaveria. “Given the current fiscal climate, this approach allows 糖心视频 to focus its resources on areas where the need is greatest, and the impact on Hawaiʻi鈥檚 communities will be most immediate.”

October is American Pharmacists Month and the University of Hawaiʻi at 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 (DKICP) is helping shine a light on the vital role pharmacists play in public health. The pharmacy school is now accepting applications for a new online degree program called PharmD-XO, designed for aspiring pharmacists who need flexibility.

The first cohort starts in January 2026. It is a track towards earning a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. The program is built for working adults and off- island and out-of-state residents. Students can stay in their jobs and communities while earning the degree.

“As we address the physician shortage affecting rural communities nationwide, pharmacists trained to practice at the full scope of their license can provide vital healthcare services where they鈥檙e needed most,” said Rae Matsumoto, dean at DKICP.

Pharmacists fill critical healthcare gaps

The need is clear. National data show physician shortages are intensifying with 20% of Americans living in rural areas and only 10% of physicians practicing there. Nearly 90% of Americans live within 5 miles of a pharmacy, making pharmacists the most accessible healthcare providers.

The college recently earned an eight-year accreditation renewal from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Building on that momentum, the PharmD-XO program spans 5.5 years. Most learning happens online. Students come to Hilo once a year for a two- to four-week immersion during the first 4.5 years. Those visits focus on labs, team skills, and hands-on training. The final year is all clinical experience at pharmacy practice sites.

Learn more on the college鈥檚 website, email pharmacy@hawaii.edu, or call (808) 932-7704.

The University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 has named Katey Pelican as the inaugural director of the , a key initiative aimed at improving healthcare and health outcomes in Hawaiʻi. Pelican, an expert in One Health, sustainable development, and global health security, will begin her role on April 1, 2025.

Launched in 2022, the Health Sciences Institute was created to leverage 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 strengths to expand the healthcare workforce, reduce health disparities and address emerging health threats. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for a more integrated approach, and the institute fosters collaboration across health sciences to drive innovation and equity.

As director, Pelican will oversee the coordination of efforts across 糖心视频 units to advance the health and well being of Hawaii鈥檚 communities, ensuring the institute acts as a central hub for information, advocacy and resource development. 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 offers more than 50 health sciences-related degrees and certificates across nine colleges and schools, including the , the , the and the . Pelican will focus on strengthening community resilience, health systems, and the healthcare workforce through establishing strategic partnerships, advancing solutions-based research programs, and growing educational pathways and training opportunities.

“I am honored to join 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 and lead the Health Sciences Institute in its mission to improve health equity and resilience in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific,” said Pelican. “I look forward to collaborating with faculty, students and community partners to drive meaningful, interdisciplinary solutions to today鈥檚 most pressing health challenges.”

Health sciences experience, leadership

With more than 25 years of experience, her expertise and leadership span a broad range of health science disciplines, including infectious disease response, climate resilience, and Indigenous community food sovereignty. Pelican has worked in 45 countries, leading initiatives at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health in collaboration with organizations such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations.

Pelican joins 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 from the University of Minnesota (UMN), where she led the Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative, helping to secure more than $158 million in grants and contracts to support global health and sustainability projects. She also co-founded UMN鈥檚 Sustainable Development Goals Initiative and previously led the One Health Division at UMN鈥檚 College of Veterinary Medicine.

Pelican holds a doctor of veterinary medicine from UMN and a PhD in comparative physiology from a joint program between the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Maryland.

“Dr. Pelican is uniquely qualified for this important and challenging role, with significant leadership experience in interdisciplinary health initiatives and large-scale collaborative research projects,” said 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Provost Michael Bruno. “Her leadership will be instrumental in shaping the future of the Health Sciences Institute and advancing our mission to address pressing health challenges in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region.”

This message was shared with the faculty and staff of the 10-campus University of Hawaiʻi system on February 10, 2025.

Aloha 糖心视频 ʻohana,

The University of Hawaiʻi is deeply concerned about the National Institutes of Health鈥檚 (NIH) February 7 announcement to significantly cut reimbursement of research facilities and administrative costs. These funds are essential to maintaining the infrastructure that supports groundbreaking research and lifesaving medical breakthroughs.

This sweeping change—imposing a 15% cap on indirect cost reimbursement for all NIH grants—will have severe consequences for biomedical research in Hawaiʻi and across the nation, slowing progress on treatments for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other critical health challenges. Currently, indirect costs for biomedical research—both nationally and at 糖心视频—average around 50%. By limiting this essential support, the federal government is stepping back from its long-standing commitment to advancing medical innovation.

Related: Attorney General Lopez sues Trump Administration for defunding medical and public health innovation research, February 10, 2025

For 糖心视频, the impact of this decision cannot be overstated. The University of Hawaiʻi System of 10 campuses includes the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), the 糖心视频 Cancer Center (a National Cancer Institute designated center), the 糖心视频 Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, and the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health. All of these Schools, Colleges and Centers conduct translational and fundamental research, and the university is supported by 175 awards and subawards from the NIH with a current value of $211 million. NIH鈥檚 reduction of 糖心视频鈥檚 current negotiated IDC rate of 56.5% at the JABSOM and the Cancer Center alone will eliminate approximately $15 million in funding that 糖心视频 uses to support its research programs, including ongoing clinical trials and debt service payments.

According to a 2024 annual report by United for Medical Research, NIH funding generated $158 million in economic activity and supported 819 local jobs across the state. The 糖心视频 Cancer Center and JABSOM led the majority of these NIH-funded research projects, receiving $27 million and $26.6 million, respectively.

As I emphasized in my February 6 address on federal policy changes affecting higher education, 糖心视频 will continue working closely with Hawaiʻi鈥檚 congressional delegation, Gov. Josh Green鈥檚 office and the state attorney general, and in this instance, the national higher education and research associations and peer institutions to advocate against this harmful policy. Additionally, we are closely monitoring legal challenges that may arise in response to this directive, including the lawsuit filed today in a federal court in Massachusetts, by 22 states, including the State of Hawaiʻi.

We will keep you updated as the situation unfolds and remain steadfast in our efforts to protect 糖心视频鈥檚 research enterprise, which benefits our university, our state, and the millions who rely on medical advancements.

With aloha,
Wendy Hensel
President, University of Hawaiʻi

Student pharmacists from the will assist HMSA and University Health Partners to perform Medication Therapy Management (MTM) for people with chronic diseases in the state of Hawaiʻi.

“Our most qualified students will be putting their technical knowledge and people skills to work to help patients achieve better outcomes from their medications,” said DKICP Dean Rae Matsumoto.

MTM services will be available statewide via telehealth. HMSA will identify a subset of members that will be eligible for this early phase of the program. MTM students will help review a patient鈥檚 medication to ensure they are being used appropriately, answering any drug-related questions and determining the most cost-effective options. MTM students will help review a patient鈥檚 medication to ensure they are being used appropriately, answering any drug-related questions and determining the most cost-effective options.

“Studies show that using pharmacists to provide MTM services improves medication adherence and ensures patients are on the appropriate medications and doses,” said Camlyn Masuda, DKICP associate specialist and a coordinator for the new program.

Students can apply and interview for the MTM consultant positions, which will be in addition to their academics. Working under the guidance of a pharmacist, students conduct one-on-one phone consultations with each patient about all the medications they are taking, document the information and any recommendations and share it with the patient鈥檚 physician.

“This type of work experience puts our students on the forward edge of pharmacy services being offered in healthcare today,” said Matsumoto. “We are very excited to have this opportunity to work with HMSA and University Health Partners, two of the largest healthcare providers within the state, to help in delivering better care to their patients.”

DKICP will expect the first students to be hired and start providing MTM services after the fall semester begins.

Read more at the .

The University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 has launched the search for a director to lead the newly established , a major initiative to improve healthcare and health outcomes in Hawaiʻi, inspired by 糖心视频‘s pivotal role in the state驶s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The goal of the institute is to leverage the university’s extensive expertise and resources in health sciences and medicine to expand the healthcare workforce, reduce health disparities, address climate change impacts on health and respond to emerging health threats.

“We are seeking a dynamic leader to guide the new institute,” said 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Provost Michael Bruno. “This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on the health and well-being of our communities in Hawaiʻi and the broader Pacific region. The director will play a critical role in shaping the future of healthcare through innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to addressing health disparities.”

The director will be responsible for coordinating efforts across the 糖心视频 units that include programs related to health sciences and medicine:

Related: Collaboration across health sciences goal of 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 initiative

• College of Natural Sciences
• College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Social Sciences
• Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy
• John A. Burns School of Medicine
• School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene
• School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology
• Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health
• 糖心视频 Cancer Center

糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 offers more than 50 health sciences-related degrees and certificates across nine colleges and schools, as well as the state’s largest social work, nursing and public health programs. In fiscal year 2022 alone, 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 secured more than $130 million in external grants and contracts related to health sciences.

Alex Ortega, dean of the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, is chairing the search advisory committee, whose members consist of steering committee members who led the development of the Health Sciences Institute. The committee will recommend finalists to Bruno, who will determine the best candidate for the position.

For the job announcement and position description, visit the . Review of applications will begin in late July and will continue until the position is filled.

Professor Deborah Taira is a health economist at the University of Hawaiʻi at 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 and has extensive experience studying health equity issues for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. The professor conducts in-depth research on health disparities that impact AANHPI populations and wants to improve access to clinical trials.

As the country commemorates AANHPI Heritage Month, the Food and Drug Administration鈥檚 Office of Minority Health and Health Equity spotlighted Taira鈥檚 expertise in a . She revealed that even though national statistics identify Hawaiʻi has the highest life expectancy of any state in the U.S., there are still huge health disparities.

“Unfortunately, Native Hawaiians live about 11 years less than Chinese in Hawaiʻi,” Taira said. “That鈥檚 a huge disparity, and I just feel like that should not exist now, not in our state of Hawaiʻi. And so, I鈥檓 passionate about trying to do what I can to correct that.”

A legacy of research

Taira has published more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts related to health disparities, cost and health outcomes Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders face. Her interest in studying health disparity started long ago with her mother, a professor of nursing who made house calls in elderly housing projects.

“I remember she brought me along with her. And she said, ‘You can learn more in 5 minutes when you go into these people鈥檚 homes. And you see in their fridge they don鈥檛 have any food or the place is filthy or whatever. You learn more about what can help the patient by actually getting to know their life circumstances,’” Taira explained.

Along with health disparities, Taira鈥檚 research also focuses on medication adherence and cost-effectiveness of cardiovascular interventions. She has worked at the Health Institute at the New England Medical Center examining outcomes from the patient perspective and spent 10 years working at Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association analyzing large administrative datasets, including cost and lab data.

Twelve students and alumni from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) have successfully secured positions in postgraduate residency programs across the country through a rigorous national process. Facilitated by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the annual event, dubbed Match Day, orchestrates the placement of qualified candidates into coveted postgraduate year one (PGY1) or postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs at various hospitals and healthcare institutions nationwide.

“We are very pleased that 86% of our students matched in this highly competitive process,” said DKICP Dean Rae Matsumoto. “That鈥檚 a high percentage, reflecting the quality of our students and their achievements in academics, service and scholarship over their four-year career here at the DKICP and beyond. On behalf of the faculty and staff, I congratulate them for their incredible efforts.”

Students and graduates will begin their respective PGY1 work this summer.

Residency matches

PGY1

• Carly Bell—VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, Reno, Nevada
• Brennan Buccat—MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital, Tacoma, Washington
• Trang Bui—Children鈥檚 Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
• Dyani Chock—The Queen鈥檚 Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
• Sean Domingo—University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Olatunji Gbadebo—Mayo Clinic Hospital, Rochester, Minnesota
• Chase Ibia—Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
• Teva Kealoha Meyer—The Queen鈥檚 Health System, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
• Jane Lakritz—Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage, California
• Skye Pyo—Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Tacoma, Washington
• Megan Woolsey—VA Pacific Islands HCS, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

PGY2

• 2023 DKICP graduate Chrystal Cardoza—Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts

In a groundbreaking collaboration, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) and have forged a partnership to enhance the training of pharmacy technician students, which responds to the growing demand across the state to fill these positions.

DKICP faculty will teach 糖心视频 Maui College students, both in-person and online, preparing them for a national immunization certification exam. The certification verifies an individual has completed the necessary training and met the requirements to administer immunizations.

“For pharmacy technicians to get immunization certification is a gold standard that our faculty involvement can help provide for students in this 糖心视频 Maui College program,” said DKICP Dean Rae Matsumoto.

Under this innovative alliance, students in 糖心视频 Maui College’s pharmacy technician program will gain the opportunity to complete coursework and critical credentials.

“This additional level of training allows our graduates to perform at the top of their profession,” said 糖心视频 Maui College pharmacy technician instructor Valerie Matsunaga, “We saw how important these skills are during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Workforce development

糖心视频 Maui College has offered the Pharmacy Technician Immersion degree program since 2008. In fall 2023, a career skills lab funded in partnership with CVS Health and designed like a real Longs Drugs pharmacy opened on the Maui campus. The workforce development initiative continues to provide hands-on skills training for students throughout its 15-week program.

• Related 糖心视频 News story: Apprenticeship trailblazer: 糖心视频 Maui College pharmacy technician graduate, December 19, 2023

糖心视频 Maui College and DKICP have an articulation program so students in continuing education on the Maui campus can continue on at the Hilo campus.

Rae Matsumoto has been appointed the new dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 (DKICP), effective November 16. The 糖心视频 Board of Regents were notified of her appointment at the October 19 meeting. Matsumoto will replace DKICP鈥檚 Interim Dean Miriam Mobley Smith.

Matsumoto is currently a professor of physiology and pharmacology at the University of the Pacific (UOP). She has also held various administrative and faculty positions, including dean and professor of UOP鈥檚 pharmacy school from 2020 to 2022, dean and professor of the College of Pharmacy at Touro University California from 2014 to 2020 and associate dean for research and graduate programs and professor at West Virginia University from 2007 to 2014.

“I am excited to have Dr. Matsumoto join the 糖心视频 Hilo leadership team,” said 糖心视频 Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin. “She brings a wide variety of experience to the position and is prepared to lead the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy forward. I am grateful for all of the good work of Interim Dean Mobley Smith over the last year-and-a-half to prepare the college for the new incoming leadership and a bright future.”

Matsumoto has vast educational program development experience such as faculty mentoring, staff development, student success and career development, budgetary and fiscal management. She has founded numerous graduate and research training programs, and is a strong advocate for community outreach programs.

She is the lead and co-author of more than 100 publications, a member of national and international professional organizations and has patented multiple inventions.

Matsumoto earned her BS magna cum laude from Creighton University and a master鈥檚 in science and PhD from Brown University.

When wildfires swept through Lahaina in August, destroying the historic community, the buildings housing its two pharmacies were spared, but the businesses had to close, temporarily, leaving nowhere for wildfire survivors to access critical medications.

Within a day of the fire, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) alumni Vy Tran and Shane Naeole, were among those who stepped in to help impacted residents refill vital medications. The DKICP graduates are employed at Mauliola Pharmacy in Wailuku and were led by pharmacy owner and pharmacist Cory Lehano to distribute medicine for conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular health and mental health. Due to the unprecedented tragedy, in many cases, prescriptions were filled for free.

Duty calls

DKICP alumna Trisha Nobriga and students Tyler Caliva and Jarod Hanchett-Ching also rushed to help Lehano and his staff.

“That first weekend after the fire, Tyler and I helped out in Wailuku as couriers, carrying bags of filled prescriptions from Mauliola鈥檚 main location near Maui Memorial Medical Center across the highway to the War Memorial Complex where emergency services were being offered,” Hanchett-Ching explained. “The work going on there was really valuable—bringing important resources to people displaced from all their worldly possessions, and helping to minimize their struggles a bit by providing comfort and a little convenience for them.”

Hanchett-Ching also volunteered with the Hawaiʻi Red Cross in Wailuku before returning to Hilo for the beginning of fall semester the following weekend.

Close to home

Christina (Method) Requelman, a clinical education support specialist and certified pharmacy technician at DKICP, accompanied alumna Elissa Brown to Maui to support Mauliola staff during the hectic first week of emergency response.

Brown, who works as pharmacy manager at KTA鈥檚 Puainako Store in Hilo, is a Lahaina native, whose family lost their home to the fire.

“We have a good relationship with many of the Mauliola staff, and had just spent time with some of them at a pharmacy conference the weekend before the wildfire,” recalled Requelman. “In the days after the fire, I kept reaching out to them to see how they were doing and if there was anything we could do to help鈥hey were putting in long hours, filling hundreds of prescriptions a day.”

More on how to help Maui ʻohana and the Maui wildfires.

Pharmacy staff were also providing first aid supplies to help treat burns and skin infections, and offering COVID-19 tests.

“Dr. Lehano and his entire staff have helped so many people in their community during this tragedy,” Requelman said. “They are a perfect example of the important role pharmacies and pharmacists can play during an emergency.”

In 2022, DKICP named Lehano Preceptor of the Year for his dedication to host and train student pharmacists on rotations.

To capitalize on the University of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 wide range of expertise in the health sciences and medicine, 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 has launched a new to better serve the people of Hawaiʻi.

The initiative seeks to have a more strategic structure in amplifying the successful work conducted by faculty researchers across the campus and forming stronger collaborations between all of the campuses of the 糖心视频 System, as well as with government agencies and health systems statewide.

What more could we accomplish with stronger coordination across campus and increased integration and collaboration with our health systems and government?
—Michael Bruno, 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Provost

“We have been discussing better ways to coordinate and collaborate across the health sciences at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 for many years, if not decades, and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic only reinforced the importance of this work,” said 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Provost Michael Bruno, whose office launched the initiative in 2022. “While the pandemic has forced us to collaborate in ways that forwarded our goals, I strongly believe more can be done.”

糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 offers more than 50 health science-related degrees and certificate programs, and boasts world-class research that has brought in $130 million in external research funding in the last year. Its clinical learning and care occur in partnership with Oʻahu hospitals, clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, private practices, non-profit healthcare organizations and a number of state departments. In addition, the dedication and pivotal work of 糖心视频 faculty, staff and students who aided the state with its COVID-19 emergency response in the areas of education, research, clinical care delivery and guidance has made it evident that the university is a go-to authority when faced with a health threat or opportunity.

“While the impact of our programs demonstrates the critical importance of our work, it also gives rise to a fundamental question: What more could we accomplish with stronger coordination across campus and increased integration and collaboration with our health systems and government? As we emerge from the pandemic, our success in this area is a strategic imperative for the university and the state,” said Bruno.

Health Sciences Steering Committee

A Health Sciences Steering Committee composed of 11 members includes leaders from 糖心视频 health and science units, the , and . The steering committee has met monthly since August 2022 and is charged with carrying forth the goals established for a Health Sciences Institute at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补.

These goals include:

• Establish an efficient operational structure to align and coordinate our efforts, to provide administrative support for operations, and to serve as the one-stop “portal” for information exchange and the unified voice for 糖心视频 health sciences, medical education and research and public health education.
• Strengthen and expand the healthcare workforce in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific through broad partnerships and efficient pathways to health sciences careers and expanded opportunities for clinical and practical training to train a workforce capable of transdisciplinary work.
• Collaborate with state and regional government, health systems and industry partners to reduce health disparities and inequities in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, especially in building innovative partnerships and training to address social determinants of health.
• Redefine the health sciences to recognize and collaboratively address the impacts of climate change and community health needs, and apply advances to patient care and health policy in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
• Lead in the convening of researchers, industry professionals and government leaders to assess, collaborate and respond to emerging and ongoing health threats in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.

Steering committee members:

• Walter Bowen, associate dean,
• Lee Buenconsejo-Lum, interim dean,
• Kenneth Fink, director, Hawaiʻi State Department of Health
• Jill Hoggard Green, president and CEO, Queen鈥檚 Health Systems
• Judy Lemus, interim associate dean,
• Miriam Mobley-Smith, interim dean, , 糖心视频 Hilo
• Tetine Sentell, interim dean,
• Alison Sherwood, interim associate dean,
• Naoto Ueno, director,
• Raymond Vara, president and CEO, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health
• Lorrie Wong, interim associate dean,

Lightning talks highlight collaborative efforts

A recent May 4 event, Collaborations Across The Health Sciences, held at the 糖心视频 Cancer Center highlighted the richness and importance of the work done at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 and the far-reaching impact these programs have to benefit people across the state and in the Pacific region. Five-minute “lightning talks” from 22 projects were presented, including both internal collaborations among 糖心视频 units, and external collaborations with state, community and health system partners. These projects focused on community health needs, clinical training partnerships, reducing health disparities, emerging and ongoing health threats to Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, innovative government/industry/education partnerships and more.

The convening, the first of likely more to come, was attended by health sciences unit leads, researchers and external health partners.

“The lightning talks were meant to inform and inspire the work that lies ahead, as we strengthen our relationships with each other and leverage our passion and our expertise for a healthier and more resilient Hawaiʻi,” said Bruno. “A total of 56 proposals were submitted for the event, and we narrowed it down to 22, which is only a sampling of the impressive research being conducted at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补. Hearing about the exciting cross-collaborations already taking place across campus and with our state and health partners on these projects tells me we can be even more impactful in the work we do.”

“The broad scope of the presented talks, and the remainder of the abstracts, allowed all participants to open their minds to possibilities for new collaborations,” said Buenconsejo-Lum. “There are many programs and projects working in similar topic areas and in various communities. The task is to synergize, leverage and appropriately resource those efforts so they can be scaled up and expanded throughout the state.”

The program, which includes all 56 submitted proposals, is .

Feedback from external committee members

“From my perspective with the health system, when we look to improve health and well-being, it always takes a team. We are already deeply coordinated and this was proven during the COVID-19 pandemic when we pivoted to 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 for guidance and were successful when we were able to bring the right players together. As a health system, we are all in, and we’re going to do all we can to support this initiative to address the health inequities in the state and support the next generation.”

—Jill Hoggard Green, president and CEO of the Queen驶s Health Systems

“This effort couldn鈥檛 have come at a better time. As we emerge from the pandemic, we have to view the world differently going forward than we did in the past. We partner with 15 clinical programs across the 糖心视频 system, and about 1,100 students in nursing, medicine, pharmacy, emergency response, and even non-clinical areas, per year filter through our facilities, and that’s a lot of interaction and collaboration. However, further unification of the health sciences and a consolidated strategy could be much more efficient that our one-off siloed areas. There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity and we have to be willing to use different tools to navigate us down this new path to build a healthier community.”

—Raymond Vara, president and CEO of the Hawaiʻi Pacific Health

“The Department of Health is pleased to have multiple partners throughout the 糖心视频 system to support our efforts to promote and protect the physical, behavioral and environmental health for the people of Hawaiʻi. Having renowned expertise in our own backyard at 糖心视频 helps us find local solutions to local problems and grow a much needed public health workforce.”

—Kenneth Fink, director, Hawaiʻi State Department of Health

Looking ahead

To ensure the success of this new endeavor, the Provost recommends the establishment of an amplifying structure to facilitate and coordinate the work for the Health Sciences Initiative. The proposed office—with key positions including an executive director, program specialists, research coordinators and others—will serve as a single point of contact for both internal and external partners. Funding support may come from existing resources, but will also require sustained state investment.

For more information, go to the website and view presentations from units offering snapshots of their academic programs, research and extension highlights and existing collaborations in the health sciences.

Three student pharmacists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo are conducting research to combat antimicrobial resistance, which has become a global public health threat in recent years. 糖心视频 Hilo second-year students Alyssa Kam, Yang Xu and Chae Min Lee are working under the supervision of Professors Leng Chee Chang and Supakit Wongwiwatthananukit to synthesize silver nanoparticles using extract from Physalis peruviana (locally known as poha berry), and evaluate its antibacterial activity.

“Our research focuses on safely, efficiently and economically translating new therapeutic agents from natural products,” said Wongwiwatthananukit. “Application of nanotechnology in pharmacy (nanopharmacy) enhances the bench-to-bedside approach to patient care.”

The students at the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 John A. Burns School of Medicine held April 21 at the 糖心视频 Cancer Center. Their work has also been accepted for a poster presentation at the annual research symposium, which includes academic and student researchers from around the state.

“Misuse and overprescribing of antibiotics are the main factors leading to antimicrobial resistance,” explained Kam. “That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important to identify alternative compounds with antimicrobial activity, especially plant-based compounds.”

Undetectable by the human eye, a nanoparticle is a particle of matter between 1 and 100 nanometers in diameter. Silver is widely used for nanoparticles as an innovative method of drug delivery.

“Our research results showed the synthesized silver nanoparticles using the Physalis peruviana extract demonstrated good antibacterial activity against Gram-negative E. coli and one of the Gram-positive Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus bacteria strains that we tested, both which exist here in Hawaiʻi,” said Chang. “The next step is to determine the optimal and functional nanoparticle sizes that also have good stability properties.”

Nanoparticles research is a growing segment within the field of nanomedicine, which makes it a very relevant topic in pharmacy curricula, according to Chang. Currently there are more than 50 nanomedicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“Offering a Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum based on emerging pharmaceutical and clinical science applications is significant,” explained Chang. “It is important to give our students this opportunity to learn about nanoparticles and nanomedicine through research electives, including the course Special Topics in Pharmaceutical Sciences Research/Lab.”

For more, visit the 糖心视频 Hilo .

Eleven students of the (DKICP) were recently matched to postgraduate residency programs in a competitive national process. Organized through the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the annual event known as Match Day helps qualified students obtain positions in either postgraduate year one (PGY1) or postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs of their choice at hospitals and healthcare facilities around the country.

In the results of Round 1 matches, announced March 16, 2023, 50% of DKICP鈥檚 PGY1 applicants were matched and 75% of the PGY2 applicants were matched.

“Residency match is a highly competitive process and occurs in two rounds, with Round 2 results to be announced in mid-April,” said Interim Dean Miriam Mobley Smith. “These impressive Round 1 results demonstrate the highest quality of these students鈥� academics, service and scholarship over their four-year career here at DKICP. On behalf of the faculty and staff, I congratulate them for their incredible efforts.”

Round 1 residency matches include:

PGY1

• Chrystal Cardoza—Norman Regional Health System, Norman, Oklahoma
• Caroline DuMoulin—St. Peter鈥檚 Hospital, Albany, New York
• May Ann Vincente Hudgins—The Queen鈥檚 Health System — QCIPN/POB Pharmacy, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
• Analeslie Martinez—Indian Health Service — Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Crow Agency Reservation, Montana
• Stephanie Mojumdar—Swedish Hospital — NorthShore, Chicago, Illinois
• Matthew Neumann—Mayo Clinic Health System — Albert Lea-Austin, Austin, Minnesota
• Kalen Niimi—The Queen鈥檚 Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
• Nadra Nour—University Hospitals — 糖心视频 Meds, Parma, Ohio

PGY2

• Raha Hosseini—UW Medicine/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (oncology), Seattle, Washington
• Tiffany Lam—VA Medical Center (ambulatory care), Boise, Idaho
• Donald Waddell—University of Chicago Medicine (oncology), Chicago, Illinois

The American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) honored University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo interim Dean Miriam Mobley Smith with a Distinguished Leadership Award. The honor, which recognizes contributions to excellence in pharmacy practice leadership in acute and ambulatory care settings, was presented to Mobley Smith at the organization鈥檚 annual exhibition last December in Las Vegas.

ASHP highlighted Mobley Smith鈥檚 unwavering commitment to educate and prepare the pharmacy workforce and enhance patient safety. The organization recognized her expertise and passion for making a difference at the local level.

“I extend our heartiest congratulations to Dr. Mobley Smith for this well-deserved—well-earned—honor,” said Kris Roney, 糖心视频 Hilo vice chancellor for academic affairs. “糖心视频 Hilo and the 糖心视频 System have had the extraordinary fortune to see Dr. Mobley Smith鈥檚 passions at work in her efforts to bridge relationships across the System in support of advancing opportunities in pharmacy and health education. Her energy and enthusiasm, combined with an unerring commitment to high quality education, are testament to all that this award lifts up about her.”

Mobley Smith officially stepped into the pharmacy college鈥檚 interim dean role last spring. Prior to her work at 糖心视频 Hilo, the veteran pharmacy academic served as interim dean and visiting professor at the Northeastern University Bourv茅 College of Health Sciences and as dean and tenured professor at the Chicago State University College of Pharmacy (CSUCP). Her academic service includes clinical and teaching appointments at CSUCP, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and South Suburban College.

• Related 糖心视频 News story: 糖心视频 Hilo selects interim dean for pharmacy college, January 25, 2022

Mobley Smith has helped promote pharmacy as an essential component of interprofessional patient care teams through her service as chair of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education and as a member of committees for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. She has served on advisory and governing boards for many local, state and national organizations and held leadership positions at ASHP, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and the American Pharmacists Association.

A $333,000 federal grant to develop a statewide infrastructure that identifies and works to correct existing health disparities in medication use among Hawaiʻi鈥檚 Indigenous populations has been awarded to faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP). The grant is through the Minority Research Grant Program of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“The goal is to develop a brief screening tool that can be used by pharmacists to better address potential medication adherence barriers in these patients when treating chronic disease,” said Wesley Sumida, an associate professor at 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 pharmacy college. “We will be utilizing these results in our work funded by this new grant.”

Sumida is co-investigator of the new project, along with Karen Pellegrin, director of continuing and distance education and strategic planning at DKICP.

“In a previous research project funded by the CMS Innovation Center, called the Pharm2Pharm project, we demonstrated that pharmacists are essential to achieving higher quality, lower cost care in Hawaiʻi,” explained Pellegrin.

Research compiled by Sumida through the 糖心视频 or PIKO seeks to understand critical factors related to medication non-adherence in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island patients with diabetes and heart disease. The research team aims to incorporate his findings into the newly funded project.

糖心视频 is one of three minority-serving institutions receiving a CMS OMH grant, which is awarded to help advance health equity affecting racial and ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, individuals with limited English proficiency, those residing in rural areas, and those adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

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The University of Hawaiʻi is requesting proposals from qualified developers to redevelop 2.49 acres of 糖心视频-owned land next to . The goal of the project is to provide students with experiential learning opportunities through the development of an alternative revenue stream for 糖心视频 other than through tuition and state funding.

The proposed project objectives includes a use that partners or collaborates with one or more 糖心视频 programs listed in the “”:

The project must also fit in the context of the surrounding community, and the developer must have an on-property physical presence and manage the project after it is built.

The deadline for submissions is December 7, 2022, and the selection is scheduled to be announced January 31, 2023. The selected developer will be required to enter into a development agreement and long-term ground lease with 糖心视频. Ownership would revert back to 糖心视频 when the ground lease expires. The agreement and lease must receive final approval from the 糖心视频 Board of Regents before the project can begin.

The property is located at 550 Makapuʻu Avenue across from Kapiʻolani CC and L膿ʻahi Hospital, on the same block as the recently redeveloped Diamond Head Theatre. There are no structures on the property, and a portion of it is currently being used as a temporary parking lot by the hospital.

Three University of Hawaiʻi PhD candidates are recipients of a national fellowship aimed to tackle barriers women face in education. 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 Sasha Nealand (Kovacs), and 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 Valentina Alvarez and Hannah El-Silimy were each awarded $20,000 to pursue academic work and lead innovative community projects to empower women and girls from the (AAUW).

Nealand (Kovacs), a PhD candidate in pharmaceutical sciences at 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 , is pursuing dissertation research focused on the separation, isolation, structure elucidation (process of determining the chemical structure of a compound) and antimicrobial activity of medicinal compounds from a local medicinal plant called the coast gumplant (Grindelia stricta platyphylla) from her hometown in Half Moon Bay, California. This plant has traditionally been used to reduce inflammations and treat respiratory ailments. It produces a resinous gum that is rich in terpenes (compounds responsible for the way most plants smell), which are the medicinal compounds that Nealand (Kovacs) is investigating. She is expected to complete her dissertation research and graduate in June 2023.

“I was extremely pleased and proud that AAUW chose to support my dissertation research,” Nealand (Kovacs) said. “The chance for full-time graduate study and research has been a lifelong dream. I had been struggling to fund my studies for several years, through various part-time jobs and scholarships. This very generous fellowship has given me the opportunity to fully concentrate on research and finally complete my dissertation.”

Alvarez, a PhD candidate in biology in 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 , is pursuing dissertation research on several species of lizard that have been introduced to the Hawaiian Islands at different time points in history and through different means. Alvarez uses genetic data to unravel where these species originated, when they arrived and whether they are spreading from Hawaiʻi to other parts of the world. She is expected to graduate in summer 2023.

“I am thankful to the AAUW for the work that they do in providing women with opportunities they would otherwise not have,” Alvarez said. “By raising women up, they are helping to level the playing field so that this commonly disadvantaged group can strive to achieve their goals.”

El-Silimy, a PhD candidate in political science and Indigenous politics in 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 , is pursuing dissertation research focused on how Indigenous women activists in Northern Thailand and the Thai-Burma border region are leading efforts for healing, solidarity and empowerment for themselves and their communities. Her research is being conducted in partnership with Indigenous women鈥檚 networks based in Chiang Mai, and utilizes participatory, Indigenous feminist and feminist ethnographic research methods. In addition, El-Silimy is participating in a collaborative, community-based research project that will produce mixed media forms of storytelling as well as a research report about Indigenous women鈥檚 lives in Thailand and Burma after the military coup.

“I was very honored and appreciative to receive this dissertation fellowship. The funds will be invaluable for me to complete the final stages of my PhD studies and write my dissertation!” El-Silimy said. “I would like to encourage other women doctoral students at the University of Hawaiʻi to apply for AAUW funding—it’s a great opportunity to get support in your final year of dissertation writing.”

Applications for AAUW鈥檚 fellowship and grants open annually on August 1, and deadlines vary by program. .

—By Marc Arakaki

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) is on a mission to help Hawaiʻi residents develop healthier lifestyle habits. On Saturday, September 17, DKICP students and faculty will be offering free, confidential health screenings and consultations 10:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. at Hale Kīhoʻihoʻi, Classroom A.

The event will include blood pressure and blood glucose screenings, as well as information and consultations about a variety of topics, such as asthma and COPD, smoking cessation, nutrition and lifestyle changes, reproductive health, and reviews of current medications.

“The program also allows student pharmacists to refine the skills necessary for their future careers,” said DKICP Associate Professor Jarred Prudencio. “The event will be run by our students, and faculty will be on hand to supervise and consult.”

The one-day event is part of Aloha Project and organized by the DKICP chapter of the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP).

“Participants can choose the types of screenings and consultations they want, and our student pharmacists will provide screening results and helpful information, answer questions and can help to connect them with other resources, such as smoking cessation or nutrition management support groups,” said Carly Bell, APhA-ASP Aloha Project chair. “We are happy to be able to again offer these services to the public after taking a two-year break from in-person community-based events during the pandemic.”

For more information, visit the .

Hale Kīhoʻihoʻi, the new home of the (DKICP) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, earned recognition at the , which recognizes excellence in 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈鈥檚 commercial real estate industry.

The 45,000-square foot, two-story structure completed in December 2019, received an award from NAIOP Hawaiʻi in the public/government project category. Hale Kihoʻihoʻi houses lecture halls, pharmacy compounding laboratories, simulated pharmacy practice skills and dispensing labs, and innovative meeting rooms and spaces for the college.

“With its wonderful open design, Hale Kīhoʻihoʻi is a very welcoming place that provides so many great spaces for learning, research and educational collaboration,” said Miriam Mobley, DKICP interim dean. “The structure also represents a significant commitment and investment by the State of Hawaiʻi in the university and the education of healthcare professionals.”

• Learn about another Kukulu Hale Awards winner at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补

With its wonderful open design, Hale Kīhoʻihoʻi is a very welcoming place that provides so many great spaces for learning, research and educational collaboration.
—Miriam Mobley

In ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), kīhoʻihoʻi refers to the quick restoration of land after a lava flow. According to Hawaiian naming protocol, everything coming from this new building, and the college it houses, is intended to promote restoration of 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈鈥檚 natural environment and its people.

Oʻahu-based firm, WCIT Architecture incorporated Hawaiian culture and themes into the building鈥檚 modern design鈥攆rom the undulating roof line that represents the goddess Pele and her land-shaping lava
flows, to the interior floor-to-ceiling murals that depict the blending of traditional and contemporary healing practices. The building鈥檚 design also followed LEED principles that required environmentally friendly materials and building practices.

Hilo-based Isemoto Contracting served as general contractor on the three-year building project, which is located above the main 糖心视频 Hilo campus, and overlooks Hilo town and the bay.

Related 糖心视频 News stories:

• 糖心视频 Hilo College of Pharmacy building dedicated, December 4, 2019
• College of Pharmacy breaks ground on new home, December 15, 2014

A University of Hawaiʻi researcher has identified a rare bacterium that is active against certain cancers. The bacterium, Lentzea flaviverrucosa, that produces petrichorin A, was discovered by Shugeng Cao, associate member of the at the , and co-investigators Chunshun Li and Xiaohua Wu, in collaboration with Joshua Blodgett of Washington University in St. Louis. The research team proved that petrichorin A is active against cancers such as ovarian cancer, fibrosarcoma, prostate cancer and T-cell leukemia.

These findings were published in the .

Petrichorin A is a peptide that contains special amino acids, and each amino acid has a nitrogen-nitrogen bond. Petrichorin A, a dumbbell-like natural product, was evaluated for anti-cancer activity against multiple cancer cell lines. The researchers conducted a preliminary test and discovered that petrichorin A was not toxic to a normal human cell line. With this observation, his team proved that petrichorin A was active against ovarian cancer, fibrosarcoma, prostate cancer and T-cell leukemia. This highlighted the importance of including petrichorin A in future research of pharmaceutical design and discovery programs.

“Cancer is the second leading cause of death in 贬补飞补颈驶颈 and nationally, after cardiovascular disease,” said Cao. “If petrichorin A were developed successfully, people in 贬补飞补颈驶颈 and the Pacific would benefit from our drug therapies.”

Cao currently serves as a professor at the (DKICP) at . Wu is a senior research associate at DKICP, and Li, a previous postdoctoral fellow in Cao鈥檚 lab, is a scientist at Antheia, Inc.

This research is an example of 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

Archivist Helen Wong Smith has been selected as vice president/president-elect of the (SAA), the oldest and largest national organization of professional archivists in North America. She becomes the first person from Hawaiʻi to hold this position. She will begin her one-year term in August and will become SAA鈥檚 78th president in 2023鈥�24.

Widely known for her work on cultural competency, Wong Smith is excited to be serving in this new role at SAA. “I see it as an opportunity to inform and share with the rest of the country and profession the wealth of resources we have here in the islands, including records reflecting five governments (kingdom, provisional, republic, territory and state) and their impacts on the k膩naka maoli and the diverse cultures and communities who selected to make Hawaiʻi their home, and the caliber of archivists, both professional and community, and repositories we possess,” she said.

A product of 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补, Wong holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in and a master鈥檚 in Library and Information Science. She has served as university archivist at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 since 2018. Her prior 糖心视频 positions include researcher at N膩 Pua No驶eau: Center for Gifted and Talented Native Hawaiian Children at , recruitment coordinator for the Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence at the , Hawaiian Collection Librarian in 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 Edwin H. Mookini Library, and Pharmacy & Health Sciences Resources Coordinator at the Daniel K. Inouye School of Pharmacy.

Wong has been involved with SAA since 2003 and has served in a number of capacities, including her involvement on several committees, being elected to the SAA council and delivering a number of presentations at the annual conferences. A 2015 plenary address calling for cultural competency training allowed her to develop a workshop she has delivered across the country since 2017.

For more than 35 years, Wong has highlighted Hawaiian collections through research and presentations and has written extensively on Hawaiian cultural resources. In addition to her previous 糖心视频 appointments, she was also lead archivist for the Pacific Island Network of the National Park Service, cultural specialist for Kamehameha Schools and librarian archivist for the State Historic Preservation Division.

“Teaching cultural competency while at 糖心视频 Hilo, I recognized how cultural competency can advance the archival profession. This framework has extended to the museum sector through a series of for the Hawaiʻi Museum Association and to private companies,” Wong said. “It is an inherent framework kamaʻāina have utilized to live and work with the diverse cultures living closely together and its employment has proven benefits in multiple sectors such as health services, education and business.”

Among Wong鈥檚 project highlights as university archivist include the , which include the collection of the theologian, minister, college professor and founder of 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 , and the , which exceed 50 linear feet and captures the earliest community-based planning activities in the islands.

• Related 糖心视频 News story: Urban planning emeritus professor shares life’s works, May 20, 2020

—By Arlene Abiang

A new pharmacist position was recently created within the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) with the support of faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) to broaden the role of pharmacy in safeguarding community health.

In February 2022, the agency hired Garrett Hino, a DKICP graduate and one of only two board-certified infectious disease pharmacists in the state. Hino will focus on promoting antimicrobial stewardship that includes appropriate use of antibiotics.

“Experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic magnified the need for strengthening DOH capacity to address emerging infectious diseases, such as healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance,” explained Enid V茅lez-Valle, an epidemiologist at DOH鈥檚 Disease Outbreak Control Division. “Our focus is to prioritize patient safety and quality improvement through direct engagement with Hawaiʻi鈥檚 healthcare facilities, such as acute care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.”

Public health pipeline

Since 2016, DKICP has supported the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs in the state by providing technical assistance and education for participating healthcare facilities.

“In this new position, I鈥檓 part of a DOH team working to establish a relationship with the staff at long-term care facilities and acute care hospitals around the state,” Hino said. ”Our goals are to optimize antimicrobial stewardship practices through better education, and to reduce the development of antimicrobial resistance that can occur from inappropriate antibiotic use. I鈥檓 really happy to be able to work in my home state and serve our local communities.”

Hino completed a BS in biology at 糖心视频 Hilo and graduated from DKICP in 2018. He was selected for a one-year residency at the college, and then went on to complete a two-year infectious disease fellowship at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California in 2021.

“The college has a long history working with the DOH on antimicrobial stewardship and COVID response, and we assisted in the development of a proposal to the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] for this new position,” explained Roy Goo, DKICP associate professor and chair of the department of pharmacy practice. “This new position is a result of our work and demonstration of the value of pharmacists in public health.”

According to Goo, the pharmacy school will continue providing oversight, strategic guidance and assistance in defining the scope of this role.

March marks “match madness” month at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) when graduating or recently graduated students applying for post-graduate programs receive first-round results from medical and educational institutions across the country. Fourteen DKICP students were selected and accepted invitations from participating programs.

This year鈥檚 round one results produced a strong showing for DKICP, with 50% of post-graduate year-one applicants matched, and two out of three post-graduate year-two applicants matched in the first round.

“These impressive results demonstrate the highest quality of these students鈥� academics, service and scholarship over their four-year career here,” said Miriam Mobley Smith, DKICP interim dean. “On behalf of the DKICP faculty and staff, we congratulate them all. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments.”

DKICP students offered postgraduate year-one residency

• Emmanuel Anozie, Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, Corvallis, Oregon
• Paige Cajudoy, VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center & Clinics, White City, Oregon
• Roanne Deabler, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
• Tiana Enos-Dano, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
• Ashely Fukuchi, VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, Loma Linda, California
• Yan Yee Ho, MultiCare Auburn Medical Center, Auburn, Washington
• Raha Hosseini, Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana
• Tiffany Lam, Phoenix VA Health Care System, Phoenix, Arizona
• Danh Ronald Nguyen, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
• Trisha Nobriga, Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center, Walla Walla, Washington
• Yun Soo Park, The Queen鈥檚 Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
• Patricia Stevens, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

DKICP students offered postgraduate year-two residency

• Noelle Lovesy, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Christian Macaspac, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, Maryland

Lifestyle changes can be critical to preventing the onset of diabetes, everything from modifying diet to minimizing stress levels. The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) is launching a free year-long program for prediabetic residents on Hawaiʻi Island to help foster practical change.

“This program was developed based on research done at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said Aryn Meguro, an assistant professor at DKICP. “Its goal is to help people who are prediabetic, or those who think they might be, to learn how to choose healthier foods, better manage stress and to incorporate exercise into their lives. Often, people need help to do that, and that鈥檚 what we, as lifestyle coaches, can provide. Other program participants can also be important sources of support.”

Meguro and Bryce Fukunaga, an assistant professor at DKICP will facilitate the program. Both are practicing pharmacists and lifestyle coaches certified through the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

The public is invited to an informational meeting on Monday, March 21, at 4 p.m. inside the pharmacy school鈥檚 Hale Kīhoʻihoʻi, Classroom A. Interested participants can or email: arynm@hawaii.edu. A prediabetes risk test will be administered at the March 21 meeting, which will determine whether interested participants are eligible for the program.

According to Fukunaga, the first six months of the program will be the most intense.

“We start with weekly in-person meetings to provide information and lay the groundwork for making lifestyle changes,” he explained. “Because weight loss is important in improving overall health of people with prediabetes, a program goal for participants is to lose 5% to 7% of their body weight in that first six months. In the second half of the program, we transition to meeting monthly and helping participants learn how to maintain healthier habits.”

Attendees will need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations or a negative test result.

The will welcome an interim dean to its pharmacy college on February 1. Veteran pharmacy academic Miriam Mobley Smith will officially step into the role at the 糖心视频 Hilo (DKICP) replacing Dean Carolyn Ma who is retiring this spring.

“This is a pivotal time for the future of DKICP, and it is imperative that we have an experienced administrator at the helm, even in the interim period,” said Kris Roney, 糖心视频 Hilo vice chancellor for academic affairs. “She has expressed considerable excitement about DKICP and is already contemplating spaces for revenue generation, budget correction and pathways into DKICP that we may not yet have explored fully.”

Mobley Smith earned her doctor of pharmacy with high honors at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she served in numerous faculty positions for more than 13 years. At Chicago State University, she held multiple roles within the pharmacy department, such as associate professor and dean until her retirement in 2015. She has continued her long-standing work with the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as an educational consultant and site reviewer.

Established in 2006, DKICP admitted its inaugural class in 2007, and is the only pharmacy college in the Pacific Rim.

The search for a permanent dean for the college is expected to commence in late summer.

First-year students took the Oath of a Pharmacist as part of the annual University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) White Coat Ceremony, held Sunday, October 17.

The ceremony signifies the rite of passage for students entering their first year in the professional program to affirm their commitment to the values of their profession, including professionalism, respect, integrity and compassion.

Attendance inside 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 Hale Kihoʻihoʻi was limited to pharmacy students and a small number of faculty and staff. Family and friends were able to .

Students were addressed by DKICP Dean Carolyn Ma, who shared her own personal story of growing up on Oʻahu and the emphasis her parents put on education in achieving personal goals. Ma stressed to students the importance of commitment to their new profession, challenges ahead and their commitment to helping maintain the health and wellbeing of others.

Rear Admiral (ret.) Pamela Schweitzer served as a keynote speaker at the induction ceremony. From 2014 to 2018, Schweitzer was the U.S. assistant surgeon general and 10th chief pharmacist officer of the U.S. Public Health Service.

“Pharmacists are now playing such a critical role during the pandemic by providing COVID testing and vaccine administration, and by ensuring uninterrupted delivery of routine pharmacy services,” Schweitzer said during her address. “The COVID-19 pandemic has been a game-changer for our profession, and you鈥檙e coming into it as this transformation comes to a peak.”

Schweitzer also encouraged students to help their family members in maneuvering through the healthcare system. “Everyone needs a healthcare advocate and you will become experts at this. COVID-19 has brought to the forefront the importance of having strong healthcare infrastructures in our communities. Many of you will be part of improving that infrastructure for years to come.”

Following the ceremony, a drive-by celebration was held for students on Aohōkū Street. The Class of 2025 includes many students from within the state of Hawaiʻi, the Continental U.S., American Sāmoa, Puerto Rico and South Korea.

Rat lungworm is a disease that has sickened nearly 100 people on Hawaiʻi Island throughout the past decade and is caused by a parasitic nematode (a kind of worm) found in the pulmonary arteries of rats. It is commonly transmitted to humans when parasite eggs in rat feces are eaten by snails or slugs, which are accidentally ingested by humans through unwashed produce or in water.

In an effort to increase public awareness of rat lungworm disease, and minimize risks of contracting it, a pharmaceutical sciences professor from the spearheaded publishing layperson friendly research and an informational video.

“Research on ways to reduce human risk of infection is also critical, including mechanisms and tools to better educate the public,” said Professor Susan Jarvi, of 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 . “That鈥檚 why we felt it was important to share the results of these scientific studies with the general population in a less technical, more accessible format.”

The 40-page publication is available in a reader-friendly format in featuring a variety of topics related to the disease.

Jarvi鈥檚 latest publication is the result of research summarized by scientists from eight countries who presented their findings at the 6th International Workshop on Angiostrongylus and Angiostrongyliasis in Hilo in January 2020. According to Jarvi, who also serves as head of the Hawaiʻi Island Rat Lungworm Working Group, international workshops held every two to three years are crucial for advancing research and knowledge regarding diagnosis and treatment. The events also help hone in on research relating to infection and transmission levels in humans, and the expanding range of infection in non-human species.

Online program available

糖心视频 Hilo is currently offering an online education program on rat lungworm disease prevention. Jarvi and researcher Kay Howe lead a course on the parasite鈥檚 life cycle and how to reduce risk of infection. The course is available to the public and also includes continuing education credits for healthcare professionals. Learn more about the program at the .

• Related 糖心视频 News stories:
  • Environmental factors, species influence rat lungworm infection in snails, February 26, 2021
  • Rat lungworm treatment guidelines updated, February 9, 2021
  • New preliminary rat lungworm treatment guidelines, August 31, 2018

Startling data shows drug overdose deaths in Hawaiʻi account for nearly one-quarter of all fatal injuries, including deaths from prescription opioids. It鈥檚 statistics like this, gathered by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH), that motivated a professor to join an expert panel for a televised special on how to prevent these deaths.

On August 31, Roy Goo, an associate professor at the 糖心视频 Hilo will be featured on a 30-minute program, Overdose Awareness: Prevention and Education set to air on KHON–TV.

“One of the biggest challenges surrounding this issue is in overcoming the social stigma that surrounds drug overdoses,” said Goo. “Addiction needs to be viewed as a disease, and we need to address the underlying issues causing it, like we would with any disease. Medications are often only one part of a treatment plan.”

• Related 糖心视频 News story: College of Pharmacy boosts fight against opioids in Hawaiʻi, May 10, 2019

Goo will join panelists from the healthcare industry, DOH and community advocacy groups to focus on factors that can lead to overdoses, substance identification and resources available for those at risk.

Goo serves as co-chair of the Hawaiʻi Opioid Initiative鈥檚 Prescriber Education and Pain Management working group. The group鈥檚 objectives include developing an increased understanding of the benefits and risks of opioids, increased awareness of unsafe opioid use, expanded patient use of alternative treatment options and improved patient access to overdose treatment.

In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, the program will air twice, at 7:30 p.m. on KHII and at 9:30 p.m. on KHON.

A series of free webinars on a variety of healthcare topics is being offered to the public in April and May. The webinars have been developed and are being presented by students of the (DKICP) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, with the guidance of Roy Goo, DKICP associate professor and Pharmacy Practice Department chair.

“The ability of our students and faculty to interact with the community has been limited by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that鈥檚 likely to continue for the foreseeable future,” Goo said. “So just as healthcare, in general, is shifting its model of care to more remote contact, we are doing the same thing in education. We have to continue to fulfill the mission of our college to increase health literacy.”

In fall 2020, two DKICP students conducted a webinar about COVID-19. The presentation was so popular the college decided to host additional webinars and broaden the subject areas.

• Related 糖心视频 News story: Pharmacy students to hit airwaves with health tips, March 5, 2021

Second-year pharmacy student Michael Abundo wanted to provide answers to the most common questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. He and fellow DKICP student Lillian Tran will be addressing those concerns in their webinar, The Truth About Vaccines.

“There have been distortions and misinformation about vaccines on social media and in the news, and we want to address these using evidence-based data,” Abundo said. “I hope our webinar will educate viewers about the safety and advantages of vaccines.”

Samantha Okubo, a third-year pharmacy student, is conducting a webinar about sexually transmitted infections (STI) and pregnancy prevention, and said her goal is to provide viewers with basic information about STIs, where to go for help and what to ask. “I also want them to be aware of their confidentiality rights and their options for testing and treatment.”

All webinars are free to the public but interested participants need to register ahead of time to receive the webinar link.

Webinars include:

• Tuesday, April 13, 12 p.m.
  Protecting yourself from STI and pregnancy by knowing your rights and options
  Sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention can seem alarming and uncomfortable, but the right knowledge can keep you safe and prepared.
  

• Thursday, April 15, 12 p.m.
  The truth about vaccines
  Are vaccines safe? Can they make you sick? There are many questions you might ask when you are considering a vaccine for yourself. DKICP students will provide answers.
  

• Wednesday, May 12 , 12 p.m.
  Relieving cold symptoms
  There is nothing worse than waking up with a cold. When should you treat it and what options are appropriate? Student pharmacists will help to educate you on what鈥檚 most effective.
  

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) celebrated its March Match Day when graduating or recently graduated students applying for post-graduate programs received first-round results from medical and educational institutions across the country. A dozen DKICP students were selected and accepted invitations from participating programs.

“Residency match is a highly competitive process and occurs in two rounds, the first in late March, and a second in April,” explained DKICP Dean Carolyn Ma. “This year, 12 of the 24 DKICP students applying for residencies were matched in the first round. These impressive results demonstrate the high-quality of academics, service and scholarship these students achieved over their four years here.”

According to DKICP, two students accepted fellowships at highly-competitive postgraduate programs, making this year鈥檚 March Match results even more exceptional.

Karmen Wong was accepted into the world-renowned Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program, which partners with leading pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies. She was one of 159 PharmD Fellows selected from 950 applications and will take part in training to develop leadership in various areas of drug development, including clinical trial planning and execution, pharmacovigilance and safety, medical strategy and regulatory affairs.

Qixin (Sandy) Li, has been accepted into the Bayer and University of Washington Health Economics and Outcomes Research Fellow Program. The two-year program provides training and hands-on experience in a broad range of topics, and is structured to allow the fellow to gain proficiency in academic and pharmaceutical industry settings.

DKICP students offered postgraduate year-one residency:

• Nichole Chaffin, Providence St. Peter Hospital, Olympia, Wash.
• Brooke Higa, VA Sierra Nevada Healthcare System, Reno, Nev.
• Raha Hosseini, Western Arizona Regional Medical Center, Bullhead City, Ariz.
• Feng Ming Huang, Western Arizona Regional Medical Center, Bullhead City, Ariz.
• Noelle Lovesy, Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, Calif.
• Christian Macaspac, VA Maryland Health Care, Baltimore, Md.
• Shahrzad Mohammadi, VA Sierra Nevada Healthcare System, Reno, Nev.
• Kimo Okamoto, 糖心视频 Hilo, Hilo, HI
• Henry Quach, San Francisco VA Health Care System, San Francisco, Calif.
• Tiana E. Ramos, CHI St. Alexius Health Mandan Pharmacy, Mandan, N.D.
• Donald Waddell, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, Wash.

DKICP students offered postgraduate year-two residency:

• Taylor Hori, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, Mo.

A nationally recognized group of interdisciplinary health care professionals and educators, who are called on to serve as advisors to policy makers in Congress, welcomed the pharmacy college dean into its ranks.

Dean Carolyn Ma was inducted into the (NAP) as a Class of 2021 distinguished practitioner and fellow. NAP fellowship is extended to those who have excelled in their profession and are dedicated to furthering interprofessional practice, scholarship and policy in support of interprofessional care.

Ma鈥檚 membership was made official during a virtual awards and induction ceremony on March 20.

“Since the beginning of my pharmacy career as an oncology pharmacy specialist, interprofessional patient care has proven to be the best approach for quality patient care,” Ma noted. “As part of the 鲍贬鈥檚 Center for Health Sciences and Social Work, this amazing experience with my fellow deans, directors and health care colleagues supports a strong foundation to expand on this critical work representing Hawaiʻi on a national level.”

• Related 糖心视频 News story: Carolyn Ma appointed 糖心视频 Hilo dean of pharmacy, September 23, 2016

NAP will have a virtual day on Capitol Hill on April 21, 2021 where interprofessional teams comprised of distinguished fellows will meet with congressional members to discuss this year’s topic of telehealth.

More about NAP

Founded in 1981, NAP is an interprofessional organization with membership representing a range of health care professions. The 14 academies of practice within NAP include: allopathic and osteopathic medicine, athletic training, audiology, dentistry, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, podiatric medicine, psychology, social work, speech-language pathology and veterinary medicine.

During the month of March, students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) will broadcast health tips on Hawaiʻi Island radio stations and through social media. This inaugural campaign provides students an alternative for in-person community outreach, such as the annual DKICP health fair held every October at Prince K奴hi艒 Plaza in Hilo.

DKICP has partnered with New West Broadcasting Corp., which will air the weekly 30-second educational health messages beginning March 8 on five radio stations, including: KWXX 94.7 FM Hilo, KAOY 101.5 FM (KWXX Kona), KNWB (B97.1 FM Hilo), KMWB (B93.1 FM Kona) and KPUA 670 AM.

• Week of March 8: Controlling hypertension, presented by student Cierralyn Cabral
• Week of March 15: Avoiding hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), presented by student Debra Towell
• Week of March 22: Importance of exercise and healthy diet, presented by student Katie Heyer
• Week of March 29: Proper medication disposal, presented by students Judhea Mae Campollo and Cheyenne Garretson

Students are also posting weekly health tips, including more detailed information on each of these topics, on the college’s and pages.

• Related 糖心视频 News story: 糖心视频 Hilo pharmacy students assist with on-campus COVID-19 testing, September 3, 2020

Tracey Niimi put aside his student support specialist hat at University of Hawaiʻi at 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 to direct and film the 2021 Hula Bowl halftime show. The coveted college all-star football game on January 31 was the final one scheduled to be played at Aloha Stadium.

The opportunity came as a surprise to Niimi who received a call from a Hula Bowl representative about his video skills. The Hilo native owns a local photography company, but filming for a living is a fairly new field.

“My wife and I both graduated from 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 back in 2011 before starting our photography business,” Niimi explained. “When COVID-19 hit this past year I had to pivot our business and I started doing video production as well.”

Because no spectators were allowed to attend the game, organizers asked Niimi to film the halftime show ahead of time.

The four-and-a-half-minute segment was shot at Kahilu Theatre on Hawaiʻi Island and featured iconic Hawaiian fashion designer Manaola Yap and Hālau Manaola. The award-winning hula troupe falls under the direction of Kumu Hula Nani Lim Yap, the designer鈥檚 mother. The young trendsetter narrated a poetic monologue on what hula means to him while dancers performed A Koaʻekea I Pueohulunui.

“Everyone in hula has their own perspective on what hula is so I wanted to respect that and share what hula is to me through what I was taught while growing up,” Yap said. “Around the world, the view of what hula is has been different. This halftime show is about taking back that cultural narrative and helping the audience to experience the true meaning, essence and power that hula is.”

To help capture the culturally charged production Niimi assembled an entire team of local videographers including 糖心视频 Hilo alumni, Kevin Fujitani and Reid Kubo, an information technology specialist at the Hawaiʻi Island campus鈥� pharmacy school.

“I think we all felt that weight of responsibility to our community to create a piece that not only properly represented the Hawaiian culture, but was a piece that our entire state would be proud of sharing with the rest of our country,” Niimi said.

The 75th Hula Bowl aired in January on CBS Sports Network and streamed on the CBS Sports App.

—By Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of 糖心视频 Hilo Stories

Former Hawaiʻi County Mayor Billy Kenoi, 52, died January 26, after a long battle with leukemia.

Kenoi started his post-secondary education at Hawaiʻi Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo before transferring to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He later earned a law degree from 糖心视频 Mānoa鈥檚 William S. Richardson School of Law.

He went on to become a public defender in Hawaiʻi courts and moved into politics, becoming Hawaiʻi County mayor at age 39. Kenoi also worked as a lecturer at Hawaiʻi CC 2004–09 and again 2017–18.

“On behalf of the entire 糖心视频 Hilo community, I extend my deepest condolences to Billy Kenoi’s ʻohana, colleagues and friends,” 糖心视频 Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin said. “Our island is mourning the loss of an exemplar of community servant leadership, and our university mourns the passing of a friend and supporter.”

“My condolences go out to Billy鈥檚 wife and children and the rest of his family and friends,” 糖心视频 President David Lassner said. “It was truly a joy whenever I could spend time with him. Billy was a strong supporter of our university and took great pride in being a 糖心视频 alum. His generosity of spirit, gracious local manner, passion for our community, love of Hawaiʻi and of course his humor will be deeply missed.”

“My deepest condolences go out to Billy Kenoi’s ʻohana,,” said Hawaiʻi Community College Chancellor Rachel Solemsaas. “Billy believed deeply in the power of education to transform lives, and we were honored to have him as an instructor and member of our Kauhale. He was a great supporter of our students and the unique mission of community colleges, and he spread the message far and wide that anyone who has a dream, believes in themselves, and puts in the work can achieve great things. That’s a powerful legacy to leave behind.”

Kenoi was well-known for his powerful speeches that were full of passion, humor and pidgin English.

He addressed 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 College of Pharmacy Class of 2012 at their White Coat Ceremony stating: “Never ever doubt yourself, you got here already. All you got to do is keep doing what you did to get you here in the first place. You already know how to succeed. That’s why you are here.”

Kenoi is survived by his wife, Takako, and their three children. Memorial services are pending.

A COVID-19 vaccine clinic held on the campus on Saturday, January 16, vaccinated approximately 600 people. The vaccines were given to 糖心视频 health science faculty, staff and students who provide direct patient care or are considered post-secondary essential workers and first responders. 糖心视频 hosted the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) Point of Distribution (POD), which also serviced some K–12 frontline essential workers, including school nurses and those caring for medically fragile students.

“糖心视频 health science faculty from the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补, 糖心视频 Hilo and Kapioiʻlani Community College organized quickly with DOH to deliver the vaccine to frontline essential worker students and faculty while providing valuable clinical learning experiences for our students,” said Mary G. Boland, 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 dean. “POD clinics are a multifaceted, complex operation that demonstrate the importance of interprofessional education, teamwork and collaboration. Our students are getting real-time education in pandemic preparedness and disaster response.”

The event was coordinated by the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, John A. Burns School of Medicine and the 糖心视频 Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, in partnership with the DOH and the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency. Volunteers staffing the event represented coordinating 糖心视频 departments, Hawaiʻi state agencies, the Hawaiʻi Medical Reserve Corps, and faculty and students from Kapioʻlani CC health science departments.

• Related 糖心视频 News story: President Lassner: Vaccination planning underway, January 14, 2021

This effort is an example of 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

The pharmacy college at the launched an online resource in January for prospective students and the public to learn more about career options in the pharmacy profession.

The has information and digital activities for 18 different careers including retail, academia, clinical pharmacy, nuclear pharmacy, managed care, biotechnology and more. Users can navigate through activities for an interactive experience in the pharmacy field while also learning more about 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 .

• Related 糖心视频 News story: 糖心视频 Hilo College of Pharmacy building dedicated, December 4, 2019

Lara Gomez, associate dean for academic affairs at the college, is spearheading the new project.

“As this is a recruitment tool, [the college] will be able to stay connected to those who chose to engage in the activities which can lead to a more personalized approach to recruitment,” Gomez said. “[For] example, if we notice a student engaged in the ambulatory care pharmacy module, we could tailor our approach to the prospective student and possibly connect them with an ambulatory care pharmacist if they had specific questions.”

Tracey Niimi, student support specialist at the college, said prospective students, high school and college alike, often see the pharmacy profession as only existing in community pharmacies, such as those found in grocery stores.

“But the profession offers so much more than that,” Niimi said. “In fact, pharmacy is arguably one of the most broad areas of health care you can go into because pharmacists work in many areas other than community pharmacies like hospitals, clinics, pharmaceutical companies, public health, government and higher education, just to name a few. Each of those areas have many different specialties.”

Users can navigate through the activities at their own pace on their own time. Registration is required.

—By Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of 糖心视频 Hilo Stories.

The University of Hawaiʻi is providing up to 1,000 volunteers, facilities and resources from Kauaʻi to Hawaiʻi Island to support the implementation of the State of Hawaiʻi COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. The state鈥檚 10-campus public higher education system and the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement that formalizes the significant contribution 糖心视频 faculty, staff, and students will make in providing the COVID-19 vaccines to the people of Hawaiʻi.

“The University of Hawaiʻi is honored to be a part of this important effort, which builds on the longstanding and strong relationship we have had with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health,” said 糖心视频 President David Lassner. “We all need to work together to bring this devastating pandemic under control.”

“Our goal is to safely vaccinate the people of Hawaiʻi as quickly and safely as possible,” said DOH Director Elizabeth Char. “This partnership will help us realize this goal. 糖心视频 has long been an important partner in providing for the health and wellbeing of our community and our state.”

1,000 health professionals and students able to serve

糖心视频 and the DOH have identified university health professionals, along with their students, who may be able and qualified to assist with the State鈥檚 vaccination effort. These volunteers are needed to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of Hawaiʻi residents over the months to come. At this time, only students enrolled in health care programs can volunteer, with initial assistance coming from the John A. Burns School of Medicine, 糖心视频 Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy and the nursing programs at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补, 糖心视频 Hilo, 糖心视频 Maui College, Kapiʻolani Community College, Kauaʻi CC and Hawaiʻi CC. 糖心视频 students and faculty from these health programs will serve as vaccine preparers, vaccinators, monitors for immediate side effects, or in other support roles. Several 糖心视频 faculty have played leadership roles within the State鈥檚 response and are assisting in the development of the state vaccination plan.

“The work of the student volunteers will not only contribute to the state驶s effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, it will also provide valuable and unique pandemic response and public health training and education,” said Kristine Qureshi, associate dean for research and global health at the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene.

糖心视频 faculty have already been volunteering since March 2020 to assist the State鈥檚 COVID-19 response. Many 糖心视频 faculty and staff who are licensed healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses and pharmacists, have been frontline health care providers. Other 糖心视频 faculty have been sharing research, public health, policy, and clinical expertise.

糖心视频 campuses also providing equipment, resources and facilities

Upon request by the State or Counties, the university will help provide facilities or equipment to supplement vaccination activities that are being coordinated among numerous agencies including the hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Some 糖心视频 campuses will serve as closed Point of Distribution (POD) sites where vaccines will be given to persons identified by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and State in priority order for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Operational plans are being developed and refined as the State receives notification about weekly vaccine shipments.

Vaccines for 糖心视频 employees, vaccine education initiatives

糖心视频 volunteers may also have the option to be vaccinated at the POD sites. Many 糖心视频 direct health care providers have already started to receive the vaccine at their affiliated hospitals. Other members of the 糖心视频 community will fall into priority populations and may have opportunities to be vaccinated as early as February.

At the request of DOH, the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene is developing and conducting training for those involved in Hawaiʻi鈥檚 vaccination program. 糖心视频 programs in the health professions will also be providing educational sessions for other university units, the state’s nursing and pharmacy communities and the general public.

“Playing a major part in the state鈥檚 vaccination efforts is just the latest example of 糖心视频 assisting in this time of crisis,” said Lassner. “I am proud of our 糖心视频 vaccination team co-leads, Dr. Lee Buenconsejo-Lum and Dr. Kristine Qureshi from 糖心视频 Manoa, as well as Dr. Carolyn Ma from 糖心视频 Hilo. Members of our 糖心视频 community have done everything from working alongside government officials on the COVID-19 frontlines, to researching every aspect of the pandemic and our response to engaging in community service across the state to help those in need. This holiday season provides a lasting reminder of how strong we can be when we come together to care for one another.”

Health care leaders here at home and around the world recognize that teamwork is critical to the delivery of safe patient care while recognizing that such efforts do not come naturally to health sciences students or practitioners who are trained with distinctly different philosophical worldviews to meet specific roles. Anchored by the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 糖心视频 Translational Health Science Simulation Center (THSSC), the Hawaiʻi Interprofessional Education (HIPE) program prepares 糖心视频 health sciences students for team-based practice to improve health care quality and value in Hawaiʻi.

Team-based learning will translate into safe, quality care for our community.
—Mary G. Boland, 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Nursing Dean

has committed $1 million to support the statewide expansion of Interprofessional Education (IPE) at 糖心视频 and to establish the endowed HMSA Distinguished Professorship in IPE to provide the leadership, expertise and research needed to implement and advance the HIPE program. This gift will create an infrastructure that supports and coordinates innovative experiential team-based learning experiences, while supporting the expansion of the IPE program and building on the past successes of HIPE.

“This initiative is aligned with HMSA鈥檚 mission to create a healthier Hawaiʻi,“ said HMSA President and CEO Mark Mugiishi. “The transition to focus on team-based care will lead to improved patient safety and care, which will ultimately transform our health care system.”

“We are grateful for HMSA Foundation鈥檚 commitment to enhancing interprofessional education for 糖心视频 students. Team-based learning will translate into safe, quality care for our community,” said Mary G. Boland, dean and professor of 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene. “Our 糖心视频 students will be better practitioners with the skills needed to work together in the constantly changing and dynamic healthcare landscape.”

Preparing students for team-based practice

The World Health Organization defines interprofessional education as when students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes. Students from the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, of Medicine, , , 糖心视频 Hilo , and other 糖心视频 health professions participate in HIPE learning experiences. The mission of the HIPE program is to prepare all health profession students to collaborate in teams to provide a safe, effective and sustainable patient/consumer-centered and community/population oriented health care system.

“Interprofessional education has taught me that while I will have a specific role as a pharmacist, I will be able to partner with my colleagues in other professions so we can build on the strengths of each other to provide patient care,” said Josephine K.S. McDonald, a 糖心视频 Hilo College of Pharmacy student pharmacist. “By working together, we can provide our patients with optimal care.”

The demand for effective teamwork and collaboration is growing very rapidly and there is a sense of urgency, beyond national accreditation requirements, to prepare students for team-based practice to improve healthcare quality and value. Building capacity in teamwork and collaboration is a key to transforming the delivery of healthcare.

Since 2016, the HIPE program has delivered year-round technology supporting simulated learning experiences to prepare students for team-based practice. The IPE curriculum is built on the Interprofessional Collaboration Core Competency model and provides a clear path for the involvement of nursing, pharmacy and medicine, with social work and public health to focus on the overall improvement of health for the people of Hawaiʻi.

“As a practicing nurse, the interprofessional education I received from 糖心视频 reinforced the idea that I have resources available to me and alleviates the pressure of feeling like I have to know everything,” said Dennis Ho, a 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Nursing master鈥檚 degree student. “The interprofessional learning opportunities at 糖心视频 gave me the experience and tools to effectively operate within a patient-centered care team.”

With the expansion of the HIPE program, 糖心视频 plans to create a statewide advisory committee comprised of the 糖心视频 health care professional schools and allied health programs, community representatives and local health care agencies.

Interprofessional education at 糖心视频 is anchored at the . .

For inquiries about giving to 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Nursing, please contact Karla Zarate-Ramirez, associate VP, Major Gifts at (808) 956-2906 or email Karla.Zarate-Ramirez@uhfoundation.org.

Mikiala Maynard has been spending the past few weekends with her daughter observing and collecting data on public mask usage in her community on Maui. She is among 70 University of Hawaiʻi student volunteers who are learning about public health while serving their communities in a statewide project that tracks how well Hawaiʻi residents are adopting face mask-wearing behavior in public places. The project, expected to run until January 2021, is still seeking volunteers on all islands.

“I hope to gain more experience in the community setting, which will allow me to better address future patients based on their unique needs,” said Maynard, a 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 nursing student who is currently studying remotely on Maui. “It has allowed me to instill the importance of community service to my daughter and reinforced the need to continue wearing masks properly, to lead by example. It has become a ritual we both enjoy and look forward to.”

Launched in late August, the collaborative project was developed by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (HIDOH) and faculty at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补驶s (SONDH). Once a week, volunteers throughout the state gather mask-wearing data from residents of Honolulu, Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island counties using a smartphone app developed by the . The data is then submitted to HIDOH where weekly reports are generated as a community prevention metric for the state鈥檚 .

“I think it鈥檚 important to let people see how our communities are doing in regards to wearing masks. Hopefully having this information available will encourage everyone to continue taking this simple step to keep each other safe,” said Gary Glauberman, program director of SONDH鈥檚 Advanced Population Health Nursing master鈥檚 program, who has been recruiting student volunteers from the 糖心视频 campuses.

Information being collected include: “Wearing Face Mask Correctly,” “Wearing Face Mask Incorrectly,” or “No Mask.” Wearing a face mask correctly means that the face mask completely covers the person鈥檚 nose and chin. Volunteers collect data for two hours or until 100 individuals are counted.

The volunteers come from multiple 糖心视频 campuses, including 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补, Kauaʻi Community College, 糖心视频 Maui College and 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, as well as community groups such as the Hawaiʻi State Medical Reserve Corps and the Rotary Club.

Learning while serving

“We felt this project was an excellent opportunity for students to learn about public health and serve our community at the same time,” said Glauberman. “By participating as volunteers, students gain experience as data collectors in the field, contributing information that will be used to inform public health activity. I believe this to be an empowering experience for students, to see how their individual efforts can collectively serve to inform public health action in our state.”

Glauberman works in collaboration with HIDOH project lead and Kauaʻi District Health Officer, Janet Berreman. Glauberman gives online orientations for the volunteers prior to conducting observations. The orientations provide information regarding the aim of the project, how to record observations and use the app, and safety tips. Each volunteer is required to wear a mask while making their observations, both for safety reasons, and to serve as good role models for the community. In teams of two, they conduct observations at various sites across the state.

“When the idea about the project came out, I thought that it would be very interesting to see the statistics for 翱驶补丑耻,” said Tatiana Strezoski, a 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 nursing student expected to graduate in spring 2021.

“I observed and advised a friend of their incorrect mask usage and was surprised she declined to pull her mask up, even after providing her tips on correct usage and explaining its importance. That made me interested in how to present the information to people so that they will be motivated to properly wear the masks,” Strezoski explained.

For more information on how to volunteer, contact Glauberman at (808) 277-3542 or glauberm@hawaii.edu.

Students from the (DKICP) are getting real-life experience assisting at COVID-19 screening events on the campus. The four testing events, held in the Vulcan Gym, are being conducted by Premier Medical Group and are open to the 糖心视频 Hilo community and general public.

On August 21, several hundred people did the simple nasal swab procedure and are expected to receive their results by mail in three to five days. DKICP students assisted with collecting screening paperwork, checking vital signs, managing traffic flow and sanitizing all resources between each person.

Participating pharmacy students were Steve Aluoch, Marie Cidera, Kendrick Dalmacio, Tiana Enos-Dano, Jayden Kim, Tristan Magdalera, Analeslie Martinez, Madalyn McCaulley, Daijiro Oshitari and Tricia Stevens.

“I would absolutely go back and help out at another screening event,” said Stevens, a third-year DKICP student. “Volunteers are a valuable resource, especially during these uncharted waters. As the healthcare system works to solve the COVID-19 crisis, student pharmacists are able to step up and fill vital roles that make this process available to the community.”

Stevens underwent deep nasal swab testing twice and said the experience was swift and felt like a tickle deep into her nose. “The nurses were very comforting through the whole process,” she explained.

Upcoming COVID-19 testing is scheduled for September 18 and October 2.

—Story from the .

A new certificate program in will launch this fall at the . Development of the program was facilitated by 糖心视频 Hilo , with collaboration among the , the , and the (KES), where it will be housed. It is an interdisciplinary certificate that includes courses provided by and the departments of , , sociology, and KES.

“The Indigenous public health certificate will provide students with an understanding of the purpose and practice of public health, Indigenous communities鈥� practices of health and well-being, and/or conventional and traditional health perspectives,” explained Misty Pacheco, KES chair and associate professor. “Students will become familiar with public health principles and gain an appreciation of Indigenous health concerns, including Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, as well as other groups.”

Students in the program will also learn about the purpose and practice of public health, compare conventional and traditional health perspectives, and understand indigenous health concerns and disparities.

“We have also seen the disproportionate effect COVID-19 has had on indigenous populations around the world, and are once again reminded that we must consider the specific needs and priorities of indigenous communities,” Pacheco said. “One thing that is glaringly clear, and which practically everyone can universally agree upon, is the importance of public health. The critical need for a strong public health infrastructure across all systems, as well as a trained public health workforce has been reinforced.”

Pacheco credits staff at the K墨puka Native Hawaiian Student Center and KESfaculty for recognizing the need for the program long before the pandemic.

—By Susan Enright

A third-year pharmacy student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) won the national competition.

Henry Quach, who competed against students from pharmacy schools across the country, will receive a plaque and $1,000 prize. As this year鈥檚 national winner, Quach will return to help judge next year鈥檚 APhA competition.

The national counseling competition is designed to encourage student pharmacists to develop their skills as healthcare providers and educators. The contest mimics a patient picking up medication for the first time and requires participants to counsel the patient on safe and effective drug use. This year鈥檚 final round of competition involved the scenario of a mother picking up medication for her young son.

“She showed some signs of concern and anxiousness, but was very responsive to learning about the medication,” Quach said.

Quach developed some of his counseling skills by serving as the lead on-site chair for , an organization manned by DKICP students, to conduct health screenings and educate local residents about issues relating to chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Jarred Prudencio, DKICP assistant professor of pharmacy practice, also played a big role in helping him prepare for the contest. “I don鈥檛 think I could have done it without all of his help and encouragement,” Quach added.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

For the first time, the Hawaiʻi Interprofessional Team Collaboration Simulation was held online to simulate interprofessional discharge planning. The one-day session held on Thursday, April 2, provided 118 University of Hawaiʻi health science students the opportunity to work as a team, planning care for a simulated geriatric client.

Typically, the event is conducted at the (糖心视频 THSSC) located at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Nursing. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 糖心视频 THSSC staff quickly converted the event to an online format.

The students come from various health science units at 糖心视频, including the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 , , Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, and 糖心视频 Hilo .

The School of Social Work was instrumental in the implementation of Zoom breakout rooms. Using Zoom, students broke out into small groups of interprofessional teams to create discharge plans for a geriatric patient with multiple medical problems. Working as a team and relying on each profession鈥檚 specialized focus, groups developed discharge plans for the patient to ensure a successful transition home.

Following the planning, student teams conducted a live discharge meeting with a family member of the geriatric client. The actor playing the role of the family member was a graduate student from the HealthCAST program, a collaboration of 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 nursing and the and Dance. The simulation activity allowed students to develop their teamwork and communication skills.

“In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact that we are starting to see emerge in Hawaiʻi, the Hawaii Interprofessional Education (HIPE) committee and I firmly believed in the importance of moving this simulation online to provide our students with this valuable learning experience,” said Lorrie Wong, director of 糖心视频 Translational Health Science Simulation Center and member of the HIPE committee. “Now more than ever, effective and efficient interprofessional team approaches are necessary to ensure the delivery of quality and safe patient-centered care.”

The HIPE committee was created by the 糖心视频 Council of Health Sciences. HIPE expands cross-school collaboration in education, strengthens areas of common interest and provides an open forum to address health and social welfare-related issues in education.

Students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo shared facts and simple tips about COVID-19 aimed at helping prevent the spread of the virus.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) celebrated the dedication of the college鈥檚 new permanent building in 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 University Research Park on December 4, 2019.

The $31-million, 45,000-square-foot, two-story building features a unique and contemporary design by WCIT Architecture including classrooms that accommodate applied learning, high-fidelity simulations and distance audio/visual communications. It also includes multiple lab spaces, a simulated pharmacy facility, faculty and staff offices, a student community center and study areas. The building aims to meet the requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.

“As the only College of Pharmacy in the Pacific Rim, we are the academic cornerstone for the most advanced level of pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical science research,” said DKICP Dean Carolyn Ma. “Our students, taught by our exceptional faculty and supported by dedicated staff, can continue living our mission to improve the health throughout the State of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Rim.”

The current student body of 300 represents one of the most diverse academic populations in the country: 60 percent from Hawaiʻi, with 40 percent from 24 U.S. states, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Kenya, South Korea and Taiwan. Classes will be held in the new building beginning in January 2020.

“It was a very emotional day for me to see this building here after all of the work that everyone has put into it,” said DKICP student Lillian Tran. “Not only is this building concrete, I don鈥檛 know if they realize they鈥檝e made so many people鈥檚 dreams also become concrete.”

• Related 糖心视频 Hilo Stories article: , December 5, 2019

Speakers and distinguished attendees at the dedication event included 糖心视频 President David Lassner, 糖心视频 Regent Wayne Higaki, 糖心视频 Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin, Ken Inouye and Irene Hirano-Inouye representing the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Jessica Toyama, president of the inaugural class of 2011, and others. The blessing ceremony was led by Kumu Moses Crabbe and the 糖心视频 Hilo Kīpaepae Committee.

Established in 2006, DKICP admitted its inaugural class in 2007, and has graduated 744 doctor of pharmacy students and five doctor of philosophy students.

“It鈥檚 amazing to finally see Daniel K. Inouye鈥檚 vision come to life,” said DKICP student Shane Naeole. “I am so honored to be a part of it, being native Hawaiian, and being able to connect to my culture with my future profession.”

A teaching team from the at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 (JABSOM) won a LIMElight award for Sustained Excellence in Indigenous Health Curriculum Implementation. The award recognizes “outstanding approaches to the implementation of indigenous health content in medical curricula, which are sustained and supported by evidenced-based processes.”

The award recognized the 13-year effort of the C3 (which refers to “cultural competency curriculum”) team at JABSOM to build an integrated cultural competency curriculum, centered on Native Hawaiian health.Through team efforts, a single cultural immersion weekend has expanded across the first three years of medical school to incorporate a series of workshops (colloquia), didactic lectures, electives, immersive experiences, a longitudinal problem-based learning case that incorporates a standardized patient exercise, in addition to residency teaching workshops.

The LIMElight awards are presented at the biannual conference, an international gathering of medical educators focused on Indigenous health. The conference includes academics and practitioners, as well as other stakeholders such as policymakers, indigenous students and community members. They recognize “the significant and outstanding work that staff, students and medical schools undertake in teaching and learning of Indigenous health, as well as student recruitment and support.”

This year, the 8th LIME Connection took place November 5–8 in Christchurch, New Zealand and was hosted by the University of Otago. Conference speakers and attendees included both indigenous and non-indigenous experts from Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Hawaiʻi, Canada and the U.S.

Martina Kamaka, project director and lead team member, says that this award is quite an honor as it was “given out by our peers in the field of indigenous health education” and it acknowledges and validates their hard work on an international level.

She said the two faculty members who attended LIME this year, Dee-Ann Carpenter and Vanessa Wong are C3 team members and that other faculty in attendance, Malia Lee and Kelli-Ann Voloch from JABSOM and Wesley Sumida from the , have assisted in teaching parts of the curriculum. Other 糖心视频 C3 team members include: S. Kalani Brady, Malina Kaulukukui, Gregory Maskarinec, Bill Ahuna, LeShay Keliiholokai, Diane Paloma, Maria Chun and Tiffnie Kakalia.

Read more on the .

—By Tina Shelton

Forty-eight first-year student pharmacists recited the Oath of a Pharmacist at the 鈥檚 (DKICP) White Coat Ceremony on October 13, in the 糖心视频 Hilo Performing Arts Center.

The ceremony signifies the rite of passage for students entering their first year in the professional program to affirm their commitment to the values of their profession, including professionalism, respect, integrity and compassion.

糖心视频 Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin said, “I am proud of our students and grateful for the fact that they are going into a health profession where they can epitomize our mission of serving the region and the state with well qualified graduates.”

performed the mele hoʻokipa, or welcoming chant, Ua Ao Hawaiʻi.

For the first time at a White Coat Ceremony, faculty, staff and students performed Oi Ola Wai Honua, written by Taupouri Tangaro, director of Hawaiian culture and protocols engagement for 糖心视频 Hilo and . The oli, a Hawaiian chant, was introduced at the Class of 2019 graduation dinner and will be performed at all future DKICP events.

student Joshua Villaro wanted to become a doctor but needed serious, specific academic advising on how to get into medical school. So, in 2017, he turned to the 糖心视频 (PAC), which offers informational events and workshops like one on the at the (JABSOM).

It was the first time Villaro learned of ʻImi Hoʻōla, a 12-month post-baccalaureate program in the designed to provide educational opportunities to students from disadvantaged backgrounds deemed capable of succeeding in medical school.

“The workshops were invaluable in providing me guidance for my medical school journey, as well as introducing me to the ʻImi Program,” said Villaro. “I am very grateful to PAC.”

Chalk up another success story for the center under the . PAC holds a series of pre-health and pre-law workshops every September and October at 糖心视频 Mānoa, with events offered in collaboration with the . The events are intended to help college students and non-traditional applicants explore, prepare for and apply to schools in health fields like medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, and the law.

PAC’s services and workshops are open to the public.

“Before deciding if a career in law or health is right for them, we want students to learn about these fields and what it takes to be competitive for these types of schools,” said PAC Director Kiana Shiroma.

Upcoming workshops in pre-health are Pre-Medical Orientation, Practice for Your Interview and Health Professionals Panel, while those in pre-law include Applying to Law School, LSAT 101 and Financing Your Legal Education.

“These workshops will help attendees learn more about various fields and ensure that they are taking the correct prerequisite courses, as well as gaining valuable experience and honing skills that will help them prepare for a career in health or law,” said Shiroma. “These events will also help attendees prepare their best applications possible to enter professional schools,” said Shiroma. 糖心视频 professional schools include JABSOM, William S. Richardson School of Law, Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work’s Office of Public Health Studies and the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy on Hawaiʻi Island.

Schedule an , call (808) 956-8646 for more info, or walk into the at Sinclair Library room 108.

.

The (NCI) has increased support of the under the Cancer Center Support Grant from $5.7 million to $8.4 million, and has extended the term of the current NCI designation by an additional year to July 2022. The funding supports core research infrastructure at the 糖心视频 Cancer Center that is essential for researchers to conduct studies targeted at reducing the burden of cancer for the people of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.

“We are extremely pleased that the National Cancer Institute has recognized the incredible contributions that our investigators have made toward understanding the etiologies of cancer and toward the development of novel cancer prevention and treatment approaches,” said 糖心视频 Cancer Center Director Randall Holcombe.

In addition to basic laboratory and population-based research, the center conducts cancer prevention and control research and provides access to clinical trials for most of the patients in the state in collaboration with clinical partners in the . Among the many highlights noted by NCI at the time of the last review in 2018, the community outreach and engagement component of the 糖心视频 Cancer Center was rated as “exceptional,” the highest rating possible. This is a reflection of the commitment of the 糖心视频 Cancer Center to serving the people of Hawaiʻi.

“The University of Hawaiʻi is proud to receive this increase in support from the National Cancer Institute,” said 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Provost Michael Bruno. “This provides well-deserved national recognition of the important work we are doing and our path forward. Over the past three years, the 糖心视频 Cancer Center has excelled in generating significant new discoveries and insights in cancer research, and in translating these discoveries into advances that will help cancer patients and those at risk for this debilitating disease. We are always mindful of our responsibility as the only cancer research center serving Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.”

The 糖心视频 Cancer Center has 69 full-time faculty members based at the center and at the , the and the Departments of and at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补, and 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the . Overall, the center鈥檚 faculty bring in approximately $41 million in federal and private research support annually. In 2018, more than 3,500 people in Hawaiʻi enrolled in some type of clinical research study directed by 糖心视频 Cancer Center faculty.

“Our mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through research, education, patient care and community outreach, with an emphasis on the unique ethnic, cultural and environmental characteristics of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific,” added Holcombe. “We are grateful for the support of the people of Hawaiʻi, the governor and Legislature, the University of Hawaiʻi and the National Cancer Institute so that we can work to fulfill this mission.”

—By Nana Ohkawa

In an ongoing effort to help the local community confront opioid addiction, the (DKICP) at the will receive funding for the next year to hold educational events and offer simple alternatives to dispose of unused medications.

Unused medications in households and at patient care facilities expose residents to potential harm due to mistaken ingestion and increase the potential for theft and assault.

On an annual basis nationally, more than 71,000 children under the age of 19 are admitted to emergency rooms for unintentional overdoses of prescription and over the counter drugs. The problem can add to drug abuse in young adults aged 18–25 (5.9 percent) while 3 percent of teens (12–17 years) have the second highest rate. So called “pharm parties,” social gatherings where prescription drugs are consumed with alcohol have gained popularity in recent years among both age groups.

“Since 2012, DKICP has been involved in annual events that promote medication return,” Dean Carolyn Ma said. “At our 2018 fall health fair in Hilo, we collected 34 pounds of medication with the Hawaiʻi State Narcotics Enforcement Division in their take-back program, and this initiative will give us more opportunities to offer that option to Hawaiʻi residents.”

Dangers of unused prescription drugs

Ma emphasized that many people don鈥檛 realize that unused drugs in their medicine cabinet, especially those with addictive qualities, can lead to accidental overdoses or intentional misuse by anyone with access.

“How to dispose of unused medications in a responsible manner to our ʻāina in a safe way has become a common question. This funding will help us expand our ability to educate our community and highlight our expertise,” she added.

The Opioid and Medication Education and Disposal project has been designed to fit local communities on Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Maui and Oʻahu. Goals are to educate the public on why it鈥檚 important to safely dispose unused medications and show options on how to do that, said Ma, who is the principal investigator on the grant, which was awarded through a competitive grant process.

In addition to attending health fairs throughout the four counties, DKICP student pharmacists will visit senior centers, including City and County senior day care centers, to distribute educational materials and teach the seniors to use their Dispose Rx destruction packets. NED agents will also hold take back events.

The program is funded through a $25,000 grant by the AmerisourceBergen Foundation, the not-for-profit charitable giving arm of AmerisourceBergen, and through the Foundation鈥檚 Opioid Resource Grant Program, which enables the foundation to support and advance ideas from innovative nonprofits, at the local and national level, to fight against opioid misuse.

For details on the Opioid and Medication Education and Disposal project and Dispose Rx destruction packets, .

Hawaiʻi has a shortage of healthcare providers, and University of Hawaiʻi health sciences training programs are working to meet those needs.

The new seeks to recruit 糖心视频 alumni and community members to serve as homestay hosts for 糖心视频 health sciences students who are training on different islands from where they live. Data indicate that exposing students to new training sites, including rural and underserved areas, increases the likelihood that they will practice there. However, Hawaiʻi鈥檚 expensive housing and rental market is a barrier to 糖心视频 health sciences students doing rotations on other islands.

“Providing additional clinical training opportunities for our health sciences students, especially in underserved areas, is critical to improving access to high quality healthcare across Hawaiʻi. We are extremely grateful to our alumni and community partners who are making it possible for us to expand these opportunities by extending their aloha and support to our students,” said 糖心视频 President David Lassner.

The University of Hawaiʻi currently faces a shortage of clinical training sites for its medical, nursing, pharmacy and allied health students. Without enough clinical training sites, including on neighbor islands, 糖心视频 health sciences programs will face difficulties in growing or meeting community needs. Declining clinical sites statewide are the result of multiple factors, including increasing time and regulatory pressures on health providers, competition among clinical sites, and limited housing near available clinaical sites.

“If housing were more readily available and affordable, I feel confident that we could find more clinical training sites for 糖心视频 health sciences students,” said Kelley Withy, executive director of the Hawaiʻi/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center. “More students training in more locations across the state would help us to address health workforce shortage issues in Hawaiʻi.”

Called a win-win situation

The 糖心视频 Homestay Aloha program was developed as a cross-discipline 糖心视频 System initiative, in a partnership with the and the at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补; the at 糖心视频 Hilo; 鈥檚 health sciences, EMS and nursing programs; and nursing programs at 糖心视频 Hilo, , and .

“University of Hawaiʻi alumni volunteers have been attracted to the 糖心视频 Homestay Aloha program since it gives them an opportunity to give back to their alma mater in a meaningful way,” said Aimee Grace, director of health science policy for the 糖心视频 System. “By opening up their homes and sharing their personal experiences with current 糖心视频 health sciences students, 糖心视频 alumni and community volunteers can forge long-term relationships with students and invest in Hawaiʻi‘s future health workforce.”

Homestay volunteer Nem Lau, a 糖心视频 alumna and Kona community member, said, ”I understand that one of the major challenges for the [placement of health sciences trainees in rural communities] is affordable short-term housing for the students. It鈥檚 a no-brainer and a win-win situation for all: opening up our homes and hearts to those students will increase the chance they may come back as future workers/providers, thus enabling Kona to build and nurture healthcare capacity in and resources for the community.“

The program, run through the at the medical school, provides homestay hosts with a stipend of $250 per month per student. For more information, go to or call (808) 692-1068.

Angel Yanagihara, one of the world鈥檚 foremost experts on jellyfish, has started a six-week post as a U.S. State Department Fulbright Specialist to collect lethal box jellyfish in Thailand and train researchers on how to best treat the gelatinous creature鈥檚 stings.

“Numerous recent lethal and life-threatening stings by box jellyfish species in Thailand are a source of deep concern to national leaders in the Thai Ministry of Health,” said Yanagihara, an associate research professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 and in the at the .

Her expertise and innovative technologies were specifically sought out in the newly approved Fulbright project proposed by researchers at Thailand鈥檚 . Fulbright Specialists engage in collaborative projects that focus on unmet needs and challenges, and build and strengthen capacity in curriculum and faculty development at institutions of higher education in more than 100 countries.

Previous collaboration in Thailand

In November 2015, Yanagihara conducted box jellyfish field research in the Gulf of Thailand and presented her findings to the Ministry in Bangkok, as well as her research related to management of life-threatening box jelly stings. She was subsequently invited by Nuankanya Sathirapongsasuti of the Department of Translational Medicine at Mahidol University to return and continue collaborative field surveys in 2017.

During that effort, Yanagihara and her team successfully captured multiple box jellyfish species, including a notoriously lethal, basketball-sized chirodropid species in just two feet of water and only 20 feet from the site of a death of a child, who died less than an hour after being stung by a chirodropid species box jellyfish.

“In-depth studies of live tentacles from lethal box jellies are key to understanding the mechanistic basis of these acute deaths and informing first aid and supportive care,” she said.

In addition to field work, Yanagihara trained in-country students, researchers and physicians in techniques she developed to assess the activity of live box jellyfish tentacles and to test potential mitigation approaches with an in vitro blood agar tissue model, an extension of her recent peer-reviewed publications using this model to examine Australian Chironex box jellyfish envenomation.

Upcoming fieldwork and training

During her six-week post as a Fulbright Specialist, which started August 27, Yanagihara will continue work in field ecology to identify and collect lethal box jellyfish. She will also provide bioassay training, which determines the biological activity or potency of a substance, as well as more in-depth training to Thai researchers in optimizing methods of box jellyfish venom recovery and purification.

Mahidol is Thailand鈥檚 premier research university with a long history of expertise in snake venom work and a deep focus on translational medicine. With assistance from compounding pharmacists at the 糖心视频 Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, Yanagihara has developed topical venom inhibitor formulations that are now fully commercialized and available as over-the-counter spray and cream formulations. The efficacy of these formulations to address in vitro live chirodropid tentacle sting tissue damage will also be investigated during this project.

With this Fulbright position, Yanagihara hopes to contribute to the understanding of the identity of the various species that can inflict lethal stings as well as to develop useful first-aid and management tools for these extremely challenging stings.

糖心视频 News video on Yanagihara’s research

, January 19, 2016

, December 12, 2012

Students and faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) will begin educational and research projects in Japan thanks to an agreement with (MU).

The U.S. Japan Student Pharmacists and Pharmacists Exchange Program allows students and licensed pharmacists from either institution an opportunity to complete prescribed coursework or develop new programs in higher education.

DKICP Dean Carolyn Ma met with officials in July to discuss the memorandum of agreement so 糖心视频 Hilo can be a part of MU鈥檚 international student exchange program.

“In addition to providing a great international opportunity for our students to fulfill their experiential requirements, we envision them to be able to attend MU鈥檚 annual international exchange program held every summer for two weeks,” Ma said. “We would like to create a short course in Hilo for visiting professors and students as we have with a few other Japanese pharmacy schools.“

While meeting with Toshiaki Katada, MU鈥檚 dean of faculty of pharmaceutical science, and other pharmacy faculty, Ma discussed DKICP鈥檚 doctor of pharmacy program and exchanging a DKICP faculty to teach clinical pharmacy for a week at MU.

“This exchange of international experiences sets the stage for a truly unique education that exposes our student pharmacists to other cultures and lifestyles that will carry them into their professional lives,” Ma said.

Administrators are discussing the possibility of giving DKICP students the opportunity to help with the 2020 Olympics after they complete their two weeks of international exchange.

For more, read the .

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo faculty and students who also serve in the U.S. Army Reserve are participating in the Innovative Readiness Training program in Keaʻau called Tropical Care 2018. Designed to improve soldier readiness while serving communities, skilled soldiers are providing medical, dental and optometry care across the county.

“I did this mission back in 2016, and I just wanted to return,” says Maj. , a 糖心视频 Hilo assistant professor of pharmacy practice and a pharmacist in the U.S. Army Reserve. “It鈥檚 such a great mission to be able to utilize my skills to help those who are less fortunate.”

By integrating 糖心视频 Hilo pharmacy students into the Tropic Care program, Kawakami increases the capacity of the pharmacy operation, gives students the opportunity for hands-on experience and creates a bridge between the civilian population and soldiers.

糖心视频 Hilo pharmacy student Aron Brown, who is participating in Tropic Care, says he is grateful Kawakami is willing to share his military experience via the mission.

“Dr. Kawakami has been very inviting and forthcoming and has helped open up career possibilities and cultivate new opportunities for students,” says Brown.

—From a Department of Defense Media release

Hundreds of practicing physicians, nurses and pharmacists in Hawaiʻi are volunteer professors in their fields. They donate their time and expertise to help train the next generation of health workers studying at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 (JABSOM) and , and 糖心视频 Hilo’s .

In clinics and in their offices statewide, these dedicated health workers—many of whom are 糖心视频 alumni—allow future doctors, advanced practice nurses and pharmacists to learn first-hand from experienced professionals while they are “on the job.”

On June 13, a new law was signed to allow these vital volunteer professors, called “preceptors,” to receive an annual tax credit of up to $5,000 per year in recognition of their longstanding service to the state.

“The health preceptor tax credit will enable more students to go into pharmacy school, nursing school and medical school because they’ll have the professionals, the volunteer professionals, to help them at the end of their journey,” said Senator Roz Baker, chair of the state Senate’s Commerce, Consumer Protection and Health Committee, referring to the clinical training years of medical school, and post-graduate training of medical residents.

JABSOM relies on more than 1,200 volunteer clinical faculty, and Dean said the Hawaiʻi law may be unique in extending the tax credit benefit to those training advanced practice nurses and pharmacists.

“That is forward-looking, actually, because increasingly our community-based clinical training involves interdisciplinary teams of health providers,” said Hedges.

The tax credit applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2018.

See the on the JABSOM website.

—By Tina Shelton

Healthcare providers throughout Hawaiʻi are using technology from a project led by the that helps pharmacists manage high-risk patients’ medications across a variety of settings.

The technology was first used in the federally funded $14.3 million Pharm2Pharm program, operated from the . Pharm2Pharm established a set of tools that were implemented through the (HHIE) system to communicate important clinical information to support patient care.

“Through the health information technology we used for the Pharm2Pharm program, we were able to support pharmacists shifting from their traditional role of dispensing drugs into becoming a part of the patient care team. We believe this represents a unique integration of prescription medication information into an HIE,” said Francis Chan, HHIE’s interim executive director.

Researchers looked at pharmacists providing services for the Pharm2Pharm model in the state of Hawaiʻi, hospital pharmacists and community pharmacists.

They determined priorities that could be addressed through health information technology tools including:

• More efficient and secure ways to transmit care transition documents
• Reliable access to outpatient translators
• More efficient ways to identify outpatient medications for medication reconciliation
• More efficient access to clinical information
• A system to document and communicate reconciled medication list and drug therapy problems
• A system to manage the population of patients enrolled

Technology tools that addressed those priorities, such as direct secure messaging, virtual translators and a prescription fill history query system, were implemented. The pharmacists in the study made the transition from paper and faxes to online technologies.

For full story read the .

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

A research group supported by Hawaiʻi Island legislators is urging more control measures be taken to lower the risks of the spread of .

“Our study showed almost 94 percent of the rats in the Hilo area are infected with RLW,” said , director of the working group who has been researching the progress of the disease for more than six years.

RLW disease is a parasitic infection that reproduces in rats and is transferred to slugs and snails, which can, if ingested intentionally or not, infect people. While symptoms can be mild and flu-like, there have been cases that have resulted in long-term disability and even death.

“糖心视频 Hilo continues to support Dr. Jarvi’s efforts to safeguard public health through her research on the system of this disease,” noted 糖心视频 Hilo Interim Chancellor . “We are exploring alternatives with state agencies that will continue to fund this important research, which reflects our commitment to help maintain the health of the community.”

Researchers in this study examined a total of 545 wild rats from multiple sites in the South Hilo District of east Hawaiʻi Island. Through evaluation of multiple stages and locations of development of the infection with A. cantonensis, they were able to determine prevalence, and examine patterns of infection. The purpose was to determine how these data can be used to improve risk assessment and guide research development to better prevent and control human infection.

“Hawaiʻi is able to take the lead globally on assessing the effects of this debilitating disease thanks to this scientific evidence from 糖心视频 Hilo,” said Senator Kai Kahele, who represents Hawaiʻi Senate District 1, which includes Hilo. “The first step in conquering a threat is in knowing the enemy. We can get ahead of the terrifying risks, but these results certainly show the urgency for more research.”

“Defeating this threat to our islands is essential to perpetuating our way of life,” said Representative Chris Todd, who represents Hilo in the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives. “I believe in the research being done at 糖心视频 Hilo; their work will help us ensure a healthy future for our keiki—we, as a legislature, need to do more to support their mission.”

The study was headed by the Rat Lungworm Working Group at the and published in the journal .

Read more from the news release.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

Homelessness and inadequate housing are major causes of unnecessary hospitalizations, according to a study by University of Hawaiʻi researchers.

The study, is from an ongoing project to understand and reduce potentially preventable hospitalizations for diabetes and heart disease in Hawaiʻi.

Principal investigator and Associate Professor , says, “We were interested in patient perspectives on the role of housing as contributing to their potentially preventable hospitalization.”

Said Michelle Quensell, lead author of the study and a 糖心视频 public health graduate, “We talked to 90 patients, and almost 25 percent reported a housing-related issue as a major factor in hospitalization. About half of these patients were homeless, noting the high cost of housing in Hawaiʻi.”

“Patients said it was hard to care for their diabetes or heart disease when they were living without amenities such as refrigeration, running water, a stove or a safe place to store medications,” added Sentell. “Patients also mentioned challenges of following diet plans when canned goods were the only available foods at the shelters and food banks.”

Several major health providers in Hawaiʻi have recently created innovative new programs to address social determinants, including housing, within the health care setting to improve health care quality and reduce health care costs. This research strongly supports these efforts.

Other investigators include , 糖心视频 Public Health, , at 糖心视频 Hilo, and Todd Seto, Queen’s Medical Center.

Student pharmacists at the聽University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo聽 (DKICP) are now able to formally expand their educational experiences to the Land Down Under following an agreement with an educational partner in Australia.

糖心视频 Hilo has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOU) with , an academic and research organization headquartered in the northern Sydney suburb of Warriewood, New South Wales.

“We are excited to partner with Blackmores Institute,” said DKICP Dean . “This MOU signifies our commitment to giving our students the most competitive education possible while fulfilling our mission to establish a global identity.”

The agreement establishes a program called the “U.S. BI Student Pharmacist Intern Program” that promotes the exchange of international experiences. Students will have the opportunity to get credit through elective advanced pharmacy practice experience courses, which all fourth-year students in the professional program must take before obtaining a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

“Blackmores Institute’s focus on advancing the knowledge and research on complementary medicine dovetails nicely with our own emphasis on natural products,” said Ma.

Blackmores Institute, with regional offices in Singapore and Malaysia, is the academic and professional arm of Blackmores Limited, an Australian natural health company. In addition to 糖心视频 Hilo, the institute also collaborates with in Malaysia and the in Australia.

Leslie Braun, director of Blackmores Institute, said that DKICP’s student pharmacist intern program supports their commitment to developing and delivering education that translates evidence into practical skills relevant to contemporary pharmacy practice and patient-centered care.

“Blackmores Institute welcomes this new MOU with 糖心视频 Hilo as an opportunity to work with a like-minded body in advancing the quality use of complementary medicine in pharmacy practice,” Braun said. “We look forward to a mutually rewarding and productive collaboration with the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy.”

Ma said she looks forward to the possibility of expanding research and clinical practice opportunities among mutual partners.

“We already have in common working relationships with universities in Thailand, such as Chulalongkorn and Rangsit Universities, so we have a good start at developing new and exciting possibilities in the field of natural products health care,” Ma noted.

The first DKICP student pharmacists will travel to Australia for a six-week advanced fourth-year rotation later in fall 2017.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

The聽University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo聽 (DKICP) has graduated to the next step in national recognition by attaining full accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) for a full eight years for the first time.

“This is affirmation of the significance of maintaining excellence in all ways at 糖心视频 Hilo,” said Chancellor . “As DKICP passes the 10-year anniversary as the only college of pharmacy in the Pacific Region, we can celebrate with all stakeholders, both at the university level and in the community, to recognize their hard work that has gotten us this far.”

ACPE is the national accreditation body that evaluates all colleges of pharmacy in the nation. DKICP was found to be “compliant” or “compliant with monitoring” in all 25 standards set by ACPE with no “partial” or “noncompliant” findings. In a prior ACPE evaluation in 2015, DKICP was granted full accreditation for two years with the provision that it was “contingent on continuous progress” and monitored by ACPE.

This year’s positive assessment was determined by a combination of a site visit as well as from a 110-page self-study compiled by faculty, staff, students, preceptors, administrators and community members from the dean’s advisory council.

More about the accreditation

The ACPE survey team, representing faculty and administration from several notable pharmacy schools, practitioners in the field, and the ACPE accreditation staff, conducted the on-site evaluation in Hilo and Honolulu during the week of聽March 7–9.

According to their report, particular attention was made to the progress and changes that have occurred since the last focused on-site evaluation in fall 2014. It cited the appointment of a new dean as well as new chairs for each of the college’s departments.

The report to the Board noted that while research is still regarded critical activity for faculty, the college has revisited its mission and vision so that “evaluative expectations have been revised to more realistic levels.”

Other changes noted in the report include progress on construction for the college’s permanent building.

“As we all recall, accreditation was at risk previously when we couldn鈥檛 prove support for a permanent building,” said DKICP Dean Carolyn Ma. “This time when the survey team visited, they could see concrete evidence that building has begun, and that we have a clear future. We are forever appreciative to the many members of our college, the community and the legislature who rallied behind us.”

Citing “good support” from the university, the report showed encouragement by future developments in interprofessional education, which includes working with members from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work and public health.

The accreditation term granted for the doctor of pharmacy program extends until聽June 30, 2025.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

As of late April 2017, the had confirmed 13 cases of rat lungworm disease since the start of the year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the parasitic worm (Angiostrgonylus cantonensis) can invade the central nervous system and cause a rare form of meningitis.

The University of Hawaiʻi is addressing rat lungworm in diverse ways across the island state, including assessing its distribution statewide, determining which species of snails and slugs can carry it, doing experiments to determine the best ways to wash produce to keep it safe and undertaking extensive educational and outreach efforts.

Six 糖心视频 faculty members serve on the , established in 2016, and reflect a wide range of expertise.

• Robert Cowie, malacology, 糖心视频 Mānoa
• , immunology, 糖心视频 Mānoa
• Susan Jarvi, pharmaceutical science, 糖心视频 Hilo,
• , parasitology, 糖心视频 Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine
• , pediatrics, 糖心视频 Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine
• F. DeWolfe Miller, IV, epidemiology, 糖心视频 Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine

As the name implies, the rat lungworm is a parasite only of rats and a few other rodents. Infected rats pass the larvae of the parasite in their feces, which are then eaten by snails and slugs. Humans are accidental hosts who do not transmit infection to others, but can become infected by eating raw infected snails or slugs (or parts of them), which are often accidentally left on produce that has not been sufficiently washed.

“Rat lungworm is a horrible disease and we need to work collaboratively and collegially with all to do the best for the people of Hawaiʻi,” said 糖心视频 President .

Resources for education and prevention

The State Department of Health and 糖心视频 have a range of resources on rat lungworm available online. Some of these include:

• , State of Hawaiʻi, Department of Health
• Rat Lungworm Disease—A Scientific Workshop, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, 16–18 August 2011, Robert Cowie and Jim Hollyer organizers.
  • was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases
  • and containing a lot of key information about the disease are in the Hawaiʻi Journal of Medicine and Public Health.
• (PDF), 糖心视频 Mānoa (CTAHR)
• (PDF), 糖心视频 Mānoa CTAHR
• (PDF), 糖心视频 Mānoa CTAHR

“Prevention of rat lungworm disease is a statewide priority and the Department of Health is working with partners from federal, state and county agencies as we continue our investigation of reported cases,” said Health Director Virginia Pressler. “The University of Hawaiʻi has been a valuable partner in our efforts to learn more about this rare and serious disease.”

—By Kelli Trifonovitch

The聽University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo聽 received a $7,000 check from retail pharmacy to fund a diversity initiative. An additional $5,000 will go toward scholarships to students in the PharmD professional program.

This is the ninth year the college has received funding from Walgreens for diversity. The funds have sponsored educational programs such as a tour of healthcare facilities at Kalaupapa on Hawaiʻi region, presented the check to Dean at Walgreens specialty store on Oʻahu. Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy alums Quinn Taira and Amy Song, who both work at the retail store, were in attendance along with Heidi Ho-Muniz, district manager for Walgreens Pharmacy and Retail Operations.

“We are grateful for this initiative that has helped our student pharmacists through the years and strengthened our own commitment to promoting and embracing diversity,” Ma said.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

How natural compounds in ironweed plant extract can be used to treat breast and brain cancers is the focus of a five-year $3 million (NCI) grant awarded to a researcher.

“It would be life changing for cancer patients if ironweed extract could help fight aggressive types of breast and brain cancers. Since the compounds are found in the plant, they are less toxic than traditional forms of treatment such as chemotherapy. This gives cancer patients a better quality of life when developed as drugs,“ said , grant awardee and director of the 糖心视频 Cancer Center’s Cancer Biology Program. “Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain cancer that currently has no cure. In addition, the types of breast cancers we are targeting are some of the most life threatening breast cancers with few successful treatments.”

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in Hawaiʻi.
• An average of 125 women die from the disease each year in the state.
• On average 41 people in Hawaiʻi die each year from brain cancer.

Ironweed plant extract used in study from the Big Island and Thailand

“The vast natural resources of Hawaiʻi give our researchers a rare opportunity to make scientific discoveries of unique and significant proportions in treating cancer,” said 糖心视频 Cancer Center’s Director . “This significant NCI award recognizes the breadth and depth of the natural product research focus of the 糖心视频 Cancer Center, and highlights the national impact our research in Hawaiʻi has in the fight against cancer.”

Turkson along with collaborators, Associate Professor , Associate Professor and Professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo published a study a year and half ago showing that the natural compounds from the ironweed plant were effective in killing breast cancer and brain tumor cells and blocked the development and growth of these cancers in the laboratory. In recognition of these preliminary findings, the funds were granted to continue and expand the study.

“Our team of researchers at the 糖心视频 Cancer Center and 糖心视频 Hilo will now be able to probe deeper into the cancer treatment potential of ironweed. The plant’s extract is currently used in Southeast Asia for smoking cessation because of the affects the compounds have on the brain. Some of our initial findings suggest the plant’s natural compounds interfere with key cancer-causing biological pathways in the cancer cell, thereby shutting down the ability of the cells to grow and multiply,” said Turkson.

—By Nana Ohkawa

The at the is expanding collaborative academic and research projects in Thailand with a new exchange program agreement.

in northeastern Thailand has become the fifth Thai university to sign a memorandum of agreement with the 糖心视频 Hilo pharmacy college. Other Thai schools of pharmacy with similar exchange agreements include Chulalongkorn University (2011), Rangsit University (2013), Silpakorn University (2014) and Siam University (2014).

Under the agreement that began February 8, Khon Kaen University’s pharmaceutical sciences and 糖心视频 Hilo will jointly develop activities based on their academic and educational needs. Collaborations may include the exchange of research materials, support for distance learning courses, organization of joint research programs and the exchange of students, faculty and staff.

“Multiple student and faculty exchanges and visiting lecturers help us broaden our reputation for global pharmacy education and helps our students gain international, inter-professional perspectives both culturally and educationally,” says , dean of Hilo’s pharmacy college. “Mutual benefits include research collaboration projects, practice and innovation collaborations, and faculty and preceptor development programs.”

Hilo’s pharmacy college and Khon Kaen University also are integrated by educational agreements with the Tsuzuki Education Group.

• See , December 2, 2016.

“One great aspect about all these international ties is that we can share intellectual and professional ideas in true academic format,” the dean explains. “It helps us offer a broader global experience for everyone.”

For more information, read or the .

When pharmacists are part of a patient’s transition from hospital to home, research in Hawaiʻi shows medication-related emergencies decrease among those age 65 and older, saving millions more than the cost of the pharmacists annually.

“CDC researchers have previously estimated that across the U.S. adverse drug events cause nearly 100,000 emergency hospitalizations annually among patients who are 65 and older,” said , director of continuing education/strategic planning for the . “We designed and implemented a pharmacist intervention to change those numbers here in Hawaiʻi and the results are in. The medication-related hospitalization rate among older adults decreased by more than a third and the estimated annual cost of avoided admissions was over $6 million compared to the cost of the pharmacists, which was less than $2 million.”

Pellegrin is the principal investigator for the Pharm2Pharm program, a $14.3 million federally funded healthcare innovation designed to give pharmacists a more integrated and proactive role in overseeing high-risk patients’ medication routines. Researchers evaluated the association between the Pharm2Pharm intervention and the costs of medication-related hospitalization among older adults over a period of two years.

• Related 糖心视频 News stories: , August 20, 2015 and , August 18, 2014

The findings are detailed in a , a peer-reviewed source for healthcare professionals in geriatric medicine and gerontology.

Medication-related hospitalizations lower at intervention hospitals

The study examined the pharmacist intervention at six nonfederal, general, acute care hospitals with 50 or more beds in 2013 and 2014, including the four largest hospitals in Hawaiʻi’s three rural counties (Maui, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi) and two hospitals in Honolulu County.

During the two-year implementation period, more than 2,000 high-risk inpatients were enrolled in Pharm2Pharm at the intervention hospitals. Of those enrolled, 62 percent were aged 65 and older. Based on a statistical model, the rate of medication-related hospitalizations in individuals aged 65 and older was 36 percent lower in the intervention hospitals by the last quarter of 2014 than in the nonintervention hospitals.

This research is important in part, Pellegrin said, because community pharmacists who dispense prescription medications typically have little access to clinical information about the patients, limiting their ability to identify and resolve drug therapy problems.

“Karen put together a program that confirms that pharmacists are underused and underappreciated in our current healthcare system. I applaud her research, management and development skills that helped to show positive outcomes when pharmacists work directly with patients and their doctors outside of the dispensing functions,” said Les Krenk, co-author of the publication, founding officer of the Hawai’i Community Pharmacist Association and owner of the first community pharmacy to participate in the Pharm2Pharm model.

For more on the study, read the .

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents approved the appointment of Carolyn Ma to be the second dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) at a meeting on September 22. Ma has served as interim dean since Founding Dean John Pezzuto left the in August 2015.

“Dr. Ma’s impeccable credentials give us a strong foothold as we take the College of Pharmacy to the next level,” said University of Hawaiʻi Hilo Chancellor . “Meanwhile, this milestone comes at a timely juncture as bulldozers are currently at work on the construction of the permanent building. This is truly a testament to Senator Daniel Inouye’s dream of making the college the ‘center of excellence’ for Hawaiʻi Island.”

Straney asked University of Hawaiʻi President to appoint Ma as permanent dean because important work will be required to prepare for an accreditation visit in March 2017 as well as to continue ongoing efforts to enhance recruitment.

“The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy plays a critical role for our campus, our communities and our state,” Straney wrote in a letter to DKICP faculty and staff about the decision. “Ma has successfully guided the college in her year as interim dean. The college finances are secure and construction of a permanent facility has begun.”

More on Carolyn Ma

Born and raised on Oʻahu, Ma earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Santa Clara in California, and her doctor in pharmacy (PharmD) degree from the University of California-San Francisco. She was awarded a residency in clinical pharmacy practice at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s Department of Pharmacy in Philadelphia. She went on to become an advanced oncology resident in the Department of Pharmacy and Drug Information at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

With an extensive background in clinical pharmacy practice, pharmacy and hospital administration, Ma is a registered pharmacist with licenses in Hawaiʻi, Nevada and California and remains boarded in oncology pharmacy. She joined DKICP in 2007 as the clinical education coordinator and designed, constructed and implemented 4,200-square feet of space in what is formerly known as the Gold Bond building in pan aria-label=”Kakaako”>Kakaʻako on Oʻahu. Additionally, in preparation for the advanced rotations, or internships for student pharmacists, she helped place numerous faculty in residence at Oʻahu, Maui and Kauaʻi hospitals and clinics.

Former Governor Neil Abercrombie appointed her director for Oʻahu on the Hawaiʻi State Board of Pharmacy and Governor Ige re-appointed her to a 2015-2019 term. She also is past president of the Hawaiʻi Pharmacists Association.

The first two students—Mayuramas “Jan” Sang-ngern and Susanne R. Youngren-Ortiz—in the Pacific region to earn a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences are taking part in the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo spring commencement on May 14, 9 a.m. at Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium.

The students are part of the inaugural group of seven students who began work on their PhD at the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy in the fall of 2011. The doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences is the first program of this type to be offered by the University of Hawaiʻi, and the only program of this nature to be offered in the state of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region.

More on Mayuramas “Jan” Sang-ngern

Sang-ngern, who is originally from Thailand, came to 糖心视频 Hilo with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Rajabaht Suratthanee University, Thailand and a master’s degree in pharmaceutical chemistry and phytochemistry from Mahidol University, Thailand. Her major professor is Leng Chee Chang. She received a full scholarship from The Office of the Civil Service Commission in the Thai Royal Government. After graduating, she will work as a lecturer at the School of Cosmetic Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand.

• Learn more about her dissertation—

More on Susanne R. Youngren-Ortiz

Youngren-Ortiz is from Merrillville, Indiana. She received a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences with specialization in industrial and physical pharmacy and minors in both statistics and chemistry from Purdue University’s College of Pharmacy. Her major professors are Mahavir Chougule and Kenneth Morris. She hopes to work as a research and development formulation scientist within the pharmaceutical industry and gain more experience in the area of pharmaceutical inhalable aerosols and their FDA regulations.

• Learn more about her dissertation—

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

Student pharmacists from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) were recognized as the Most Improved Chapter at the national (APhA) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Baltimore, Maryland on March 6.

The students competed against chapters across the country from within the (APhA–ASP).

APhA–ASP was one of the first student organizations at DKICP since the college began in 2007. They are active in multiple community wellness programs and health fairs and successfully organized a student-run initiative to help pass a Hawaiʻi state law allowing first-year pharmacy students to receive their intern licenses, according to Matt Chen, 2015–16 APhA–ASP president-elect from DKICP class of 2018, who attended the conference.

“Student pharmacists with intern licenses can give immunizations and perform other healthcare support for members of the public,” Chen said. “This development is important because it expands healthcare for our Big Island community, enriches the PharmD program for current students and makes DKICP more attractive to prospective students.”

The chapter also implemented three new patient care projects designed to improve healthcare throughout Hawaiʻi—Operation Immunization, Operation Diabetes and Generation Rx. In Operation Immunization, the group organized 12 events in less than four months in medically underserved areas of the Big Island. This expansion resulted in the vaccination of more than 145 community members last year.

“This award says a lot, especially since we are a newer school and we are being compared to schools that have had APhA–ASP chapters for decades,” said , who was faculty co-adviser for the group last year and is an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. “It means that our chapter has made some significant improvements and that the awards committee members were impressed. It’s wonderful.”

More about the APhA–ASP awards

The award is part of the organization’s Chapter Achievement Awards Program, which was established in 1974 to recognize outstanding activities of APhA–ASP chapters at the schools and colleges of pharmacy in the United States and Puerto Rico. The program is an extension of APhA–ASP’s mission to provide opportunities for professional growth and improve patient care while advancing the future of pharmacy.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

The has approved two new programs that will allow students earning their at the to earn specialization certificates.

Student pharmacists will be able to earn the healthcare leadership certificate, giving them a basic foundation in business administration with a concentration in healthcare leadership. Students also will have an opportunity to earn a certificate in health science research, giving them an education in research methodology.

“These certificates offer avenues not available at many other colleges,” said , vice chancellor for academic affairs. “They enrich the pharmacy program by helping PharmD students become more competitive in the job market. It’s a very exciting direction for our College of Pharmacy.”

The new certificates are available to all PharmD students who have passed their first year as long as they have maintained a 3.0 GPA, said , director of strategic planning and continuing education at DKICP. The coursework for each certificate will utilize existing courses along with new or modified subjects that allow the program to run concurrent with work on the PharmD degree.

Both certificate programs have courses that are already required courses in the PharmD program, Pellegrin said. In addition, both certificate programs require students to use their PharmD elective credits for certificate courses.

“This is just another way to give value added to the already valuable PharmD degree,” Pellegrin said.

Both certificates will be available to students who begin the PharmD program in the fall of 2016.

Healthcare leadership certificate

“Through collaboration with the , the healthcare leadership certificate leverages our existing courses that are business oriented,” Pellegrin said. “Students who complete this program will have a better understanding of the business side of the healthcare industry and, thus, will likely have a competitive advantage in the job market.”

Health science research certificate

The health science research certificate gives PharmD students experience implementing a research project, said , associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

“This program aligns student coursework to support research activities in both academic departments of pharmaceutical sciences as well as pharmacy practice,” Taira said. “This will help our students be more competitive for postgraduate residency programs, which are increasingly required for jobs in clinical and academic settings.”

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

For more than 100 years, marine biologists have sought an understanding of how the minute larvae of marine invertebrate animals—cast out into the vast ocean—find and settle in the right ecological settings for survival, growth and reproduction. A grant, totaling more than $870,000, from the to the will support research to understand the mechanisms by which marine biofilm bacteria—bacteria that live in slime films on the surfaces of all objects submerged in the sea—induce the settling of larvae of marine invertebrate animals.

With this grant, a 糖心视频 research team will focus on a small tube worm, Hydroides elegans, that settles onto marine surfaces in warm ocean waters around the world where they form masses of hard, calcified tubes. The team, led by professor at the , in the at 糖心视频 Mānoa, includes larval biologist (Kewalo Marine Laboratory), microbiologist (Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, Department of Oceanography, Sea Grant) and natural products chemist (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, 糖心视频 Hilo).

Bacteria initiate dramatic transformation

In the last two decades there has been growing recognition that bacteria are likely the factor that causes many free-floating larvae to settle and transform, yet very little is known of the diversity of bacteria that stimulate larvae to settle and less is known of the mechanisms through which these bacteria act.

“We have isolated specific strains of bacteria from marine biofilms that induce the worm’s larvae to settle and metamorphose. Using these bacteria, our goals are to determine what factors produced by the bacteria cause the larvae to stop swimming, stick to the surface and undergo the dramatic physical changes that make up the process of metamorphosis,” said Hadfield.

During the two-year project, Hadfield and colleagues will also study the larva’s receptor or response system. Understanding the relationship between the tube worm and bacteria will shed light on the complex phenomena that lead to the establishment and maintenance of healthy marine seafloor communities throughout the ocean.

Larvae are very particular in selecting surfaces on which they will settle—which is why different communities of invertebrate animals live on sandy beaches, rocky coasts, pilings and other surfaces in enclosed harbors.

“For many—probably most—of these animals, biofilm bacteria are the key. This research holds promise to reveal the basis for differential larval settlement in the sea,” said Hadfield.

Real world application

The current project arose from long-running research in Hadfield’s laboratory. In the lab, Hadfield has studied the biology of marine larvae and long ago established Hydroides elegans as a useful model organism for studying larval settlement and “biofouling”—the accumulation of undesirable organisms on marine surfaces.

Larva of barnacles, tube worms, oysters and other organisms settle on ship hulls, pilings and in the pipes used to draw cooling water into electrical plants and factories resulting in millions of dollars in loss annually in these maritime trades. Knowing why larvae settle in particular places is an important first step in ensuring they do not settle where they are not wanted.

Moreover this work may have real-world application to areas such as mariculture, where the goal is to successfully raise larvae of clams and oysters and have them settle on a particular surface, as well as for the development of methods to deter larval recruitment onto the hulls of ships and other marine surfaces.

—By Marcie Grabowski

The (MSCP) program offered through the at the has been granted (APA) designation. The designation is valid for three years.

The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy applied for the recognition to APA’s , referred to as the RxP Designation Committee.

The purpose of designation is to afford public recognition of education and training programs that meet certain minimum standards. “This classification supplies our MSCP program with substantial credentials to actively compete on a national level with other programs throughout the country,” said Carolyn Ma, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy interim dean. “We have already distinguished ourselves as the first MSCP program in the U.S. that is operating entirely within a college of pharmacy. This APA designation shows we know what we’re doing.”

Preparing students for professional advancement

The MSCP program is open to eligible candidates who already have earned a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with an active license to practice psychology. This post-doctoral training prepares the student for professional advancement to become a clinical psychopharmacologist, for which Program Coordinator Judi Steinman said pharmacy faculty is uniquely suited to train.

“With the increasing number of patients being prescribed psychotropic drugs, it’s critical for psychologists to have this type of training,” said Steinman, who was responsible for preparing the justification for the program to gain APA designation. “We’re excited to take the lead in attracting this group of professionals to 糖心视频 Hilo and look forward to increased interaction with many other departments.”

APA established this process to designate postdoctoral education and training programs in psychopharmacology as a response to advances that have occurred in psychopharmacology education and training and prescriptive authority legislation in recent years.

The designation sets criteria of standards that must be met in order to be recognized by the APA as approved post-doctoral training. This makes the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy part of an elite group of institutions to gain this approval, Steinman noted.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

The (DKICP) at the has signed a partnership with Japan’s that will expand the horizons of students in both countries.

The agreement states covers the fourth-year of experiential training for pharmacy students, called Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences, as well as pharmaceutical care, pharmaceutical sciences research and the organization of joint research projects.

“This is a great example of how Hawaiʻi Island acts as a logical bridge between the United States and Asia as a whole,” said DKICP Interim Dean Carolyn Ma. “糖心视频 Hilo already has several agreements with universities in Japan, from Meio University in Okinawa to Matsuyama University in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. We are optimistic that this is a continuation of an already strong educational relationship.”

The International Exchange Program on Pharmaceutical Education, Research and Practical Training will allow students at 糖心视频 Hilo to set up six weeks of training during their fourth year in a four-year program with an approved licensed pharmacist in Japan. Likewise, students in Japan can come to 糖心视频 Hilo to earn their academic requirements.

Yokohama University of Pharmacy is part of the , a consortium of more than 20 universities and colleges in Japan, including three colleges of pharmacy. Representatives from the consortium visited DKICP in May to tour the campus and discuss possibilities for partnerships.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

A recent Hawaiʻi study looked at sugar cane burning on the island of Maui and its effects on the respiratory system. The study was conducted by principle investigator Christina Mnatzaganian, a former assistant professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and now an assistant professor at the in San Diego.

Karen Pellegrin, director of continuing/distance education and strategic planning at the 糖心视频 Hilo pharmacy college, was responsible for the acquisition of the hospital data used in the study through a partnership with . She also helped edit the manuscript and interpret the results and conclusions.

Also on the research team was Jill Miyamura of the Hawaiʻi Health Information Corporation, Diana Valencia from 糖心视频 Mānoa and Lorrin Pang from the .

The study, which was published in the October 2015, , concluded that there was a “significantly higher incidence of respiratory distress in smoke-exposed regions when greater amounts of acres were burned.” It went on to suggest that health officials consider actions to help reduce the health risks associated with sugar cane burning.

Findings

Pellegrin is not surprised by the study findings. “We know that air pollution is associated with morbidity and mortality,” she says.

Only a few studies have been conducted with regards to cane burning and its effects. Many of those studies have been carried out in Brazil, and Pellegrin points out, “based on the findings, Brazil has passed a law requiring the gradual elimination of pre-harvest cane burning.” Preliminary studies in Brazil also have found a decrease in hospitalization due to respiratory illness correlating with a reduction in cane burning practices.

While conducting the study on Maui, a major factor that needed to be taken into account was vog from volcanic emissions on Hawaiʻi Island. According to Maui county regulations, cane burning is to take place only on days when vog is not present. This means that on non-burn days there is still an environmental factor responsible for higher occurrences of respiratory sickness. This can confound study results if researchers simply compare instances of respiratory distress on burn days versus non-burn days.

To be sure that they were isolating the effects of cane burning on the respiratory system, Mnatzaganian and Pang developed an innovative control through geographic examination. Pellegrin explains, “While vog pollutants affect the island evenly, burning only affects those regions downwind of the burn.” This regional analysis allowed the researchers to detect an association between the number of acres burned and prescriptions filled for acute respiratory distress using global positioning system mapping, wind direction and hospital and pharmacy data.

Enriching the discussion

The study is now contributing to discussions about sugar cane burning. The first case to be heard by Hawaiʻi’s recently established is a case filed to stop sugar cane burning on Maui and the study is already being referenced.

There are many challenges and benefits to living in such an isolated island state and sugar cane burning is a controversial topic with economical and health related importance.

“The field of rural health science is dedicated to understanding what factors in rural areas promote or harm health and finding solutions that can improve health,” Pellegrin says. She feels that the study makes a valuable contribution to the fields of environmental and rural health and hopes that it will have an impact on the unique health issues facing Maui.

—A by Lara Hughes, a junior at 糖心视频 Hilo majoring in business administration and a public information intern in the 糖心视频 Hilo Office of the Chancellor

Carolyn Ma has been appointed interim dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo effective August 21, 2015.

Ma joined the college in 2007 as the clinical education coordinator, and in 2009 became chair for pharmacy practice. She is currently in charge of operations, faculty and residents for the college on Oʻahu, Maui and Kauaʻi. She previously served as a pharmacy management consultant for various hospitals, including Stanford Hospitals and Clinics.

“Carolyn has played a key role in the growth and development of the college,” said Chancellor Donald Straney. “That experience, combined with her extensive background in clinical and pharmaceutical administration, will help ensure continuity as we search for a permanent dean.”

Ma received her doctor of pharmacy from the . She completed a clinical pharmacy residency at and an oncology pharmacy specialty residency at the . She practiced as a board certified oncology pharmacist at in Honolulu and went on to serve as vice president for clinical program development for in Hong Kong.

Researchers at the have released a video of interviews with rat lungworm disease survivors.

Susan Jarvi, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the who specializes in rat lungworm disease research, Kay Howe, a graduate student in the program also doing rat lungworm disease research, along with Mark Kimura, affiliate faculty member of the geography department, worked on the 54-minute film.

“Kay and I visited four households with total of six people who have been affected by rat lungworm disease,” says Kimura. “Kay’s son got the disease several years ago and is still trying to recover. We wanted to convey (survivor’s) voices to the community, promote awareness and get enough funding for education and research in order to stop this horrible disease in Hawaiʻi.”

For more rat lungworm disease research and educational activity on Hawaiʻi Island, go to the .

The role of pharmacists in Hawaiʻi communities is being redefined in an innovative healthcare program administered by the . Traditionally, pharmacists are isolated dispensers of medication, located in stationary storefronts. But in the Pharm2Pharm program, carried out over the past three years in select areas throughout the state, pharmacists play a much more integrated and proactive role in overseeing high risk patients’ medication routines.

“Patients who are on a lot of medications or certain types of medications are at higher risk for problems that could land them in the hospital,” says Karen Pellegrin, director of continuing and distance education and strategic planning at the at 糖心视频 Hilo and principal investigator of the Pharm2Pharm program.

“Through the Pharm2Pharm project, we’ve shown that consulting pharmacists鈥攖hose who coordinate medications across prescribers and across dispensing pharmacies鈥攃an help make sure patients are on the right medications and are taking them properly,” she says. “These pharmacists have made a difference statewide, but especially in our rural communities where physician shortages are most severe.”

Problems with medication often arise for patients due to lack of coordination between prescribers, inadequate monitoring, and misunderstanding about how to take them properly. “Consulting pharmacists,” as they are called in the program, track patients鈥� use of prescription medication as they transition from hospital to home, a high-risk period for medication problems.

The consulting pharmacists meet with patients regularly and utilize secure computer software to monitor a patient’s overall medication plan and network with others on the patient’s healthcare team. This is the first time in Hawaiʻi that information technology has been implemented on a statewide basis for medication management. The is providing the information technology infrastructure to support the program.

Positive responses from patients

The feedback from patients is outstanding. Many patients participating in Pharm2Pharm report the services have helped keep them out of the hospital and improve their overall health and well-being.

“This program has changed my life,” reports one patient. “I have returned to my old self; I can sleep at night, fear of never waking is gone. No more inhaler and wheezing. Not so many pills and knowing when or when not to take them also the security of knowing I have someone to talk with when I have a question or problem. Thank you for my life back, and I really mean this.”

Another patient says, “My pharmacist was extremely helpful beyond my expectations.”

Pellegrin says the positive results are “what happens when pharmacists become part of the care team.”

Collaboration

members have provided the outpatient services. and also are collaborating partners in Pharm2Pharm, enrolling patients from several of their hospitals. In all, seven hospitals in the state have participated in Pharm2Pharm. Pellegrin says the final count of patients receiving Pharm2Pharm services is 2,570 statewide, most in rural areas.

The pharmacy college was awarded $14.3 million in 2012 to develop the program to save health care costs, one of 107 awardees competing successfully against more than 3,000 other highly qualified applicants for the funding. The program is funded by the Innovation Center.

Pharm2Pharm is now in its fourth and final no-cost extension year focusing on evaluation and sustainability.

Pellegrin says since the launch of 糖心视频 Hilo’s pharmacy college, the supply of pharmacists in Hawaiʻi has greatly improved. If wisely deployed, she says, this workforce can extend the short supply in physicians and add unique medication experts to the state鈥檚 healthcare system.

“The Pharm2Pharm model program shows there is an opportunity to improve healthcare services to the people of Hawaiʻi by integrating pharmacists into patient care teams,” she says.

—

—By Susan Enright

The received a total of $425 million in sponsored funds to close fiscal year 2015 (FY2015). The total reflects an increase of 8.5 percent over the previous year’s tally of $392 million and marks the first increase in extramural award funding after three straight years of decline.

“With the effects of sequestration, budget cuts and the realignment of R&D funding priorities, the last few years have been extremely challenging not only for the University of Hawaiʻi but for every research institution across the nation,” said Vassilis L. Syrmos, 糖心视频 vice president for . “However, thanks to the dedicated efforts of our faculty, support staff and students, we not only stopped the slide—but managed an increase of almost 9 percent in funding.”

The alignment of the University of Hawaiʻi’s research enterprise with both the nation’s and the state’s critical challenges is manifested by 糖心视频 Mānoa’s , which received $8.5 million from the for its Asia-Pacific Research Initiative for Sustainable Energy Systems (APRISES) to continue testing and evaluation of renewable generation and power systems controls for smart and micro-grids. APRISES has contributed substantial support for smart- and micro-grid research activities to ongoing efforts on Maui, Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and Kauaʻi. It is expected to save over $27 million across the state. In FY2015, the program received $5.7 million in the third increment of a $14 million award by NSF.

In addition, during FY2015 糖心视频 community college and university campuses were awarded , from pre-school through college and career training. These funds are supporting renovations on campuses, leadership development for Native Hawaiians, STEM education, college student success and Hawaiian culture and language.

“The entire state should take pride in our increase in extramural research funding,” said David Lassner, 糖心视频 president. “This not only advances the Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative and strengthens our economy, but benefits the people of Hawaiʻi as our remarkable faculty and staff address challenges and opportunities of local and global importance.”

The (DKICP) at the has signed partnerships with two more universities in Thailand that promise to give aspiring pharmacists opportunities to gain international perspectives in their field and provide a mutually beneficial arrangement that can help pharmacy practitioners and researchers advance pharmaceutical knowledge and practice.

Pharmacy faculty at both , west of Bangkok proper in the Nakhon Pathom province, and Siam University in Bangkok are involved in the new arrangement.

“These agreements help us broaden our reputation and allow us to give students in their fourth year of pharmacy school international exposure, both culturally and educationally,” said DKICP Dean John M. Pezzuto. “We were pleased to join other top-ranked pharmacy schools as part of the U.S.-Thai Consortium and this is another example of the opportunity for opening new doors.”

Supakit Wongwiwatthananukit, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, helped shape the existing agreements.

“The program also brings students to pursue advanced professional, graduate study, residency or postgraduate training in our college laboratory, and in many of our experiential sites throughout the Hawaiian Islands,” Wongwiwatthananukit said.

The arrangement includes at least the following areas of study: advanced pharmacy practice experiences, pharmaceutical care, pharmaceutical sciences research and organization of joint research projects. Other areas of study may be added upon mutual agreement.

Dean Jurairat Nanthanid from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Silpakorn University and Dean Chalermsri Pummangura and Weerachai Chaijamorn of Academic Staff Pharmacy Practice at Siam University came to Hilo and met with Pezzuto and discussed possibilities with other faculty.

The partnership marks DKICP’s third and fourth agreement with Thai universities. Thai schools of pharmacy already with clinical site and research agreements with DKICP include Chulalongkorn University signed in 2011 and Rangsit University signed in 2013.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s Helen Wong Smith has been appointed as one of three representatives of the , North America’s oldest and largest national archival professional association, to serve on the . Wong Smith is the coordinator for pharmacy and health sciences information at the at the , serving as librarian and archivist.

She is on the SAA Council and is the first archivist from Hawaiʻi to serve on the council since 1968. Wong Smith has been placed on the coalition’s Assessing the State of the Field Working Group, which entails doing a survey to determine the demographics and opportunities available to the library, archive and museum professions.

She is a strong advocate of professional development opportunities offered virtually, an advocacy she’s maintained for over 30 years, and as part of the coalition she can potentially impact local, state and Pacific Basin communities.

“This will be another avenue for me to advocate for Hawaiʻi,” she says. “It’s another way for both archivists and Hawaiʻi to be in the conversation.”

Wong Smith explains librarians are a larger profession than museum or archive professionals in this country. She says with the new appointment to the coalition, “they get a twofer because I’m also representing an underrepresented profession from an often forgotten geographic area.”

“Hawaiʻi in general is too easily overlooked, and that’s been shown time and time again,” she explains. “I’ll be privy and able to shepherd opportunities that 糖心视频 Hilo and the rest of the Pacific will be able to take advantage of.”

Read 糖心视频 Hilo student website for more on Wong Smith.

After a focused, on-site evaluation and separate review by the board of directors of the national agency that regulates pharmacy schools, the (DKICP) at the has been granted continuation of full accreditation.

The status extends to June 30, 2017, but is contingent on continuous progress that is monitored by the (ACPE). DKICP had been accredited on a provisional basis until June 2015 but was in danger of being placed on probation before the legislature approved funding for a permanent building last year.

“The college did an outstanding job of explaining their value to the state of Hawaiʻi in order to secure legislative funding, which was necessary to meet accreditation standards,” said Matthew Platz, vice chancellor for academic affairs. “I am quite certain that the support of the legislature had a strong influence on the positive decision rendered by the evaluation team.”

ACPE is recognized by the as the national agency for the accreditation of all professional degree programs in pharmacy. Institutions must meet 30 standards having to do with issues such as curriculum and facilities or face sanctions that include probation and ultimately closure.

“This College of Pharmacy is a treasure for the entire State of Hawaiʻi,” Dean John M. Pezzuto said. “Continuation of full accreditation acknowledges the hard work and dedication of our tremendous team of faculty, staff, and students as well as the overwhelming community support we receive. With a new building on the horizon, we are confident the College will continue to grow and expand, and continue to make our citizens proud.”

ACPE granted DKICP pre-candidate status in June 2007 and attained full accreditation upon graduation of its inaugural class in 2011. During one site visit, the ACPE noted the lack of permanent facilities as an area of deficiency, and in October, then-Gov. Neil Abercrombie released the funds for the building.

“We are indebted to all those in the university, the community and the legislature who stood by us,” Pezzuto said.

DKICP must submit an interim report by October 15, 2015. A comprehensive self-study will be due next year, followed by a site visit in 2017.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

Since it was founded in 2006, at the is filling multiple critical needs. Students from Hawaiʻi no longer have to move away to become trained pharmacists and it is the only college of pharmacy in the Pacific—providing better access for students across the region where pharmacists are in short supply—all while pumping an average of 50 million dollars annually into Hawaiʻi’s economy.

The program reached a major milestone in December 2014 with the groundbreaking of a permanent facility.

“Today is a day for all of the people of Hawaiʻi to celebrate and it’s a day that really represents the pinnacle of an intense effort that was sustained by so many people,” said DKI College of Pharmacy Dean John M. Pezzuto.

• Go to for photos from the event
• 糖心视频 Hilo Stories: December 12, 2014
• 糖心视频 News: October 10, 2014

The late United States Senator Daniel K. Inouye, the namesake of the college, was the driving force behind the creation of the school that is now fully accredited with graduate programs and residencies and faculty and students in every county.

• 糖心视频 News: October 10, 2014

“This college has exceeded the expectations of everyone,” said 糖心视频 President David Lassner. “Anyone skeptical about it has to look today and see a world class program.”

The new 21st century facility will provide a flagship, central location that will bring together a program that has been spread out across multiple locations since its inception.

“I can’t say enough about how grateful we as students are that we’re breaking ground today on a new building for our program,” said 糖心视频 Hilo student pharmacist Shaun Lasky at the groundbreaking ceremony. “We fully realize the support we have from the community here and that support is what drives us to become the best pharmacists that we can be.”

“Today, through this investment in our future, you can be sure that the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy will devote itself to a millennium of service to all the people of the state of Hawaiʻi,” said Pezzuto.

The Office of the Governor released of $33 million for the construction of a 35,000-square-foot instructional and research facility for the at the .

“During the course of my administration it has been an inspiration to witness the tremendous growth and development of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy. Even during the controversial times of the university, this college remained steadfast and focused on providing a strong intellectual and economical environment,” said Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

The college has admitted students since 2007, initially sharing classrooms and laboratories with other departments at 糖心视频 Hilo. A group of four temporary modular buildings resembling trailers allowed the college to have a presence on the 糖心视频 Hilo campus since 2009, but faculty and staff were required to travel up to 7 miles away for lab and office space in three separate locations.

“A permanent home is absolutely crucial in order for the College of Pharmacy to maintain the full accreditation they have worked so hard to achieve in 2011,” said Chancellor Donald Straney. “We are grateful to the legislature and to the governor for recognizing the dire need for pharmacists who will provide an even greater service as our population ages and we experience healthcare reform.”

These funds will finance the construction of a new building that will include classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, offices and related spaces in accordance with Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education standards and guidelines. When complete, it will house 糖心视频 Hilo’s largest graduate program.

“This facility will provide the space needed for students and faculty to learn and discover the wonders of science,” Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui said. “I am confident that achievements made in this building will benefit the Big Island community, the State of Hawaiʻi and the world.”

Prior to 2007, Hawaiʻi was one of only a few states in the nation that did not provide pharmacy education. The construction of the College of Pharmacy building will allow local students to remain in Hawaiʻi and eventually help the state’s need for more professionals in this field.

Founding Dean John M. Pezzuto said that the timing of the release of the funds couldn’t have come at a better time. The college has been required to undergo site visits from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education accreditation teams since before admitting students, and passed every one of the 30 strict standards until last year when they faced possible probation for not having suitable facilities.

“We never stopped believing in our future,” said Pezzuto. “I am personally grateful to the legislature and to the governor for recognizing the need for upgrading the quality of the environment students need to succeed, and for demonstrating to the community that Hawaiʻi Island contributes to the well-being of the entire state. With a permanent building, the college is well positioned to continue the quest of achieving a high national ranking.”

—From news releases from the and the Office of the Governor

October 15, 2014—Editor’s note: Additional information from the 糖心视频 Hilo news release was added to the published story.

Eighty-three student pharmacists will recite the Oath of a Pharmacist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s ’s (DKICP) white coat ceremony in the 糖心视频 Hilo Performing Arts Center on October 12. The event, which takes place from 2-4 p.m., is open to the public.

The ceremony signifies the rite of passage for students entering their first year in the professional program to affirm their commitment to the values of their profession, including professionalism, respect, integrity and compassion. Distinctive to Hawaiʻi’s ceremony is when each student receives the traditional flower lei as they enter the stage to recite the oath in front of fellow students, faculty and staff, community supporters and family.

The keynote speaker will be Sherry Bracken, news reporter for Hawaiʻi Public Radio and producer and host of Island Issues, a weekly interview program on LAVA 105.3 FM and KKOA 107.7 FM. The students will also be addressed by 糖心视频 Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney and DKICP Founding Dean John M. Pezzuto as well as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Edward Fisher.

Four new pharmacy residents who are working on Oʻahu and already have their PharmD will be recognized along with the PharmD candidates. Beginning first-year residencies at Pacific Mental Health are Goldie Leh and Michelle Kim. Beginning second-year residencies are Lehua Kay in Mental Health Psychiatry at Hawaiʻi State Hospital and Barry Nakaoka at The Queen’s Medical Center.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (DKICP) has received approval as sponsor of continuing education (CE) for doctoral-level psychologists from the American Psychological Association .

“With this designation, DKICP becomes the only organization in Hawaiʻi that can offer CE to three licensed healthcare providers: psychologists, physicians and pharmacists,” said Karen Pellegrin, director of continuing education/strategic planning for DKICP. “This is especially gratifying as we enter the age of inter-professional healthcare.”

The college received accreditation to offer CE to pharmacists as well as physicians in 2009. The CE credit is a requirement for psychologists to remain licensed. DKICP becomes the fourth American Psychological Association approved center in Hawaiʻi. The approval is good for two years.

Representing all three professions, DKICP will present the first interdisciplinary CE course in Waikīkī on October 1–3. The workshop is called Pharmacotherapy in the Age of DSM-5, referring to American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

To receive future announcements about CE events, contact the College of Pharmacy continuing education by email.

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—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

At a meeting on August 21, the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents approved a change of status from “provisional” to “established” for the PharmD degree offered at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo .

“When the College of Pharmacy gets a cold, 糖心视频 Hilo gets pneumonia, so we are obviously pleased with the committee’s results,” said Matthew Platz, 糖心视频 Hilo vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Even though this process is required for all new programs at the University of Hawaiʻi, we take our role in reviewing programs very seriously. The college put together an outstanding package of support and made it easy for me to endorse the change in status.”

The Board of Regents Committee on Academic Affairs recommended the approval on August 7. Established 糖心视频 programs must perform regular reviews every seven years.

The PharmD program is designed to prepare students for a career as a pharmacist after passing a national board examination and successful completion of licensure requirements in the state where they will practice. In addition to acquiring extensive experience in the practice of pharmacy, the rigorous curriculum is rooted in basic biomedical, and pharmaceutical sciences, designed for students to acquire knowledge of the scientific underpinnings of the profession.

The four-year professional program has had 341 graduates since acquiring full accreditation status in 2011. Of those graduates, 97 percent have passed their licensure exam. As of June 2014, graduates from the Class of 2014 have been hired for jobs that require a PharmD degree in eight states as well as Guam and Saipan at various retail chains, community pharmacies and hospitals.

“Achieving this latest milestone shows we have continued to offer a first-rate education despite the economic distractions of the past few years,” said John Pezzuto, DKICP founding dean. “Student pharmacists can rest assured the training and education they receive at 糖心视频 Hilo is second to none.”

Read the for more information.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

Pharmacists on Oʻahu are now helping patients at risk of medication-related hospitalization readmissions through Pharm2Pharm, a project from the (DKICP) at the .

Patients leaving in West Oʻahu and in Windward Oʻahu can take advantage of the program during their recovery.

“The hospital consulting pharmacists (HCPs) use risk-based criteria to identify inpatients who may benefit from further care once they leave the hospital,” said Karen Pellegrin, director of the project based in DKICP’s Center for Rural Health Science. “The HCPs also consider referrals from community docs who have high-risk patients not currently in the hospital who might benefit.”

HCP’s Angela Li, Shanele Shimabuku and Elizabeth Lee, who are all graduates of DKICP PharmD program, identify high-risk patients and transfer them to the care of community consulting pharmacists after discharge. Shimabuku completed a pharmacy residency through the college working with Senior Clinical Pharmacist and DKICP Assistant Professor Roy Goo, who is based on Kauaʻi.

“The launch on Oʻahu was timed with the implementation of state-of-the-art health information technology by Hawaiʻi Health Information Exchange (HHIE), a key project support partner,” said Pellegrin. “The Hawaiʻi Commnity Pharmacist Association and Hawaiʻi Pacific Health also are key operating partners for the Pharm2Pharm project, which is funded through the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).”

With wireless mobile devices, consulting pharmacists can access cloud-based prescription-fill histories on their patients and ensure a complete and accurate medication list is available to other members of the care team through use of Health Care Systems, Inc. medication management tools. Participating consulting pharmacists can also communicate with each other and with other members of the care team through HHIE’s secure messaging system.

Pellegrin said they are currently focusing on hospitals in regions of Oʻahu with higher rates of potentially preventable hospitalization rates. More than 1,300 high risk patients have been enrolled statewide since Pharm2Pharm was implemented on Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island in 2013.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

The (DKICP) at the is the newest member of a multinational group working to advance pharmacy education, research and practice, and improve the health and welfare of the people in Thailand.

The U.S.-Thai Consortium for the Development of Pharmacy Education in Thailand, founded in May 1994, made the announcement at the 2014 consortium conference from the in Baltimore. DKICP Associate Professor Carolyn Ma and Supakit Wongwiwatthananukit attended.

Thai-U.S. partnership

The consortium now includes 19 Thai and 17 U.S. schools of pharmacy. The signed the original memorandum of agreement with eight schools of pharmacy in Thailand and the Committee for Pharmacy Manpower Development of the Thailand Ministry of University Affairs.

“We are energized by, and grateful for, the opportunity to join these other top schools of pharmacy because we understand how to affect global health and make a difference for humanity.” said DKICP Dean John M. Pezzuto. “Our geographic location positions us to become the hub of pharmaceutical research where contributions of western sciences, eastern traditions and Pacific island heritage combine to advance pharmaceutical knowledge and practice.”

These agreements give DKICP students an opportunity to go to Thailand for their experiential training, as well as bring PhD students and postdoctoral associates to Hawaiʻi to work in DKICP labs.

Thailand agreement adds to international opportunities

DKICP has developed relationships and signed memorandums of understanding with universities in China, Thailand and Japan. Students in the 糖心视频 Hilo program also have unique learning opportunities available throughout Hawaiʻi, across the mainland and the Pacific Basin, in Guam, American Samoa and Saipan.

“This consortium will help us expand our scope to include other universities in Thailand, which in turn gives our respective students a wider global perspective,” said Wongwiwatthananukit, DKICP associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, who helped shape the existing agreements. “Being born and raised in Thailand, this is very meaningful because I know our work can affect generations to come.”

Read the for more information.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

In a report to the at the , the national accreditation body has extended the accreditation of the only pharmacy school in the Pacific region, reversing an earlier noncompliance finding.

The (ACPE) has now found the College of Pharmacy compliant with all of the 30 standards that it uses to evaluate colleges of pharmacy.

The main issue considered by the ACPE was compliance with the standard concerning physical facilities. In May 2014, State House and Senate budget conferees agreed to fund a building to house the college.

• 糖心视频 News story:

“I was secure in the knowledge that our community knew the value of the College of Pharmacy to the future, to the economy and to the general well-being of our state,” said Chancellor Donald Straney. “I want to thank everyone involved for their continued support that led to the funding of a permanent building.”

In 2013, ACPE declared the College of Pharmacy was out of compliance with the standard concerning physical facilities after which, without promise of a permanent building, could ultimately lead to probation. Founding Dean John Pezzuto said probation could have signaled the end of the college.

“If we had followed the path we were on just a year ago, I could be saying that we have been placed on probation, which would’ve been disastrous for the future of the college,” Pezzuto said. “It is heartening that our accreditation is once again secure, but we all must remain diligent and prepare for the next steps.”

The college now must complete a self-study due by September, to be followed by an on-site visit in October 2014. The results of the site visit and continuation of accreditation will be reviewed at the next ACPE Board meeting, to be held in January 2015.

—By Alyson Kakugawa-Leong

In an announcement made today, John M. Pezzuto, founding dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo , will leave the university at the end of this year to assume his new duties as professor and dean of the located in Brooklyn, NY. Pezzuto became the first dean of the only college of pharmacy in the Pacific region when he left in 2006.

“I came to 糖心视频 Hilo from a top-ranked pharmacy college because it presented the challenge of starting a college of pharmacy where there was none before,” Pezzuto said. “My wife Mimi and I and our three children have cherished our time in the Aloha State. The decision of taking these next steps has been extraordinarily difficult. But LIU is one of the oldest pharmacy programs in the country, and I feel that I am uniquely suited to help them reach the next levels of preeminence.”

When Pezzuto arrived in Hawaiʻi, the College of Pharmacy had no offices, no staff, no students and no assurance of a future. He methodically assembled a staff of world-renowned faculty who would build the school into what is now a contender for one of the top-25 ranked colleges in the U.S.

“It has been a great pleasure working with someone of Dean Pezzuto’s caliber,” said Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs . “This is sad news for the University of Hawaiʻii at Hilo, but because he has worked diligently on preparing the college for this day, I am confident we are ready for the next steps. I have no doubt his name will live on in the future of our college, and we are grateful for the work he has done to get us to this point.”

More on Pezzuto

Pezzuto is well known for his research that identified the cancer-preventive component of grapes and grape products known as resveratrol. After the research report was published in Science Magazine in 1997, many more stories in scientific journals as well as mainstream media focused on the discovery that gave real promise to the fight against cancer. According to the Web of Science Core Collection, his work on resveratrol has been cited more than 3,000 times.

Most recently, he was given the top research award from the , as well as an award from the Cantine Due Palme in Italy for outstanding contributions in the field of research and culture.

• 糖心视频 News story:

Prior to joining 糖心视频 Hilo, he served as professor and dean of the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences at Purdue University. Pezzuto has been supported by the continuously since 1977. He is the author of more than 500 manuscripts, editor of the journal Pharmaceutical Biology, holder of many patents, a member of several editorial boards and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The university plans to launch a nationwide search to identify the next dean of the college.

State House and Senate budget conferees have reached final agreement on a proposal to fund a building to house the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo .

The agreement totals $33 million, including $28 million in government obligation bonds and $5 million in revenue bonds.

“This project has been a collective effort from the very beginning and we want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this outcome possible,” said Chancellor Don Straney. “We’re especially grateful for the support we’ve received from the House and Senate, beginning with the efforts of our Hawaiʻi Island delegation.”

The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy was established in 2007, awarded its first degrees in 2011 and will graduate its fourth class in May. A site has been selected for a permanent facility, which has already been planned and designed.

More on the College of Pharmacy

• VIDEO:
• VIDEO:
• 糖心视频 News story:

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and have formed Hawaiʻi’s first interdisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship program to help combat infectious diseases on Kauaʻi.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs are designed to improve the utilization of appropriate antibiotics with the goals of improving patient outcomes and lowering healthcare associated costs, as well as slowing the development of antimicrobial resistance.

“The management of infectious diseases is a constant arms race, and, as medication experts, pharmacists are uniquely qualified to help drive antimicrobial stewardship programs,” said Roy Goo, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, who is based on Kauaʻi. “As new antimicrobial agents are developed, bacterial, viral and fungal organisms evolve with new resistance mechanisms that confer immunity to even our best medications. Even with proper medication, it is estimated that 50 percent of antibiotics are used inappropriately.

“The practice of infectious diseases is the art of using only what is necessary to cure the infection and nothing more,” added Goo. “One of the basic principles of infectious diseases is the more antimicrobial agents we use, the faster resistance develops.”

With support from Wilcox Hospital’s inpatient pharmacy department and the hospital’s infectious disease physician James Yoon, students screen for patients who are on high-cost or high-risk antimicrobials. They then assess the appropriateness of the antimicrobial regimen for each patient and present their recommendations to the entire infectious disease team, who makes changes to optimize therapy.

“The Center for Disease Control strongly recommends that hospitals perform some form of antimicrobial stewardship, and it is likely that it will become mandated by the Center for Medicare/ Medicaid Services in a couple of years,” Yoon said. “At Wilcox Memorial Hospital, we like to be ahead of the curve. Right now we are lucky that we have very few resistant bacteria, and we want to keep it that way.”

This positive experience has led to other collaborative programs at and on Oʻahu. Pharmacist Melissa Yoneda, a DKICP alumni, is currently helping to establish a pharmacy-driven antimicrobial stewardship program at Pali Momi Medical Center.

• VIDEO:

Read the for more information.

The has selected John M. Pezzuto, dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, to receive their top research award.

Pezzuto will be honored with the for his outstanding research and contributions in the field of natural product drug discovery. The award will be announced in July at the 2014 Annual Meeting in Grapevine, Texas, and will be published in and on the .

“It is a tremendous honor, and I am very grateful for being recognized by the AACP in this manner,” Pezzuto said. “Over the years I have had the privilege of working with many fine colleagues, students, postdocs and visiting scholars. We continue to hope our hard work will make a difference for future generations.”

As Founding dean of the created in 2007, Pezzuto leads approximately 100 faculty and staff to educate and train students for careers in pharmacy.

After 35 years in academia, he has amassed more than 500 publications, is the co-inventor of several patents, the editor of four books, a member of more than 10 editorial boards of international journals, and the editor-in-chief of Pharmaceutical Biology. He is widely known for identifying the cancer-prevention aspects of resveratrol, a chemical found in grapes and grape products. Primarily noted for working in the area of natural products, he has been an administrator and researcher in pharmacy and drug discovery.

“I have been witness to John’s work for many years, and have been impressed with the intensity that he displays when pursuing his research,” said Lucinda Maine, AACP executive vice president and CEO. “His research is world renowned and has the potential to affect the health of millions not only now but in the future.”

Read the for more.

More on the Volwiler Research Achievement Award

The Volwiler Research Achievement Award was established as the research prize in academic pharmacy to honor the late Ernest H. Volwiler, former president and research director of Abbott Laboratories. According to AACP, “the intent of the award is to recognize annually an individual within the ranks of pharmacy education recognized by his or her peers as one of the leading research workers in a given area of the pharmaceutical and clinical sciences, pharmacy practice and the social and administrative sciences, and for outstanding contributions to the respective disciplines.”

John M. Pezzuto, the dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo was recently honored with the Friends of Pharmacy Award for 2013 from the .

Pezzuto was recognized with the annual award at the Hawaiʻi Pharmacists Association’s general membership meeting in October. The award is given to a non-pharmacist who has made significant contributions toward improving or expanding the profession of pharmacy in the State of Hawaiʻi ( HPhA).

“Dr. Pezzuto’s efforts to build a top-ranked, research-intensive pharmacy school from the ground up are unparalleled,” said Carolyn Ma, president of the Hawaiʻi Pharmacists Association and associate professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the pharmacy college. “Through his leadership, Hawaiʻi has the first and only fully accredited college of pharmacy in the Pacific Rim, a growing number of first- and second-year residency opportunities, nationally and internationally recognized expertise and leadership in pharmaceutical research and delivery of rural healthcare.”

“It has been a great honor serving as founding dean of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy,” said Pezzuto. “I am proud of our many accomplishments and unique ability to serve the entire State of Hawaiʻi as well as the Pacific Region as a whole. On behalf of the students, faculty and staff of the College, I am pleased to accept this designation graciously bestowed by the HPhA. They can count on us serving as a Friend of Pharmacy for many years to come.”

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Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will receive more than $800,000 a year for five years in federal funding that will help strengthen a collaborative research program with .

The in Hawaiʻi, which has been supported for more than 10 years by the , has recently received an additional $18.4 million over five years of support. The renewal allows the collaboration to continue expanding and improving biomedical research in Hawaiʻi.

John Pezzuto, dean of the College of Pharmacy, leads the effort, and works with 糖心视频 Mānoa Principal Investigator Robert Nichols, professor of cell and molecular biology, and Program Coordinator David Easa.

“This is important because it’s a competitive renewal, which means the grant wasn’t automatically extended. We had to compete with top research facilities throughout the country,” Pezzuto said. “And because one of the focuses is on fostering biomedical careers among students, we can pay it forward for years to come.”

In addition to core functions and support for undergraduate research projects, the 糖心视频 Hilo component of the grant will support studies being conducted in College of Pharmacy laboratories.

“The hope is that work conducted under the auspices of INBRE will be leveraged into larger projects supported by extramural funding agencies,” Pezzuto said.

The grant also supports projects and programs at outreach institutions Kapiʻolani Community College, Leeward Community College, 糖心视频 Maui College and Windward Community College.

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Sustainable energy teaching materials were delivered to educators in the Hilo-Waiākea Complex to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning experiences in classrooms at all grade levels thanks to a contribution from a federally funded program in the .

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Equipment valued at about $7,500, including photovoltaic (solar) panels, GPS devices and scientific probeware, was distributed to the teachers who have attended the most recent in a series of workshops at the 糖心视频 Hilo campus over the last three years. The workshops are part of a series offered under a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center outreach grant to K–12 teachers in the complex area, led by Ken Morris, professor and chair, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. This grant also pays expenses and provides stipends to the teachers who attend the workshops.

“This collaboration between the Hawaiʻi Department of Education and DKICP shows America’s educational system at its best, working together on a common goal to expose students to their career choices at the right time in their educational path,” Morris said. “We’re pleased to help support these STEM teachers who are responsible for inspiring their students to pursue needed and rewarding careers.”

At the latest engineering workshops in May, two separate programs offered different levels of training for elementary (K–5) teachers and secondary (6–12) teachers. Over the course of the three-day training, teachers practiced implementing lesson plans designed to engage students in the scientific inquiry process and in developmentally appropriate engineering design projects aligned to learning standards for the targeted grade levels.

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Elementary school teachers created solar water heaters, wind turbines and a model house using both batteries and solar panels as sources of energy. Secondary teachers explored ways to use GPS devices and probeware to measure temperature, salinity, C02 levels and other properties of soil and water. At all levels, technology and mathematics were integrated into meaningful hands-on learning experiences with real-life applications.

“As a result of attending the workshop, I have been able to utilize engineering-based lesson plans and the students have responded well,” said Eric Hagiwara, a math teacher at Waiākea High School. “The comment I most often hear from the students is, ‘Now I know how this math can be used in real life.’ This clearly indicates that the application is an important aspect of teaching math. I will be using this lesson plan as often as possible.”

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Plans are underway for future teacher workshops in which approximately $5,000 worth of robotics and science kits will be provided to participants.

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The University of 贬补飞补颈驶颈 celebrates 糖心视频 Day at the State Capitol on Wednesday, March 20, 9 a.m. at the State Capitol Rotunda.

This year鈥檚 theme is Healthy People, Healthy Pets. The event will include interactive exhibits by various 糖心视频 campuses, including the , the , 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 , 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 , , Windward Community College鈥檚 and more.

In addition, there will be a farm animal exhibit featuring sheep and two newborn lambs.

糖心视频 Day at the State Capitol is part of the state legislatures鈥� 10th Annual Education Week. The event is coordinated by the 贬补飞补颈驶颈 State Senate Committee on Education, chaired by Senator Jill Tokuda.

糖心视频 cheerleaders will lead a pep rally to kick off the event. There will also be prizes.

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents voted unanimously in February 2013 to name four 糖心视频 facilities and programs after the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye to honor his legacy and commitment to the University of Hawaiʻi.

The facilities and programs

• The at 糖心视频 Mānoa
• The at 糖心视频 Hilo
• The Daniel K. Inouye Electronics Technology Building at
• The Daniel K. Inouye Allied Health Center at

“The board embraced the opportunity to celebrate his legacy and his vision, to want to have the university be an impactful institution on all of our major islands,” said 糖心视频 Board of Regents Chair Eric K. Martinson.

“He encouraged us to make education a priority. He encouraged us to do the best in the world in certain areas of research and to build for the future in other areas,” said 糖心视频 President M.R.C. Greenwood. “He was just himself, an enormous inspirational man of great integrity and courage.”

Inouye’s immeasurable impact on the university was the focus of a press conference on February 22, 2013. The university officially named the facilities and programs after him to thank the senator and his family for his extraordinary vision and support during his nearly 60-year long career in public service, the last 50 as a United States senator.

“The accomplishments that he made during that time are monumental. He has created new research programs at the University of Hawaiʻi and elsewhere,” said David Karl, professor and Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education director.

Inouye helped steer millions of dollars to the university for projects like the Center for Microbial Oceanography but his focus was not just on 糖心视频 Mānoa. The community colleges and campuses on the neighbor islands were just as important to him.

“Those colleges have thrived and are on a trajectory to be among the best in the country because of the support and stewardship that Senator Inouye gave to them,” said Donald Straney, 糖心视频 Hilo chancellor.

He was the driving force behind Hilo’s College of Pharmacy and Kauaʻi’s Electronics Technology Building. Despite all he accomplished for 糖心视频, Inouye always pushed himself and other to do more.

“And let me tell you, every time I saw the senator, I felt his hand on my back saying, ‘Move forward, progress. You can be great and we need to be great for the citizens that live on the island of Kauaʻi,’” said Helen Cox, Kauaʻi Community College chancellor.

“If he was here today, he probably would not agree to this. He probably would say, ‘That’s not the way I want to be remembered,’” said Representative Colleen Hanabusa.

But now his memory will live on for generations.

“It is about, certainly celebrating the moment, but more importantly about continuing to look toward the future, said wife Irene Hirano Inouye. “Continuing to imagine what no one would believe could be done but always finding a way to make it happen.”

“To hear everyone paying respect to my father and thanking us for our role that we played is humbling,” said Ken Inouye.

The University of Hawaiʻi approved a package at its monthly meeting on February 21 that names four University of Hawaiʻi programs or facilities on four islands in honor of the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye.

“Senator Inouye impacted the University of Hawaiʻi in ways that cannot be measured. We are deeply grateful to the senator for his years of support and for all that he has done for us,” said 糖心视频 President M.R.C. Greenwood. “Today’s board action gives us the opportunity to thank Senator Inouye and to emphasize the many things he helped us accomplish and the many things he has inspired us to accomplish in the future.”

The Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, 糖心视频 Mānoa

Inouye was a staunch advocate for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and basic research. He was a strong supporter of and its research, education and outreach missions. His efforts significantly enhanced the capacity for research at the University of Hawaiʻi, especially in the area of marine science. Inouye participated in C-MORE Hale’s groundbreaking in 2009 and the .

The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, 糖心视频 Hilo

One of Inouye’s passions was improving healthcare in Hawaiʻi, particularly in rural populations. In 2000, Inouye began his quest to create something important on the Big Island. His vision was the at the . It opened in 2007 and has been ranked in the top five new schools of pharmacy in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

The Daniel K. Inouye Allied Health Center, 糖心视频 Maui College

Inouye was a champion for nursing, allied health and the well-being of Hawaiʻi residents. His commitment to the neighbor islands and particularly to Maui, the home of his mother, continued for years. The Allied Health Center primarily supports dental assisting and dental hygiene programs at that grew out of community need.

The Daniel K. Inouye Electronics Technology Building, Kauaʻi Community College

Inouye was instrumental in helping establish a strong relationship between its electronics program and the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility. He worked with Kauaʻi CC to secure for an optics lab. He was also a steadfast supporter of the college’s movement toward stronger STEM programs. The building houses the electronics program, the Cisco Networking Academy, Optics Lab and Kauaʻi CC’s Hawaiʻi Space Flight Lab.

Susan Jarvi, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the has developed a fun-filled activity book to teach children about a serious health topic associated with cleaning and cooking vegetables in the tropical Hawaiian environment.

Jarvi is distributing a book and poster about rat lungworm disease to elementary school children in Hilo. It’s part of her effort to increase awareness in Hawaiʻi about the rare parasitic infection that can cause paralysis, coma or death.

“There’s a real need for better education of the public and research that no one else is doing if we want to decrease risk of infection,” said Jarvi, who has been conducting research on ways to detect the virus in the blood as well as testing possible vaccines and evaluating vegetable washes that may be the most effective in killing the larvae that causes the damage.

The activity book, designed and illustrated by local artist Hopper Sheldon of Hopper’s Art, is called The Mystery of Rat Lungworm Disease. It contains 22 pages of information, coloring, puzzles and clues that are designed to help elementary-age children learn what to look for in their gardens and vegetables and what to do if they spot something suspicious on their food.

The disease-causing organism reproduces in rats and is transferred to slugs and snails. Eating raw snails and slugs, intentionally or unintentionally, infects people, and the larvae can hide in salads or other uncooked vegetables. Symptoms that appear at the onset of the infection can appear similar to other infections and make it difficult to diagnose.

“The activity book project is just a start of our efforts to reduce rat lungworm infection on the island of Hawaiʻi through educational and research approaches,” Jarvi said. “This year we are concentrating on integrating rat lungworm disease education into the Department of Education curriculum in second grade, but on a larger scale we plan to integrate it into the curriculum in multiple grades.”

Jarvi hopes to take the activity to book to as many second-grade classrooms as possible, and is continually contacting teachers on other islands and searching for feedback.

— Adapted from a 糖心视频 Hilo

The University of Hawaiʻi presents 糖心视频 News on OCSports. Narrated by 糖心视频 students, the four-and-a-half minute segments air on the OCSports channel during 糖心视频 sporting events.

  December 2012 and January 2013

• (reported by 糖心视频 Mānoa student Mark Tenorio)
• (reported by 糖心视频 Mānoa student Leon Sheen)
• (reported by 糖心视频 Mānoa student Leon Sheen)
• (reported by 糖心视频 Mānoa student Keliʻi Alapai)
• (reported by 糖心视频 Mānoa student Keli’i Alapai)
• (reported by 糖心视频 Mānoa student Mark Rulona)
• (reported by 糖心视频 Mānoa student Emilie Howlett)

糖心视频 News on OCSports highlights University of Hawaiʻi programs systemwide.

To view more segments go to the .

The University of Hawaiʻi’s outstanding research is the focus of a special tabloid insert in the January 11 issue of the .

highlights the or HI². This plan to develop Hawaiʻi’s research industry is important to the economic future of the state, generating significant investment, while supporting existing businesses and creating thousands of well paying jobs.

糖心视频 News will feature stories from the tabloid, and the tabloid can be viewed in its entirety on the .

Following is the cover story from the tabloid, “The Sky Is Not the Limit: The University of Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative Reaches for the Stars,” by David K. Choo.

Cover story

Last fall, Peter Arnade went to Kaimukī for a haircut and came home with a new perspective. Arnade, a history professor who had taught in California for the previous 20 years, had recently joined the as its new dean of the . He was having a pleasant conversation with his hairdresser when she offhandedly mentioned that, in a couple of weeks, she would be moving to Las Vegas, and she wasn’t happy about it.

“She told me that she was born and raised in Hawaiʻi but couldn’t afford to live here anymore,” says Arnade. “When I mentioned to her that I had recently relocated to the Islands to work at the university, she said: ‘Sure, you got one of those high-paying jobs that always goes to outsiders.’”

Arnade tried to explain that schools like 糖心视频 are global institutions, and they recruit nationally and internationally, but they serve their local communities. He wanted to tell her that the university’s impacts are far-reaching but often unseen, then decided to listen and learn more about his new home.

“I”d never had a conversation like that in any of the places I’ve studied or taught,” says Arnade. “She was polite but she was frustrated. It was a learning experience.”

Kick-Starting a New Economic Engine

A recent study shows that Hawaiʻi’s economy is dominated by sectors that offer limited potential for long-term improvements in the quality of life. The state’s traditional economic engines, tourism (19 percent of total employment) and the military/federal government (12 percent), contribute modest productivity growth. Over the past 20 years, military downsizing and shocks to the tourism industry have hit Hawaiʻi hard. While a record number of tourists visited the Islands in 2012, real visitor spending had been declining an average of 1 percent per year from 1989 to 2011. Overall, over the past 40 years, Hawaiʻi’s real gross domestic product per capita has grown by less than half that of the U.S. as a whole, a disappointing 0.7 percent average annual expansion. Such weak economic growth is indicative of an economy absent dynamic and high-performing industries, which means fewer higher-paying jobs.

Peter Quigley doesn’t like to hear stories about people leaving the Islands because of a lack of opportunity. He’s very familiar with the state’s lackluster economic performance, but he’s buoyed by other statistics that point to an alternative economic path: Over the past 10 years, extramural (outside) funding at the University of Hawaiʻi has increased more than 50 percent. In 2009, the National Science Foundation ranked 糖心视频 Mānoa 51st out of 689 public and private universities in research expenditures. The ranking puts it only 11 spots behind research heavyweight University of California Berkeley, and ahead of other revered institutions such as University of Oregon, Oregon State and Notre Dame. In addition, extramural funding for the University of Hawaiʻi hit a high of $489 million in 2011, during challenging economic times.

“People understand what UCLA is and what it stands for and what Cal is, but I don’t think they realize that their university—糖心视频—is in that same class,” says Quigley, a 糖心视频 assistant vice president. “The sky’s the limit in terms of what those research opportunities mean for jobs and the local economy.”

The university’s high ranking and big funding numbers took many by surprise, including people in the local business communities. However, they reflect the success the university has achieved in moving its research forward. What would happen with even more strategic attention?

Over the next several years, the university and the rest of the state will find the answer to that question. Quigley is executive director of the (HI²), a 10-year effort led by 糖心视频 President M.R.C. Greenwood to double the 糖心视频 system’s outside funding from $500 million to $1 billion per annum to build the state’s research industry.

Expanding the system’s research capabilities begins with people, and not just any people. HI² plans to hire and develop 50 world-class researchers over the next decade. Many of these scientists, also referred to as “principal investigators” (PIs), will contribute to 糖心视频’s areas of strength and/or opportunity, such as: astronomy and space sciences, clean energy, ocean and climate sciences, biomedical research, and informatics.

“There are only a few of these kinds of people in the world,” says Quigley. “A lot of them are currently at leading institutions in the world, so we have to convince them that moving to Hawaiʻi is good for their research and their academic careers.”

Last year, the initiative signed up the first of its 50 distinguished researchers, when Edward DeLong, a globally renowned microbial oceanographer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and member of the National Academy of Sciences, agreed to relocate to Hawaiʻi. (See “Big Man on Campus” on page 14 of tabloid.) DeLong, who studies microbes and their many natural processes, will be setting up shop at 糖心视频 Mānoa in 2014.

“We can attract someone of the caliber of DeLong because he sees the great strength we have in his area and he sees tremendous opportunity,” says 糖心视频 Mānoa Chancellor Tom Apple.

It’s an opportunity that promises economic development and diversification. “The University of Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative is an effort we hope the community will support, because it could determine the future of the state,” says 糖心视频 President M.R.C. Greenwood.

Systemwide, Statewide

Much of the new research will likely be led by 糖心视频 Mānoa. The flagship campus is one of only 32 institutions in the nation with the distinction of being a land-, sea- and space-grant research institution. However, the effort will involve all 10 糖心视频 campuses and research assets statewide. A couple of PIs will likely be based at , which boasts the system’s only , among other areas of strength. The new labs at Mānoa, Hilo and elsewhere will need lab workers and other staff; the initiative is working with all campuses to build the human infrastructure that will be necessary to support a long-term, sustained effort. (See 鈥淲orkers
Wanted鈥� on page 39 of tabloid.)

According to 糖心视频 vice president for community colleges John Morton, the 糖心视频 system’s seven community colleges will be active players in HI². Over the past two years, the community colleges have received two workforce development grants from the U.S. Department of Labor, totaling more than $37 million. They are beefing up their STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs, so that they can help provide such a workforce. “We know what kind of skills will be necessary, and we’ll prepare them accordingly,” says Morton.

糖心视频 Mānoa’s Apple adds that the direct economic benefits from HI² will be significant, but the potential impact on the larger community can be multifaceted. “With much of the work involving Island issues and challenges, the results could change the way we live,” he says.

The university cannot carry out the initiative by itself. For instance, providing the necessary support of the resulting technologies will require the cooperation of the public and private sectors statewide. For this, the Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative is using San Diego and its economic development organization, CONNECT, as its models. CONNECT, developed in the 1980s, started with the University of California at San Diego and linked inventors and entrepreneurs with resources to develop ideas and innovations into viable businesses. In three decades, the organization has helped start more than 3,000 companies. As a result, San Diego, which, like Hawaiʻi, was dependent largely on tourism and the military for its economic growth, now has a booming research sector.

“The local business community has long recognized that research and innovation need to be a part of Hawaiʻi’s future,” says Gary Kai, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Business Roundtable. “We are very encouraged by the Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative, because, not only does it have a model that is wholly appropriate for Hawaiʻi, but it is also led by President Greenwood, a researcher herself, who has seen the impacts that great ideas and innovations have had in other communities.”

“Hawaiʻi needs a strong research university to fully realize the potential of our knowledge-based industries,” says Jeanne Unemori Skog, president and CEO of the Maui Economic Development Board and chair of the Economic Development Alliance of Hawaiʻi. “Investment in University of Hawaiʻi’s research could lead to a cure for skin cancer, unravel the mysteries of the sun or help feed a hungry world through breakthroughs in aquaculture. The possibilities
are endless, but we’ll never know unless we explore them,” she says.

Greenwood and Quigley have given presentations to groups across the state and are heartened by the responses they have received, especially from 糖心视频 graduates, who are surprised and proud of their school’s prominence in the research world. However, Quigley is really looking forward to reaching out to those outside the university community—people like the Kaimukī hairdresser.

“I’d like to tell people like her that the school down the street, the one that you drive by all the time, is one of those places where knowledge is not only taught but created,” says Quigley. “I’d like to tell her that, at 糖心视频, she and her kids don’t have to move away to study with some of the smartest people in the world. More importantly, they don’t have to move away to become some of the smartest people in the world.

Professor of Chemistry Ralf I. Kaiser and College of Pharmacy Dean John Pezzuto have both been named Fellow of the for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

Ralf Kaiser

Ralf I. Kaiser was elected as an AAAS Fellow for distinguished contributions in the field of reaction dynamics, particularly for understanding formation mechanisms of complex molecules in extraterrestrial environments and in combustion systems.

Kaiser received his diploma from the University of M眉nster, Germany in 1991 and his PhD in 1994 in chemistry from the same institute. After three years at the University of California at Berkeley as a postdoctoral fellow, he conducted his habilitation in physics before joining the faculty of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2002.

Read the for more.

John Pezzuto

John Pezzuto was honored “for distinguished service in the advancement of pharmacy and pharmaceutical education, and pioneering work in the field of natural product inhibitors of cancer.” He is widely recognized for discovering the anti-cancer benefits of reserveratrol in grapes and grape products.

Pezzuto became the founding dean for 糖心视频 Hilo’s College of Pharmacy in 2006. He has held several administrative positions in academia, including dean of the College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He also was associate dean for Research and Graduate Education, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Pharmacy, deputy director of the UIC Cancer Center and head of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy at UIC.

Read the for more.

The at the has grown by leaps and bounds since it was founded in 2006.

“We’ve met every benchmark we have tried to over the past five years,” said dean John M. Pezzuto. “We are fully accredited. We started graduate programs, residencies. We are spread throughout the state on every neighbor island. And we really are Hawaiʻi’s only College of Pharmacy. I think we represent the state very well.”

Hawaiʻi’s College of Pharmacy

There are about 375 students enrolled in the college and about half of them are from Hawaiʻi, like Hilo’s Moani Hagiwara, who took part in the annual White Coat ceremony, a rite of passage for first year students.

“I kind of got a little chicken skin,” said Hagiwara after the ceremony. “A chill went through my body. I grew up here on this island too so it is a little bit of home pride as well. It’s exciting to have it here especially.”

Local students like Hagiwara can now stay home to pursue an education in pharmacy. It’s what attracted Davis Hanai, a second year pharmacy student, to the program.

“I would like to work in Hawaiʻi and I feel like if you want to train with the population you are going to work with, that’s a big deal to have the pharmacy school here in Hawaiʻi,” said Hanai.

The college and a lot of hard work is also a prescription for personal success. About 80 percent of the 2011 graduates found jobs or a paid residency. The average salary for graduates working full time $117,000 a year.

“You can go into retail, into hospital, you can go into industry, you can go into more policy making so there is a lot of choices and opportunities for students who want to make a difference,” said Hanai.

The college is also an economic engine according to an independent study by economist David Hammes, which has shown the 糖心视频 Hilo College of Pharmacy contributes more than $50 million dollars a year to the economy of Hawaiʻi. There are faculty on Oʻahu, Maui and Kauaʻi, with students and residents placed in hospitals throughout the state. It was even named one of the top five new pharmacy schools in the nation by US News and World Report.

“Over the years, we have even exceeded even our own expectations,” said Pezzuto.

The school’s impact reaches far beyond Hawaiʻi. Besides being the only College of Pharmacy in the state, it’s the only one in the Pacific region. The College of Pharmacy extends its reach by sending students to conduct practical experience, called rotations, through a memo of understanding to Guam, Alaska and American Samoa. The agreement has encouraged students such as Francine Amoa to come to 糖心视频 Hilo from American Samoa, which only has one pharmacist on the whole island.

“I personally think that having a college of pharmacy, and the only college of pharmacy in the Pacific rim, is a huge importance, just because there isn’t another institution for Pacific islanders like me to go and get an education and go back and serve our community,” said Amoa.

The college looks to the future

The school has always had one ambitious goal: to be a top-rated college. It is on its way, but there is one more big thing that has to be accomplished before that goal can be reached.

That’s one location for the entire college. Right now, the school is spread out over five different locations. Classrooms are in a temporary facility on the outskirts of campus. The administration is housed in a borrowed county building a few miles away that was built in 1920. The research labs are seven miles out of Hilo in antiquated buildings constructed in the ’60s.

“We really have to bring all of our people together,” said Pezzuto. “We have to ground our research programs. We have to strengthen our clinical programs. And there is no way we can really effectively accomplish that without a permanent building.”

糖心视频 Hilo Assistant Professor Dana Koomoa-Lange, a researcher at the college strongly agrees.

“To have that community together where we can really communicate on an everyday basis and have more research seminars and more interaction with the students as well,” said Koomoa-Lange. “I think that will be really instrumental in bringing the college of pharmacy forward into the future.”

The future is now. The building design is complete and the facility site has been selected. Now it is just a question of funding. The permanent college of pharmacy building is the University of Hawai’i’s top funding priority. Governor Abercrombie is including funding in the executive budget, according to Pezzuto.

“We have the site. It is shovel ready. It’s ready to go, so as soon as we secure the funding, we can have a groundbreaking and secure the future of the college, secure the future of pharmacy in the state and really help us do what we have the capability of doing,” said Pezzuto.

The has documented the history of creating the first college to train pharmacists in the Pacific region in a hardcover book published this summer called Emergence of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo College of Pharmacy.

CoP Librarian Amy Knehans and Maggie Morris, editor of the CoP magazine Kawili Laʻau, scoured the archives for every milestone and event that led to the creation of the college. Besides chronicling the newsworthy details of the first five years, the book gives first-hand accounts from people who supported building a pharmacy school in Hilo from the beginning, such as Senator Daniel K. Inouye, former Chancellor Rose Tseng, Director of University Relations Gerald De Mello, and Hawaiʻi State Representative Jerry Chang.

Jerry Johnson, former dean of the 糖心视频 Hilo College of Arts and Sciences, was in the trenches along with former CoP Director of Community Partnerships Ron Taniguchi, and they were able to fill in the blanks on creating something from nothing for most of the events prior to admitting students in 2007.

“In Hawaiʻi, the informal steps can mean more than the formal steps to get things done,” Johnson said as he outlined the myriad procedures. “We had to convince [糖心视频 administration] there was a local need, there鈥檚 a national need, and that 糖心视频 Hilo can do it.”

The book also contains nearly 100 photos as well as a timeline and an appendix that includes student composite photos of the first four classes, a map of student residency, testimony presented before the house, minutes of the regents’ committee, graduate survey, organizational charts, economic impact report, CoP’s strategic plan and an honor roll of donors.

“It has been an honor to be involved in creating such a work,” Knehans said. “I really enjoyed listening first-hand to the personal perspectives from key supporters of the college. I learned a great deal about the history of the island as well as the 糖心视频 System. The college has come a long way in a short time.”

Emergence is available online on their website. Hard copies may be obtained by contacting the editors at knehans@hawaii.edu or morrismm@hawaii.edu.

This article was reprinted from the October 2012 edition of , the 糖心视频 Hilo faculty and staff newsletter

Dana-Lynn T. Koomoa-Lange, an assistant professor in the at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has received the five-year NCI Mentored Research Scientist Development Award to Promote Diversity (K01). The $675,000 award was given by the National Cancer Institute. This is a first for 糖心视频 Hilo, and the only award of this type from the NCI given to a Native Hawaiian in the 糖心视频 System.

Koomoa-Lange’s research, entitled “MYCN-induced calcium and magnesium signaling regulates neuroblastoma progression,” will concentrate on finding an effective treatment strategy for advanced stage neuroblastoma, an extra-cranial pediatric cancer.

“This study may identify new biomarkers for advanced stage NB, and reveal novel targets for the development of more effective chemotherapeutic drugs,” Koomoa-Lange stated in her proposal.

“I am very pleased Dana will have the opportunity to focus on treatment strategies for this dreadful disease that accounts for about 15 percent of all childhood cancer deaths each year,” said André S. Bachmann, chair of the College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. “She is a brilliant scientist. We all hope her work will make a difference.”

“This is a highly competitive and prestigious award, one which very few in the entire University of Hawaiʻi System will ever have a chance to receive. Dana is a very talented scientist who is destined to be one of our stars,” said College of Pharmacy Dean John Pezzuto.

—Adapted from a

A new study, which appears in the November issue of Nature Geoscience, finds that a deep connection about 50 miles below Earth’s surface can explain the enigmatic behavior of two of the world’s most notable volcanoes, Hawaiʻi’s Mauna Loa and K墨lauea.

The research was conducted by scientists with the in the at the , along with colleagues at Rice University, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Their findings offer the first plausible model that can explain both the opposing long-term eruptive patterns at Mauna Loa and Kīlauea—when one is active, the other is quiet, and vice versa—as well as the episode in 2003-2007 when GPS records showed that both inflated concurrently.

Read the or learn more about the study as featured by , , , Honolulu Star-Advertiser (subscription required), , and RedOrbit.

糖心视频 in the News for October 19–25, 2012

• Hawaii News Now, October 25, 2012:
• Big Island Video News, October 24, 2012:
• Civil Beat, October 24, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 24, 2012: “College price hikes more modest but still painful”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 24, 2012: “Pressure from lawmakers could leave 糖心视频 flattened” (subscription required)
• Scientific American, October 24, 2012:
• United Press International, October 24, 2012:
• Hawaii 24/7, October 23, 2012: “Free astronomy workshop for teachers (Oct. 26–27)”
• Hawaii 24/7, October 23, 2012: “Every ounce counts toward 糖心视频 recycling goal”
• Hawaii News Now, October 23, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, October 23, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, October 23, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 23, 2012: “Chow lends support to 糖心视频 leaders in wake of Wonder fumble”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 23, 2012: “AD search: 糖心视频 agrees to terms with firm” (subscription required)
• Ke Alakaʻi, October 23, 2012: “October marks National Breast Cancer Awareness month”
• KHON, October 23, 2012: “Cyclist recounts attack on Tantalus&rdquo
• Pacific Business News, October 23, 2012:
• Phys.org, October 23, 2012:
• Big Island Now, October 22, 2012:
• The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 22, 2012:
• Civil Beat, October 22, 2012: “More Muggy Days Ahead? Hawaii Trade Winds Are Dying Down”
• The Garden Island, October 22, 2012: “Na Kama Pono benefits from Adopt-A-School”
• Ka Leo, October 22, 2012: “Keep it green at eWaste Disposal Days”
• Space Daily, October 22, 2012:
• The Garden Island, October 21, 2012: “Kenney’s whole-animal breakdown is more than culinary skill”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 21, 2012: “Some advice on advance directives” (subscription required)
• Hawaii 24/7, October 20, 2012: “Astronomers map dark matter filament”
• Hawaii 24/7, October 20, 2012: “Decrease documented in frequency of Hawaiʻi’s northeast tradewinds”
• Hawaii News Now, October 20, 2012:
• Hawaii Reporter, October 20, 2012:
• Hawaii Reporter, October 20, 2012:
• Hawaii Reporter, October 20, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 20, 2012: “It’s been 3 months; do you know where your AD is?” (subscription required)
• KHON, October 20, 2012: “Two burglaries within two weeks at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 campus”
• Big Island Video News, October 19, 2012:
• The Garden Island, October 19, 2012: “KCC all bus’d up”
• Hawaii 24/7, October 19, 2012: “College of Pharmacy gets accreditation for residency program”
• Hawaii News Now, October 19, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 19, 2012: “Tom Apple to head panel discussion on 糖心视频 research goals”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 19, 2012: “糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 library extends hours”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 19, 2012: “Female student reports being accosted by unknown man at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 19, 2012: “Third batch of computer thefts in 2 months reported at 糖心视频”
• KHON, October 19, 2012: “Student accosted at 糖心视频 Manoa”
• KHON, October 19, 2012: “Two offices at 糖心视频 Manoa’s Bilger Hall burglarized”
• The Maui News, October 19, 2012: “State In Brief: 糖心视频 faculty senate delays confidence vote”
• Maui Now, October 19, 2012:

A residency program in community pharmacy that gives licensed pharmacists opportunities for further training through the at the has been awarded national accreditation.

“Pharmacy residency programs are similar to training that allows medical doctors to gain postgraduate training,” noted Anita Ciarleglio, assistant professor in the college’s Department of Pharmacy Practice.

Accreditation by both the and the is necessary for the program to be considered a validated educational experience.

“Receiving a three-year accreditation was a coup for us because we’re so new,” Ciarleglio said. “It means we can continue to concentrate on patient care while giving licensed pharmacists from all over the country the experience they need to get on with their careers and gives them credentials to compete for jobs.”

Accreditation for the residency program mirrored the accreditation process for the college, which was awarded last year after the inaugural class graduated from 糖心视频 Hilo, Ciarleglio said.

Community pharmacy training on Maui

The 糖心视频 Hilo pharmacy residency program has been conducted on the island of Maui where Ciarleglio is the project’s program director. She began compiling data that met standards for accreditation more than two years ago with assistance from Bill Jones, a pharmacist who was the pharmacy residency director for 23 years at the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Tucson, Arizona.

Thus far, five pharmacists have gone through the program at Maui Clinic Pharmacy and are able to get retroactive credit for being part of an accredited program. All have since left the program to attain gainful employment as pharmacists.

They include Sheena Jolson (University of Arizona, Class of 2010), Amy Baker (University of New Mexico, Class of 2010), Tehane Ornellas (糖心视频 Hilo, Class of 2011), Erika Miyahira (糖心视频 Hilo, Class of 2011) and Christina Mnatzaganian (University of Arizona, Class of 2011). Mnatzaganian has joined the College of Pharmacy faculty.

Ciarleglio referred to these women as “true trailblazers” for believing in the program while it was still being accredited.

“These women are redefining community pharmacy,” Ciarleglio said. “They primarily act as the liaison between the community, the hospital and the physician, and provide a continuity of care that just wasn’t there before.”

—Adapted from a University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

Scientists at the have observed a decrease in the frequency of northeast trade winds and an increase in eastern trade winds over the past nearly four decades, according to a recent study published in the .

For example, northeast trade wind days, which occurred 291 days per year 37 years ago at the Honolulu International Airport, now only occur 210 days per year.

Jessica Garza, a meteorology graduate assistant at the , Pao-Shin Chu, meteorology professor and head of the Hawaiʻi State Climate Office; Chase Norton and Thomas Schroeder analyzed 37 years of wind speed and direction, and sea level pressure data from land-based weather stations, buoys and reanalysis data.

Persistent northeast trade winds are important to the Hawaiian Islands because they affect wave height, cloud formation, and precipitation over specific areas of the region. When trades fail to develop the air can become dormant and unpleasant weather can develop.

Furthermore, Chu explained that the trades are the primary source of moisture for rain, and that a dramatic reduction could fundamentally change Hawaiʻi’s overall climate.

Read more about their research as featured in Civil Beat, , Honolulu Star-Advertiser (subscription required),Maui Time, Our Amazing Planet, , RedOrbit, and

糖心视频 in the News for October 12–18, 2012

• Big Island Now, October 18, 2012:
• The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 18, 2012: (subscription required)
• Hawaii News Now, October 18, 2012:
• Hawaii Reporter, October 18, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 18, 2012: “糖心视频 regents have no comment after meeting on Greenwood’s future”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 18, 2012: “Regents call in $15K consultant to talk about governing” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 18, 2012: “University autonomy imperiled by concert troubles” (subscription required)
• KHON, October 18, 2012: “糖心视频 Manoa’s Hamilton Library now open on Saturdays”
• KHON, October 18, 2012: “糖心视频 Board of Regents approve biennium budget”
• KHON, October 18, 2012: “Hawaii County Food Self-Sufficiency Baseline study gets award”
• KITV, October 18, 2012: “糖心视频 Regents approve budget proposal, Greenwood job in limbo”
• Radio Australia, October 18, 2012: “Jobs, agriculture on agenda of Hawaii research forum”
• Civil Beat, October 17, 2012: “Hawaii Monitor: What’s Behind the 糖心视频 Athletics Debacle”
• The Garden Island, October 17, 2012: “Bee pests update, workshop starts Friday”
• Hawaii News Now, October 17, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, October 17, 2012:
• Hawaii Reporter, October 17, 2012:
• KHON, October 17, 2012: “Open Table Diners names 糖心视频MC’s Leis Class Act Restaurant No. 1 in Hawaiʻi”
• The Maui News, October 17, 2012: “Kahana Canoe Club awards three academic scholarships”
• Maui Now, October 17, 2012:
• MidWeek, October 17, 2012:
• NBCNews.com, October 17, 2012: “Astronomers take first 3-D look at giant strand of dark matter”
• The Garden Island, October 16, 2012: “Domestic Violence Awareness launches at KCC”
• Hawaii Reporter, October 16, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 16, 2012: (subscription required)
• Pacific Business News, October 16, 2012:
• Big Island Now, October 15, 2012:
• Big Island Video News, October 15, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, October 15, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, October 15, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 15, 2012: “Public’s unease magnified by big 糖心视频 salaries” (subscription required)
• Hydrogen Fuel News, October 15, 2012:
• KPUA, October 15, 2012: “Grant to support Native Hawaiians in medicine”
• Pacific Business News, October 15, 2012:
• The Garden Island, October 13, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 13, 2012: “糖心视频 West Oʻahu should aim high” (subscription required)
• Hawaii News Now, October 12, 2012: “Computer thieves strike Saunders Hall at 糖心视频 Manoa”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 12, 2012: “Greenwood’s goals released”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 12, 2012: (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 12, 2012: “糖心视频’s Apple responds to senator’s query” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 12, 2012: “糖心视频 fails to release Greenwood documents” (subscription required)
• KHON, October 12, 2012: “Thieves steal six computers from 糖心视频 Manoa building”
• KITV, October 12, 2012: “Board of Regents discusses Greenwood’s appointment”

The class of 2016 at Hawaiʻi’s at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is on its way. The first year students at the only fully accredited pharmacy college in the Pacific region participated in an important rite of passage recently, the white coat ceremony.

An important announcement was made at the event about the college, which was founded in 2006.

“I’m very pleased to announce for the first time that the last graduating class had a pass rate of 94 percent,” said College of Pharmacy Dean John Pezzuto, referring to the national exam that every pharmacist must pass to be licensed.

The announcement was met with a loud and long applause.

The student pharmacists know there is a lot of work ahead for the next four years and were challenged and encouraged at the ceremony by every speaker, including Hawaiʻi County Mayor Billy Kenoi.

“Never ever doubt yourself,” said Kenoi. “You got here already. All you got to do is keep doing what you did to get you here in the first place. You already know how to succeed. That’s why you are here.”

State and Hawaiʻi county dignitaries were on hand as the college’s faculty helped the 89 students don their white coats. They then recited the “Oath of a Pharmacist” as they affirmed their commitment to professionalism, respect, integrity and caring.

“I think it hit me when the associate dean made his opening speech,” said student pharmacist Moani Hagiwara after the ceremony. “I kind of got a little chicken skin. A chill went through my body.”

“Couple of seconds before I walked on the stage and I saw the procession line and shaking everybody’s hand and realize then, this is really it,” said fellow student pharmacist Kyle Cabison. “My palms started getting a little sweaty, heartbeat got a little faster.”

“It’s a mixture of being overwhelmed and happy at the same time I guess,” said student Necole Miyazaki.

The students were greeted by proud family and friends after the ceremony.

“It feels really good,” said student pharmacist Allan Higa who was covered with lei. “Now I feel like I’m getting on the pathway of becoming a pharmacist. And I feel like I’m part of the community and I’m obligated to serve them.”

“I’m very excited,” agreed Hagiwara. “I grew up here on this island too, so it’s a little bit of home pride as well. It’s exciting to have it here especially.”

A unique study led by the and the is analyzing the connection between breast cancer and body weight by tracking more than 200,000 people in Hawaiʻi

The study began 20 years ago in 1993 and involves women in five ethnic groups, including African Americans, Caucasians, Hawaiians, Japanese and Latinos. Featured in the International Journal of Cancer, the study’s results help to validate the link between obesity and cancer.

To learn more about the study, watch the video featured in honor of October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month on KITV 4 News with the 糖心视频 Cancer Center’s Cancer Epidemiology Program Specialist Lynne Wilkens and Research Biostatistician and Epidemiologist Kami White.

糖心视频 in the News for October 5–11, 2012

• Civil Beat, October 11, 2012: “Hawaii’s NE trade winds on the decline”
• Civil Beat, October 11, 2012: “Dinner and drinks? It’s on Jim Donovan”
• Civil Beat, October 11, 2012: “Should 糖心视频 say aloha to football?”
• Hawaii News Now, October 11, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, October 11, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, October 11, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, October 11, 2012:
• Hawaii Reporter, October 11, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 11, 2012: “Apple clarifies thank you remark”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 11, 2012: “糖心视频 law school receives national accolade”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 11, 2012: “Chi’s strength celebrated” (subscription required)
• KHON, October 11, 2012: “糖心视频 chancellor’s letter clarifies his statements”
• KHON, October 11, 2012: “Computers stolen in early-morning burglary at 糖心视频 Manoa”
• Pacific Business News, October 11, 2012: “Hanabusa talks to PBN staff about 糖心视频, Afghanistan, military spending and the Affordable Care Act”
• Taunton Daily Gazette, October 11, 2012:
• Hawaii Tribune-Herald, October 10, 2012: “CoPharm class of 2016 to unite in ceremony”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 10, 2012: “Private donations covered 糖心视频 athletic staff’s expenses” (subscription required)
• KHON, October 10, 2012: “Friends, family gather to remember 糖心视频 swimmer”
• KHON, October 10, 2012: “Oversight varies in 糖心视频 athletic spending”
• KHON, October 10, 2012: “糖心视频 ranks among best law schools ”
• KITV, October 10, 2012:
• KITV, October 10, 2012: “Friends, family mourns death of student athlete”
• KITV, October 10, 2012: “Memorial set for 糖心视频 swimmer”
• Pacific Business News, October 10, 2012: “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, others give Hawaii funding as part of ‘Credit When It’s Due’ initiative”
• Hawaii News Now, October 9, 2012: “糖心视频 athletic department spends $622K on travel, events, meals”
• Hawaii News Now, October 9, 2012: “OHA candidates to attend forum on HCC campus”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 9, 2012: “糖心视频 West Oʻahu head retiring”
• KITV, October 9, 2012: “糖心视频 West Oahu chancellor to step down”
• KITV, October 9, 2012: “Obesity, ethnicity links to breast cancer risk”
• Pacific Business News, October 9, 2012:
• Pacific Business News, October 9, 2012:
• Pacific Business News, October 9, 2012:
• Aerospace Manufacturing and Design, October 8, 2012: “Seeing into space”
• Civil Beat, October 8, 2012: “School bullies: Hawaiʻi DOE programs blasted at federal meeting”
• Hawaii News Now, October 8, 2012:
• Hawaii Reporter, October 8, 2012:
• Hawaii Reporter, October 8, 2012:
• KHON, October 8, 2012: “糖心视频 chancellor calls for input on schools future”
• KPUA, October 8, 2012: “University of Hawaiʻi board to discuss Greenwood”
• Pacific Business News, October 8, 2012:
• Pacific Business News, October 8, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, October 7, 2012: “糖心视频 swimmer remembered by teammates”
• Hawaii News Now, October 7, 2012: “New 糖心视频 study: OK for pregnant women to eat most fish”
• Hawaii Tribune-Herald, October 7, 2012: “糖心视频 officials spend $126K to travel”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 7, 2012: “Regents face tough choice over future of 糖心视频 leader” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 7, 2012: “糖心视频’s Palafox linked to state, federal probe” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 7, 2012: “糖心视频 pours out cash for consultants” (subscription required)
• KHON, October 7, 2012: “19 year-old 糖心视频 swimmer remembered by teammates”
• KITV, October 7, 2012: “Coach says ‘Peter’ brought team together with humor”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 6, 2012: “Power broker resigns from booster club” (subscription required)
• Big Island Now, October 5, 2012:
• Civil Beat, October 5, 2012: “Emails back up concerns of Inouye interference in Maui telescope case”
• Hawaii News Now, October 5, 2012: “Regents schedule special meeting to discuss embattled president”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 5, 2012: “Key 糖心视频 booster resigns over differences with Tom Apple”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, October 5, 2012: “Drug, liquor violations rise sharply at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补” (subscription required)

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo presents its Fourth Annual Health Fair on Saturday, October 6, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. at Campus Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Students and faculty will conduct blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes screenings and “brown bag” medication checks. There will also be healthy living demonstrations, informational booths and a healthy living art competition for local school children.

Other community organizations conducting concurrent activities include the Hawaiʻi Bone Marrow Donor Registry, NED Drug Take Back Program, Hawaiʻi Cataract and Laser Institution, HawaiʻiIsland HIV/AIDS Foundation, Senior Medicare Patrol and ʻAkaka Falls Lions Club.

“Our health fair is now a tradition during national American Pharmacists Month, which is celebrated annually during October,” said Carolyn Ma, chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice who created the inaugural health fair in 2009. “It serves as another reminder to our students about the importance of their chosen profession for the community. Those who come to campus will witness first-hand the value these student pharmacists add throughout the state of Hawaiʻi.”

For more information, call (808) 933-7663.

An accreditation team from the visited the in September and praised the university for boosting undergraduate retention and graduation rates, improving financial planning, and making outstanding progress in securing federal grants for research.

A draft list of commendations and recommendations cited by the team also requests that any reports or legislation resulting from the failed Stevie Wonder concert and current Hawaiʻi State Senate hearings be provided to WASC.

Read more about the accreditation team visit as reported by and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (subscription required).

糖心视频 in the News for September 21—27, 2012

• Big Island Now, September 27, 2012: “糖心视频H alumna wins Fulbright teaching grant”
• Big Island Now, September 27, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 27, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 27, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 27, 2012: “Report of campus sex assault prompts 糖心视频 security alert”
• Pacific Business News, September 27, 2012:
• Saipan Tribune, September 27, 2012: “PHI Pharmacy welcomes two interns”
• Big Island Now, September 26, 2012:
• The Garden Island, September 26, 2012: “糖心视频 professors says NASA’s Martian weather reports show extreme pressure swings”
• Hawaii Reporter, September 26, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 26, 2012: “糖心视频 looks feckless in hearing, some say” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 26, 2012: “糖心视频 president OKs $90K worth of help to hire athletic chief” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 26, 2012: “Editorial: 糖心视频 fiasco trying public’s patience” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 26, 2012: “Grill legislators on abuse of power in 糖心视频 debacle” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 26, 2012: “Good luck, 糖心视频, finding someone take AD job” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 26, 2012: “Ex-糖心视频 coach loses money on sale of Hawaii Kai digs” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Weekly, September 26, 2012: “The hidden tsunami of debris”
• KHON, September 26, 2012: “Student sexually assaulted at 糖心视频 Manoa”
• Marianas Variety, September 26, 2012: “Two PHI Pharmacy interns to provide free health services”
• The Maui News, September 26, 2012: “Planning panel OKs 糖心视频MC’s PV”
• Maui Now, September 26, 2012:
• Maui Now, September 26, 2012:
• Midweek Kauai, September 26, 2012:
• Pacific News Center, September 26, 2012: “UOG partners with 糖心视频 Manoa on master of social work program”
• Space Daily, September 26, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 25, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 25, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 25, 20120:
• Hawaii News Now, September 25, 2012:
• Hawaii Reporter, September 25, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 25, 2012: “Coach was forced to settle, Donovan testifies” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 25, 2012: (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 25, 2012: “Board hit for compliant role in mess” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 25, 2012: “Senate session exposes dysfunction in Manoa” (subscription required)
• KHON, September 25, 2012: “Cycle Manoa encourages bicycling as a green alternative”
• KHON, September 25, 2012: “Senate 糖心视频 inquiry growing”
• KHON, September 25, 2012: “Burglaries hit 糖心视频 Manoa dorm”
• KITV, September 25, 2012: “Move to remove 糖心视频 athletic director still being questioned”
• KITV, September 25, 2012: “Senate looking for answers from 糖心视频 on concert fiasco”
• KITV, September 25, 2012: “Senate committee demands transparency over ‘Wonder Blunder’
• Maui Now, September 25, 2012:
• Pacific Business News, September 25, 2012:
• Civil Beat, September 24, 2012: “The University of Hawaii’s costly fumble”
• Hawaii News Now, September 24, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 24, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 24, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 24, 2012: “糖心视频 satellite program moves toward liftoff” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 24, 2012: “Love for tech drives HiakaSat leader” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 24, 2012: “Pacific warming likely to shift species’ habitat” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 24, 2012: “Donovan tells panel he was not involved with wiring $200,000”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 24, 2012: “Greenwood defends 糖心视频 before Senate panel on concert”
• KHON, September 24, 2012: “Hot seats, cold shoulders in Stevie Wonder 糖心视频 briefing”
• KHON, September 24, 2012: “糖心视频 president sought advice from Abercrombie about 糖心视频 AD job”
• KHON, September 24, 2012: “Former 糖心视频 Athletics Director Jim Donovan grilled by senators”
• KITV, September 24, 2012: “College student sings sweet tune between classes”
• Hawaii News Now, September 23, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 23, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 23, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 23, 2012: “Private funding long under fire” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 23, 2012: “Senate panel wants questions answers ‘once and for all’” (subscription required)
• KHON, September 23, 2012: “Briefing on 糖心视频 financial management on Monday”
• The Maui News, September 23, 2012: “Kaʻana Manaʻo: 糖心视频MC major proves sustainability no longer just a catchy buzzword”
• Sky News Australia, September 23, 2012: “Tsunami debris washes ashore in Hawaii”
• RedOrbit, September 22, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 21, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 21, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 21, 2012: “糖心视频 Maui College to receive $4.7M grant for Hawaiian leadership program”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 21, 2012: “糖心视频 hires second law firm to help prepare for hearing” (subscription required)
• KHON, September 21, 2012: “First confirmed Japan tsunami debris found in Hawaii”
• KHON, September 21, 2012: “糖心视频 concert fiasco Senate hearing”
• Pacific Business News, September 21, 2012:

A new satellite communication facility recently installed on the top of Building 7 at will provide real-time data useful for local weather and ocean forecasts.

The project, funded by the and the at the , includes a new antenna and dish system that follows polar orbiting earth satellites and downloads real-time, high-resolution data as the satellites pass over Hawaiʻi.

The data received will aid SOEST researchers and National Weather Service forecasters in improving forecasts of hazards that are critical to the tropical Pacific, including heavy rainfall, tropical cyclones, and the detection and modeling of volcanic emissions. It will also help monitor the thermal activity of Kīlauea Volcano.

Read the SOEST news release or see media coverage of the project as featured on KITV 4.

糖心视频 in the News for September 7–13, 2012

• Big Island Now, September 13, 2012:
• Civil Beat, September 13, 2012: “OHA gives $110K to 糖心视频 for Native Hawaiian students”
• Hawaii News Now, September 13, 2012: “EXCLUSIVE: Senate 糖心视频 probe widens beyond failed concert”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 13, 2012: “糖心视频 begins accepting applications for AD job” (subscription required)
• KHON, September 13, 2012: “Coaches on 糖心视频M search advisory committee withdraw from advisory positions”
• Maui Now, September 13, 2012:
• Pacific Business News, September 13, 2012:
• Pacific Business News, September 13, 2012:
• Victoria Times Colonist, September 13, 2012: “Commentary: Transition and the Taliban: the enemy elsewhere and within”
• Civil Beat, September 12, 2012: “$147M released for airport, hospital, school projects”
• Hawaii News Now, September 12, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 12, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 12, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 12, 2012:
• Hawaii News Now, September 12, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 12, 2012: “Hilo pharmacy college professor wins $675K award”
• Ithaca Journal, September 12, 2012: “Sciencenter’s Sagan Planet Walk expands to Hawaii”
• KHON, September 12, 2012:
• KHON, September 12, 2012: “糖心视频 begins soliciting applications for permanent athletics director”
• Maui Now, September 12, 2012:
• Pacific Business News, September 12, 2012:
• San Jose Mercury News, September 12, 2012: “Thousands expected to participate in Saturday’s annual coastal cleanup”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 11, 2012: “Updated end-of-life documents can prevent drama” (subscription required)
• KHON, September 11, 2012: “A look inside the University of Hawaii System’s two newest libraries”
• The Maui News, September 11, 2012:
• Maui Now, September 11, 2012:
• Pacific Business News, September 11, 2012:
• Renewable Energy Focus, September 11, 2012:
• Big Island Now, September 10, 2012: “糖心视频H group accepting nominations for distinguished alumni awards”
• Foodconsumer.org, September 10, 2012: “Isoflavones cut risk of endometrial cancer”
• Maui Now, September 10, 2012:
• Santa Cruz Sentinel, September 10, 2012: “Former UCSC chancellor grappling with fundraising scandal”
• Daily Herald, September 9, 2012: “Linguists criticize new changes to Utah native language center”
• The Garden Island, September 9, 2012: “Bill proposes to slash bus fare to Kauaʻi Community College students”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 9, 2012: “The forgotten” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 9, 2012: “Hundreds of 糖心视频 medical students have cared for homeless” (subscription required)
• Civil Beat, September 8, 2012: “Ben and Kirk talk journalism and, of course, politics”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 8, 2012: “Concert probe deserves answers” (subscription required)
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 8, 2012: “Skin flaws can indicate gene defect, increased cancer risk” (subscription required)
• The Maui News, September 8, 2012: “Great Recession recovery for Maui’s construction industry”
• The Garden Island, September 7, 2012: “The Voice of KCC: News from Kauaʻi Community College”
• Hawaii News Now, September 7, 2012:
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 7, 2012: “糖心视频 Maui College and Japanese university sign cultural exchange pact”
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 7, 2012: “Newswatch: 糖心视频 West Oahu leads the way as system enrollment hits peak” (subscription required)
• KHON, September 7, 2012: “Senate calls for testimony for Stevie Wonder concert”
• KITV, September 7, 2012: “糖心视频 looking at building diabesity center in Kakaako”
• Maui Now, September 7, 2012:

The at the earned national recognition earlier this year as one of the top five new schools of pharmacy, according to .

In its first year of eligibility since admitting its inaugural class in 2007, the College of Pharmacy in the United States. Of the 42 new pharmacy programs established in or after 2000, only three programs ranked higher than 糖心视频 Hilo’s program.

“These rankings are based on expert opinions about program excellence, so to garner attention at all at this stage of our development is solid recognition of our progress,” said College of Pharmacy Dean John M. Pezzuto. “Of course, our eventual goal is to achieve ranking in the top 25 of all colleges of pharmacy.”

“This is the first time a 糖心视频 Hilo graduate program has been identified in the U.S. News and World Report so we are indeed proud and optimistic that we will be able to continue an upward trend,” said 糖心视频 Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney. “This is tangible proof that students graduate from our program with a top-notch education in a unique environment.”

About the U.S. News pharmacy rankings

Each year, U.S. News and World Report ranks graduate programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine. The magazine does not rank all programs every year, and pharmacy schools were last ranked in 2009. The next ranking is scheduled to take place in 2015.

The data comes from surveys of administrators at more than 1,200 programs and nearly 15,000 academics and professionals, conducted during the fall of 2011 and early 2012. As has been the case for many years, the University of California-San Francisco was ranked the number one pharmacy school in the nation.

Adapted from a 糖心视频 Hilo

The University of Hawaiʻi celebrated the accomplishments of spring 2012 graduates at commencement ceremonies that took place systemwide.

Three technologies developed by the are now owned by Honolulu-based Pono Corporation under an agreement that will allow 糖心视频 to realize the value of the technologies sooner than it would with a traditional licensing deal due to long drug development timelines.

Under the terms of a technology commercialization agreement signed by the university’s with Pono, the university receives equity stake in the company and is now a shareholder in Pono in exchange for an assignment of the technologies.

“We are evolving our technology transfer process to speed commercialization of early-stage technologies developed at the University of Hawaiʻi,” said 糖心视频 President M.R.C. Greenwood. “The agreement with Pono will allow the university to participate side-by-side with other Pono shareholders and founders as technology developed at the University of Hawaiʻi is commercialized.”

The agreement gives Pono ownership of three 糖心视频-developed technologies, including a proteasome inhibitor drug, humanized cobra venom factor, and a hybrid nanocarrier drug delivery system.

“Pono is honored to have the opportunity to build on the work done at the University of Hawaiʻi by moving forward with the commercialization of these technologies,” said Kaleo Taft, Pono’s chief technology officer.

Pono will work to develop the technologies under the agreement with a focus on moving them through the regulatory approval process.

“We are looking forward to this promising opportunity to work with the company towards the clinical development of our novel anti-cancer drugs,” said André S. Bachmann, associate professor and chairman of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the 糖心视频 Hilo .

Bachmann is one of the inventors of the proteasome inhibitor discovery and a co-inventor of the nanocarrier drug delivery system with Mahavir Chougule, assistant professor at the 糖心视频 Hilo College of Pharmacy.

About the technologies

The proteasome inhibitors discovered by Bachmann and his collaborators are a new class of compounds potentially useful for anti-cancer and other therapeutic uses. The proprietary nanocarrier system developed by Bachmann and Chougule aims to provide improved cancer treatment through targeted, tumor-specific delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs.

Read the article in the featuring Bachmann’s research.

At the , Carl-Wilhelm Vogel and David Fritzinger developed the cobra venom factor proteins, which are modified for treatment of diseases such as reperfusion injury and autoimmune diseases.

Pharmacy faculty members at the spent part of their winter break encouraging K–12 teachers to introduce engineering concepts in their classes.

“Engineering plays an important role in many careers, including pharmaceutical manufacturing,” explained Ken Morris, professor of , who led a workshop attended by 29 teachers from the Hilo-Laupahoehoe-Waiakea Complex on Hawaiʻi island.

The National Science Foundation–funded workshop provided tools that teachers need to inspire students to look into engineering careers. It was offered to educators who teach science, technology, engineering and math, known as STEM disciplines.

The course combined classroom instruction with hands-on activities and laboratory exercises that focused on understanding engineering concepts and methods.

“This represents a huge opportunity to address many issues on the Big Island, from energy generation to the observatories, to roads and bridges.” Morris said.

“We hope this will provide a natural link to training students in engineering at the undergraduate level at 糖心视频 Hilo and other 糖心视频 campuses.”

New Jersey Institute of Technology Professor of Engineering Raj Dav茅 served as instructor and advisor to the College of Pharmacy on engineering-specific content of the workshop. 糖心视频 Hilo instructors included Mahavir Chougule, assistant professor in pharmaceutical sciences, and Mazen Hamad, assistant professor in chemistry.

The workshop was organized by Xinyan Wang, undergraduate engineering coordinator at 糖心视频 Hilo, with Bess Jennings, one of three state Department of Education STEM resource teachers on the Big Island who attended the workshop.

“The workshop gave teachers a better understanding of the range of careers in engineering and how to interest their students in the subject,” Jennings said. “This is important because the discipline of engineering is a key aspect of the focus on revitalizing teaching and learning through STEM-based education.”

Officials plan to offer the workshop to all Big Island school complexes.

This article was adapted from the January 2012 issue of .

A new study by University of Hawaiʻi researchers identifies a molecular pathway that may help reduce the damaging effects of an enlarged heart caused by hypertension or a heart attack.

The study by researchers in 糖心视频 Mānoa’s and 糖心视频 Hilo’s demonstrates for the first time that stretching of cardiac cells in cardiac hypertrophy promotes secretion of a protein that helps protect cardiac function and keep cardiac cells alive.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, or VEGF, normally creates new blood vessels during embryonic development and promotes vessel development following injury or lack of oxygen. In a study using rats, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology Michelle Matter and her colleagues found that when enlargement of the heart stretches cardiac cells, they release VEGF.

“We have found that stretch of adult cardiac cells promotes release of VEGF through activation of the NFkB signaling pathway,” Matter said. Blocking NFkB activation abrogates VEGF secretion induced by cyclic mechanical stretch in these cells.

“Targeting this molecular pathway may alleviate the pathological effects of hypertrophy and increase survival of patients who have had a heart attack or suffer hypertension,” Matter said.

Heart disease in Hawaiʻi

More than 3,100 people in Hawaiʻi die of cardiovascular disease each year, according to The Burden of Heart Disease in Hawaiʻi, a report to the state Department of Health.

As many as 70 percent of the adults in Hawaiʻi have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including diabetes, hypertension and obesity, and Big Island residents, Native Hawaiians, Filipinos and the poor have higher risks for cardiovascular disease, according the DOH report.

About the study

Study co-authors are Anna Leychenko and Mayumi Jijiwa of the 糖心视频 Mānoa Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Eugene Konorev of the 糖心视频 Hilo College of Pharmacy.

The research was funded by the ’s National Center for Research Resources and the results published online in the journal during December 2011.

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