A by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 reveals that traditional sea-level rise models, that account only for rising ocean waters, drastically underestimate the true threat to coastal infrastructure on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.

By incorporating shoreline erosion and high-surf events in addition to rising sea levels, researchers found that current current projections overlook up to two-thirds of threatened land area on and up to 85% to 100% of critical infrastructure, such as buildings, roadways and cesspools, that are likely to be impacted.

“This tells us that it is critical to use multiple hazard models, and that areas with little data, such as other Pacific Islands, that rely on simpler passive flood model estimates may be underestimating the risk to their coastal infrastructure,” said Anna Mikkelsen, lead author and graduate student in the in the 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 (SOEST).

The study updates previous sea-level rise vulnerability estimates for Oʻahu using high-resolution climate projections from a variety of agencies. Researchers overlaid three advanced physical models鈥攁ccounting for flooding from rising water levels, shoreline erosion, and annual high-wave events鈥攐nto maps of buildings, parcels, roads, schools, hospitals, parks, wastewater infrastructure and resident population.

An impending tipping point, doubles impact

In addition to finding more widespread vulnerability than previously identified, the findings also emphasize that coastal impacts will not increase at a steady rate, but instead could double how many people are impacted. Following a steady rise in chronic nuisance flooding over the coming decades, Oʻahu faces a rapid tipping point between 2073 and 2102, depending on global emission trajectories.

“Sea-level rise will not come to Oʻahu as a slow, harmless rise in the water level,” said Chip Fletcher, senior author on the paper, director of CRC, and dean of SOEST. “Waves and erosion are already damaging homes, roads and wastewater systems, and our results show a threshold, somewhere between 0.9 and 1.2 meters of rise, where scattered local problems become widespread infrastructure failure. Communities and government agencies need to step up planning and preparation now, while there is still time to choose how we adapt instead of reacting to each crisis as it comes.”

At the tipping point, the number of buildings affected nearly doubles, from about 5,900 to 11,100; residents affected more than doubles, from about 27,800 to 58,100; roads affected goes from 92 km to 210 km; and sewer mains affected goes from 61 km to 151 km.

Impacts to local infrastructure

By considering multiple factors of flooding and multiple types of infrastructure, the research team can tease apart which hazards are most likely to affect different regions on Oʻahu. For example, Honolulu will be most affected by passive and wave-driven flooding impacting the heavily built environment, and the west side is far more affected by recurring annual high-wave events intermittent and sudden impacts. On the north shore, coastal erosion is the largest driver of impacts.

“While there are impacts to all types of infrastructure, we found that roadways and wastewater infrastructure is particularly at risk,” Mikkelsen shared. “For example, in Kaʻaʻawa, there is a 200 meter stretch of Kamehameha Highway, the only road on the east side, that will become impassable from erosion at just 0.3 meter (~1 foot) of sea-level rise, around mid-century; and on the west side, Farrington Highway, which accommodates up to ~40,000 vehicles a day with no alternate public route, starts seeing chronic impassable sections by 0.9 meter of sea-level rise.”

Around the island, there is already evidence that on-site wastewater systems such as cesspools and septic systems leach wastewater into the nearshore environment, degrading coral reefs and water quality and increasing risk of waterborne illness.

“These pathways would increase as sea levels rise because the groundwater also rises, and these systems may become flooded or unable to function properly,” Mikkelsen added. “Our study also revealed that the centralized sewer systems are at risk and will be increasingly flooded this century.”

Place-based adaptation strategies

By combining coastal science, geospatial analysis, and infrastructure data, the team is providing locally relevant information to support long-term planning and help Hawaiʻi prepare for a changing coastline. The findings of this study emphasize the urgent need for tailored, place-based adaptation strategies, ranging from coastal drainage retrofits in urban Honolulu to highway connectivity and decentralized wastewater solutions for rural communities.

The study provides community-level data that county and state agencies can use for planning, and it updates the 2017 Hawaiʻi SLR Vulnerability and Adaptation Report, which 糖心视频 helped produce. All hazard modeling from this open-access study is publicly accessible via the SOEST Climate Viewer.

Honolulu鈥檚 Bill 7 housing program has helped bring hundreds of affordable apartments to neighborhoods near public transit. A new report from the (糖心视频ERO) finds that allowing more apartments per project, streamlining permitting and making construction grants available earlier could help the city build on that progress.

The report, , examines the city鈥檚 Affordable Rental Housing Program, which began in 2019 to encourage apartment construction on small lots. The program offers incentives such as fee waivers, grants and tax breaks in exchange for keeping most units affordable to moderate-income households.

Key takeaways from the November 9 report

• More apartments are in the pipeline. As of September 2026, seven projects with 224 apartments had been completed since the program began, and another 776 apartments across 22 projects had received permits. Those permitted projects could help bring the program closer to the city鈥檚 goal of completing 500 apartments per year.
• Bill 7 makes small-lot projects more financially viable. On a representative 10,000-square-foot lot, researchers estimated that Bill 7 would allow 49 apartments, up from 26 under the zoning rules in place before 2026. The estimated return also improved, though it remained below the industry benchmark used in the study.
• Projects are close to public transit. Every Bill 7 project in the study is within a quarter mile of a bus stop, and six are within a half mile of a current or planned Skyline station.
• Several changes could help more projects move forward. Higher borrowing and construction costs, along with longer permitting timelines, have made development more difficult. Researchers found that allowing more apartments per project could improve financial feasibility without increasing the city鈥檚 subsidy per apartment. The report also identifies opportunities to streamline permitting and make construction grants available earlier.

“Despite unexpected macroeconomic challenges, the Bill 7 program has produced hundreds of workforce housing units in central locations with excellent transit access,” the report said.

糖心视频ERO is housed in 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 .

Hawaiʻi has a more even distribution of income than the nation overall, but the gap between upper-middle- and lower-middle-income earners is wider than some traditional measures of inequality suggest, according to a new (糖心视频ERO) analysis.

A published October 27 by 糖心视频ERO Professor Peter Fuleky and PhD candidate Vanessa Pepino examined how Hawaiʻi compares with other states using two measures of income inequality.

One measure, the Gini coefficient, considers the overall distribution of income. In 2024, Hawaiʻi scored 0.41, compared with 0.45 nationally. The lower score indicated a more even distribution of income, which the authors attributed in part to Hawaiʻi having fewer extremely high earners than states with major technology and finance industries.

A second measure compared incomes at the 80th and 20th percentiles, providing a closer look at the gap between upper-middle- and lower-middle-income earners. In Hawaiʻi, those at the 80th percentile earned about 2.8 times as much as those at the 20th percentile in 2024. That ratio narrowed from 3.2 in 2012.

The report explained that the two measures can tell different stories. Hawaiʻi鈥檚 relatively lower incomes at the very top of the distribution reduce its overall inequality score, while comparatively strong earnings among upper-middle-income households widen the gap between the 80th and 20th percentiles.

The narrowing income gap reflects several factors, including increases in the state鈥檚 minimum wage, relatively high unionization, government assistance and stronger labor markets that helped raise wages for lower-paid workers.

However, income inequality measures do not show how far household earnings go. Hawaiʻi remains one of the nation鈥檚 most expensive states, and the authors noted that high living costs can place a disproportionate burden on lower-income households.

“In Hawaiʻi, income is distributed more evenly than in most states, yet it still falls short for a large share of residents,” the authors wrote. “The more telling benchmark is not how residents鈥� incomes compare with one another, but how they compare with the cost of rent, groceries, utilities and health care. Those costs take a far bigger bite at the bottom of the income ladder than at the top. While the narrowing of the gap between high and low earners is an encouraging development for Hawaiʻi, it is not the same as a better standard of living. Closing the gap between earnings and living costs is the harder task still ahead.”

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糖心视频ERO and the Department of Economics are housed in .

The findings and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views or official positions of 糖心视频ERO, 糖心视频, or any funding or supporting organization.

The has received a $2.5 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to expand cancer care, clinical research and specialist training across Hawaiʻi through Ka ʻUmeke Lama.

Launched in 2024 in partnership with the , the statewide initiative aims to reduce geographic barriers to cancer treatment, particularly for neighbor island and rural residents. The award follows a previous $1.2 million Helmsley grant supporting the launch of the 贬辞ʻ艒濒补 Early Phase Clinical Research Center.

“This transformative support from the Helmsley Charitable Trust underscores 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补’s commitment as an R1 flagship institution to serving the health and well-being of our entire state,” said 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 Chancellor Vassilis L. Syrmos.

A 糖心视频 Cancer Center study found that Hawaiʻi residents spent at least $230 million on out-of-state cancer care from 2021 to 2023, highlighting challenges in accessing specialized treatment locally.

Specialized in-state training, access

Ka ʻUmeke Lama will establish Hawaiʻi’s first medical oncology fellowship, allowing physicians to pursue specialized training without leaving the state. It will also expand the Cancer Care Access Program to improve patient navigation, referrals and clinical trial participation statewide.

“This support from the Helmsley Charitable Trust allows us to address systemic barriers to care across Hawaiʻi,” said 糖心视频 Cancer Center Director Naoto T. Ueno.

The initiative will also strengthen precision oncology infrastructure, support genomic research focused on Hawaiʻi’s diverse populations and expand multidisciplinary tumor registries to inform cancer care.

“Every cancer patient, regardless of what island they call home, deserves access to world-class, timely care,” said Walter Panzirer, Helmsley Charitable Trust trustee.

The 糖心视频 Cancer Center is Hawaiʻi and the Pacific’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, focusing on research, education and reducing cancer health disparities.

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From advancing artificial intelligence (AI) to preparing Hawaiʻi‘s future workforce, Chad Walton is charting a new direction for research and innovation across the University of Hawaiʻi‘s 10-campus system.

Named in September 2026 after serving in the interim role since July 2025, Walton is a 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 alumnus with more than two decades of experience as a biomedical researcher, professor and administrator.

His priorities include improving research support services, strengthening statewide partnerships and making better use of expertise across 糖心视频‘s campuses.

Those goals align with 糖心视频‘s new $123 million strategic investment initiative, which emphasizes sharing resources systemwide. Approximately $15.5 million in strategic impact supports research, innovation and economic diversification, including AI, advanced manufacturing and intellectual property protection.

“Chad brings a unique perspective to this role, having experienced 糖心视频 as a student, researcher, faculty member and administrator,” said 糖心视频 President Wendy Hensel. “His understanding of the university from so many angles, combined with his collaborative approach, will be invaluable as we strengthen research and innovation across our 10-campus system.”

Building on that institutional support, Walton envisions a unified effort across the university’s system.

“We want to speak with one 糖心视频 voice and make better use of the tremendous expertise and resources we have across all 10 campuses,” Walton said. “It’s about working together, breaking down barriers and making it easier for our communities and partners to connect with the university.”

糖心视频 secured $647.3 million in extramural research funding in fiscal year 2026, its second-highest total ever. Walton noted that much of this federal funding directly benefits Hawaiʻi, with roughly half supporting workforce training.

From researcher to research leader

A trained bioengineer, Walton came to Hawaiʻi to pursue tuberculosis vaccine research before moving into cardiovascular research and directing trauma research at the . His biomedical work contributed to federally funded projects and several U.S. patents.

As 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 assistant vice provost for research and scholarship, Walton led a materials science initiative that secured major funding and united faculty across disciplines. He later took on systemwide responsibilities in research development, commercialization and strategic partnerships.

His approach to tackling challenges is rooted in a lesson from his grandfather that has guided him throughout his career.

“My grandfather always told me that, ‘Once you identify a problem, you become part of the solution,’” Walton said. “That’s something I’ve carried with me throughout my career, whether I’m conducting research or taking on a new challenge.”

Nearly two decades after earning his PhD in from 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补, he returned to earn a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary ocean sciences in 2025 to better understand another key research area. The experience reflects his approach to leadership: learning from different disciplines and finding opportunities to bring them together.

Honolulu voters will decide in November whether to adopt ranked-choice voting for mayoral, prosecuting attorney and City Council elections. The proposal would move the final decision in all contested city races to November, when voter turnout is typically higher, potentially broadening participation in choosing city officials, according to a new analysis from the (糖心视频ERO). Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference.

In a piece published October 16, Associate Professor Colin Moore examines Question 5, a proposed Honolulu Charter amendment that would change how voters select city officials and how election results are determined.

Under the proposal, races with two to five candidates would be decided through ranked-choice voting in November, giving voters a broader choice than the two finalists in current runoff elections. If six or more candidates run, an August election would narrow the field to five candidates for November. Uncontested candidates would still be elected in August.

If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those ballots are counted for voters鈥� next choices still in the race. The process continues until a winner is determined.

The analysis found that Honolulu turnout averaged about 40% of registered voters in August and 58% in November across the five election cycles from 2016 through 2024.

However, Moore noted that Honolulu already uses a runoff system designed to produce a majority winner, meaning the effects of ranked-choice voting could be more modest than in places where candidates can win with only a plurality of votes.

Research reviewed in the report suggested ranked-choice voting may encourage candidates to appeal to a broader range of voters and may lead to less negative campaigns. Evidence that the system independently increases turnout or significantly changes who runs for office and policy outcomes remains mixed.

The report also emphasized the importance of clear ballot design and voter education, including multilingual outreach, to help voters understand the process and avoid errors.

Question 5 would apply to the mayor, prosecuting attorney and all nine City Council seats. The changes could take effect no earlier than 2032 and would require state authorization for counties to use ranked-choice voting in county elections.

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糖心视频ERO is housed in .

The findings and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views or official positions of 糖心视频ERO, 糖心视频, or any funding or supporting organization.

Rising interest rates around the world could make it more expensive for Hawaiʻi residents to buy homes, for businesses to grow and for state and county governments to fund public projects, according to a new analysis from the (糖心视频ERO).

In a new piece published October 12, 糖心视频ERO economist Peter Fuleky examines why long-term borrowing costs have climbed and how the trend could affect Hawaiʻi鈥檚 economy.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose above 5% in September for the first time since 2007. These yields help influence interest rates for major purchases, including homes, because lenders use them as a benchmark when setting loan rates.

Significant Hawaiʻi impacts

For Hawaiʻi residents, the impact is especially significant given the state鈥檚 high housing costs. The analysis estimates that a buyer purchasing a median-priced Oʻahu single-family home of about $1.18 million, with a 20% down payment, would pay approximately $6,270 a month in principal and interest at a 7% mortgage rate. At a 3% rate, the monthly payment would be about $3,970鈥攁 difference of $2,300.

Higher rates can also discourage homeowners with lower-rate mortgages from selling, limiting the number of homes available for sale and adding to housing market challenges.

The effects extend beyond housing. Local businesses may face higher costs to finance expansions and operations, while state and county governments could pay more to borrow for infrastructure projects, leaving less money available for other public services.

Hawaiʻi鈥檚 tourism industry could also feel the effects. Higher U.S. interest rates relative to Japan鈥檚 can contribute to a weaker Japanese yen, making travel to Hawaiʻi more expensive for visitors from Japan.

Several factors are contributing to rising borrowing costs, including large government budget deficits, concerns about future inflation, changing investor demand for government bonds and uncertainty about future interest rates. The Federal Reserve raised its target interest rate by a quarter percentage point in September to help contain inflation.

Fuleky鈥檚 analysis notes that the duration of higher borrowing costs will depend in part on energy prices, the Federal Reserve鈥檚 response to inflation and whether governments address growing debt. For Hawaiʻi, the outlook matters because global financial conditions can directly affect household budgets, local investment and the cost of public projects.

糖心视频ERO is housed in .

The findings and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views or official positions of 糖心视频ERO, 糖心视频, or any funding or supporting organization.

The Social Science Research Institute鈥檚 Health Policy Initiative in the at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补, in partnership with the Office of Wellness and Resilience, launched the 2026 Hawaiʻi Quality of Life and Well-Being Dashboard on October 12. Based on responses from more than 10,000 residents statewide, the dashboard shows people are more satisfied with their lives and healthier than in 2024, yet more are thinking about leaving the islands.

“Overall, well-being is improving and that is very encouraging,” said Governor Josh Green. “But there are still gaps between households that are doing well and those that are struggling. Too many residents, especially our younger adults and families, are questioning whether they can build a future here. We will continue to do more to make sure our children can come back and make a life here.”

“Two years after our initial survey in 2024, the newly released 2026 data let us see not just where Hawaiʻi stands, but which way we are heading on various measures of health and well-being,” said Jack Barile, principal investigator and director of the in the 糖心视频 Manoa College of Social Sciences. “While younger adults continue to report significant mental health and affordability concerns, the data also point to stronger family, friend and community support. Building on these sources of resilience can help create the conditions for younger residents to remain, thrive and build their futures here.”

Key findings from the dashboard

• Life satisfaction and overall health and well-being are up: 88% of residents say they are very or somewhat satisfied with their lives, up from 82% in 2024. Residents averaged 5.10 physically and 6.36 mentally unhealthy days in the past month previous to being surveyed, down from 5.26 and 6.69.
• Younger residents face added strain: Residents ages 18鈥�24 and 25鈥�34 report 8.5 and 8.9 mentally unhealthy days per month, respectively, compared with about five or fewer among those 65 and older.
• More residents are considering leaving: 46% considered moving out of state in the past year, up from 40% in 2024, and 37% cited the cost of living. This figure was 52% among households earning $25,000 to $49,000.
• Gaps by income are widening: Food insecurity fell from 11.6% to 8.5% overall, but remains high at 27% among households earning less than $25,000.
• Preparedness and workplace safety improved: 23% of residents feel well or very well prepared for a disaster, up from 12% in 2024. Workers reporting violence on the job fell to 24% from 34%.
• Healthcare access varies by county: 21% of residents statewide said having enough nearby doctors, specialists or facilities is a major problem, ranging from 14% in Honolulu County to 39% in Hawaiʻi County.

Policy implications and future directions

The 2026 findings let policymakers, grantmakers, advocates and community members track whether efforts are moving the needle. Data from the dashboard highlight several areas for action:

• Economic stability: Addressing the high cost of living through affordable housing, wage increases and employment benefits to help residents, especially younger adults, remain in Hawaiʻi.
• Income equity: Directing programs and resources to lower-income households, where gains in well-being have lagged.
• Disaster preparedness: Sustaining progress through outreach, planning and resilient infrastructure, as many residents still do not feel ready for a major emergency.
• Workplace well-being: Encouraging Hawaiʻi employers to adopt trauma-informed, family-friendly practices.

“Repeating the statewide quality of life survey, which we funded through Act 106 in 2024, helps us understand what is working, where challenges remain and how conditions are changing over time,” said Sen. Donovan M. Dela Cruz. “When nearly half of our residents are considering leaving Hawaiʻi, that is a clear signal that we must continue diversifying our economy and expanding economic opportunity. That means investing in workforce development, creating pathways to good-paying careers and reversing the brain drain so our residents can build their futures here at home.”

Empowering residents with data

The interactive dashboard lets residents explore findings in their communities and statewide, and compare results across demographics, years, occupation, geographic region and more. Data were collected between February and May 2026, and the survey garnered close to 30% more responses this year compared to 2024. It is the largest data set on health and well-being in Hawaiʻi, and the largest data set in the nation using measures from the Center for Disease Control鈥檚

The 2026 Hawaiʻi Quality of Life and Well-Being Dashboard is a partnership between the Health Policy Initiative in 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 College of Social Sciences and the Office of Wellness and Resilience in the Office of the Governor. All survey data is housed exclusively with 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补.

Hawaiʻi‘s rapidly aging population faces a higher cost of meeting basic needs, with housing costs driving much of the difference compared with the rest of the nation, according to a new (糖心视频ERO) analysis.

In a new piece published October 7, James Mak, professor emeritus of economics and a 糖心视频ERO fellow, uses the 2025 to estimate the minimum income older adults need to live independently without public or private subsidies. The Elder Index estimates basic expenses for older households but does not include costs such as dining out, vacations, savings, gifts, entertainment or long-term care.

The analysis found that for a couple in good health who rents, the estimated monthly budget is $4,585 in Hawaiʻi, compared with $3,918 nationally. For a single renter, the estimated monthly budget is $3,436, compared with $2,836 nationally.

Housing accounts for much of the difference. For older adults who rent or still have a mortgage, housing is the largest monthly expense, while health care is the largest expense for couples who have paid off their mortgages.

Basic needs differences among counties

The analysis also found significant differences among Hawaiʻi‘s counties. Honolulu County was generally the least affordable for older adults, while Hawaiʻi and Kauaʻi counties were more affordable. For example, a single renter in Honolulu County would need an estimated $3,563 per month to meet basic needs, compared with $3,106 in Kauaʻi County and $3,172 in Hawaiʻi County.

Hawaiʻi‘s aging population adds urgency to the issue. In 2024, more than 310,000 Hawaiʻi residents were 65 or older, representing 21.5% of the state’s population. A decade ago, it was only 16.2%. By 2035, one in four Hawaiʻi residents is expected to be 65 or older.

Health care a growing concern

Mak also highlighted health care as a growing concern as the state’s population of adults age 85 and older increases. Older adults in poorer health face substantially higher health care costs, and the state already faces a shortage of physicians.

Mak concludes that addressing housing affordability and health care access would benefit not only older adults but Hawaiʻi residents more broadly.

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糖心视频ERO is housed in .

The findings and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views or official positions of 糖心视频ERO, 糖心视频, or any funding or supporting organization.

researchers have launched a $3 million, five-year study to uncover why early-stage breast cancer becomes invasive in some patients—with a special focus on Hawaiʻi鈥檚 diverse communities.

Led by Lenora Loo, a researcher in the Cancer Biology Program, and Brenda Hernandez, a researcher in Cancer Epidemiology and Principal Investigator for the Hawaiʻi Tumor Registry, the project will examine ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

Accounting for 20% of new U.S. breast cancer diagnoses, DCIS can progress to invasive cancer, but a subset of cases never does. This unpredictability makes it challenging for clinicians to determine who needs aggressive treatment versus less intensive care. To address this, the team will evaluate lifestyle, health, social factors, and tumor biology, comparing DCIS and invasive tumors from the same patients.

By identifying the biological mechanisms behind progression, researchers hope to improve risk identification and enable tailored treatment plans so patients receive care appropriate to their specific risk level.

Focus on diverse patient populations

In Hawaiʻi, breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women and the second leading cause of female cancer deaths, averaging 172 deaths and thousands of invasive diagnoses annually.

Prior research by Loo and Hernandez using data from the 糖心视频 Cancer Center鈥檚 revealed that Native Hawaiian, Filipino, and Japanese DCIS patients face a higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer in the same breast compared to White patients.

The University of Hawaiʻi and the University of Massachusetts (UMass) have agreed to collaborate on research and education focused on strengthening energy systems, critical infrastructure and national security.

糖心视频 President Wendy F. Hensel and UMass President Marty Meehan signed a five-year memorandum of understanding on October 1, at Bachman Hall on the 糖心视频 Mānoa campus, establishing a framework for the two university systems to pursue joint research, student and faculty exchanges, training programs and other initiatives.

The agreement includes potential collaboration in areas such as cyber-physical systems, microgrids (localized energy systems), advanced manufacturing, autonomous systems, maritime technologies and sensing. It also calls for exploring research and workforce development opportunities aligned with U.S. Department of Defense priorities.

“The University of Hawaiʻi has a responsibility to use our expertise and our unique position in Hawaiʻi to help address challenges that matter both here at home and across the nation,” Hensel said. “As an island state with critical energy, maritime and infrastructure needs, Hawaiʻi is an important place to develop and test solutions that can strengthen resilience. This partnership with UMass creates new opportunities for our faculty and students to work together on research that can have a meaningful impact in Hawaiʻi and beyond.”

Meehan said the agreement creates opportunities for researchers, faculty and students from both institutions to work together on challenges that affect communities across the country.

“The University of Massachusetts and the University of Hawaiʻi share a commitment to research and education that addresses real-world challenges,” Meehan said. “By bringing our expertise together in areas such as resilient energy systems, advanced sensing and maritime infrastructure, we can create new opportunities for collaboration and prepare students for the workforce of the future.”

An initial focus of the partnership will be energy resilience and critical infrastructure protection. The agreement serves as a framework rather than a commitment to specific projects. Individual research initiatives would be developed through separate agreements. The partnership also recognizes the shared importance of resilient infrastructure in Hawaiʻi and Massachusetts, two states with extensive coastal and maritime environments.

“The University of Massachusetts is a great research institution. The University of Hawaiʻi is a great public university and research institution. Not everybody knows that,” said 糖心视频 Regent Neil Abercrombie, who met Meehan when both were in the U.S. House of Representatives. “Not everybody realizes how important that is to the state of Hawaiʻi and to the state of Massachusetts. So we got together and said this would be perfect.”

How do everyday plastics and ‘forever chemicals’ shape a child’s earliest months of life? A new University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 study is set to find out by following 300 local families.

Funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, the Hawaiʻi-based study tracks families from the first trimester through the baby鈥檚 first year.

PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), often called “forever chemicals,” are widely used in consumer products. Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters. Both can enter the body through food, water, air and everyday products and have been detected in human tissues.

The five-year study is co-led by Shiwen “Sherlock” Li, assistant professor and Chin Sik and Hyun Sook Chung Endowed Chair in the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health鈥檚 , and Cassandra L. Hendrix, assistant professor in the .

“Pregnancy and infancy are critical windows of development, when the brain and other parts of the body are rapidly forming and may be especially vulnerable to environmental exposures,” said Li. “By studying PFAS and microplastics during this early period of life, we hope to understand whether these exposures can influence a child鈥檚 brain development and generate knowledge that can help give every child a healthier start in life.”

Hawaiʻi-focused study

Hawaiʻi provides an important setting for the research because ocean currents concentrate microplastics on island shores and in marine life, while previous research estimated Hawaiʻi鈥檚 per-capita seafood consumption at about 1.8 times the U.S. average.

Researchers will measure exposure through maternal blood, examine fetal brain development through ultrasound and collect cord blood and placenta samples. Infants will be assessed at 2, 6 and 12 months for neurological function, motor development, language skills and cognition.

“By doing assessments early and often, we can see when these chemicals first impact babies鈥� brain development,” said Hendrix. “Knowing when and how babies are affected can inform policies and interventions that will support families across the Hawaiian Islands.”

The multidisciplinary 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 team includes researchers from the Department of Public Health Sciences, Department of Psychology, 鈥檚 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women鈥檚 Health and Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology and the .

In the world of aquatic life, the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) is remarkably tolerant to salt water, surviving in habitats ranging from fresh water to hypersaline ponds three times saltier than the ocean.

Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补鈥檚 (CTAHR) have unlocked one of the molecular mechanisms underlying this remarkable feat. The study, published in , was led by Andre Seale, a researcher and professor in CTAHR鈥檚 Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, alongside 糖心视频 student researchers.

The team discovered how the fish survive under extreme salt stress by gradually increasing tank water salinity with artificial sea salt. Several fish species, including tilapia, need the hormone prolactin to prevent excessive water uptake and ion loss in fresh water, and turn it down when entering salt water. However, in extreme hypersalinity, prolactin signaling continues to be suppressed, while a continuous shift in the types of prolactin genes being expressed takes place.

This allows the fish to fine-tune their ability to to regulate salt and water balance even during transitions into salty environments.

“This salinity acclimation capacity is gradual, and even this species will fail to survive a direct transfer from fresh water to seawater. Understanding the rate and limits of how these fish tolerate higher salinities, also helps improve production traits, including growth, feed efficiency and nutritional value,” said Seale.

Preserving freshwater resources

Tilapia is a staple of global aquaculture and local Hawaiian aquaponics. Understanding the mechanisms underlying salt tolerance enables farming in brackish water , preserving precious freshwater for agriculture and drinking. It also allows for the investigation of how salt water may affect the nutritional quality of the fish.

By enabling tilapia farming in salty water, this research could play a role in boosting fish production and quality in regions with limited freshwater supply.

The research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The health consequences of catastrophic wildfires that burn through towns and cities may extend far beyond the period when flames are extinguished and smoke disappears, according to new research from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa鈥檚 (MauiWES).

A study of 1,400 Maui adults 6–18 months after the August 2023 wildfires found substantially elevated concentrations of several metals in participants鈥� urine, and also discovered that greater amounts of metals accumulated in the body was associated with abnormal lung function. Researchers measured 24 metals while assessing pulmonary function through standardized breathing tests at the same visit. The findings were .

Compared with U.S. biomonitoring data, Maui participants had markedly higher concentrations of several metals, including antimony at nearly 40 times, manganese at 3.8 times, barium at 2.3 times and arsenic at 2.2 times U.S. reference values. Across three complementary statistical approaches, higher combined metal exposure was associated with several measures of abnormal lung function. Arsenic, cadmium, copper and antimony were among the metals that contributed most strongly to those patterns.

The researchers emphasize, however, that the elevated metal burden likely reflects a complex mixture of exposures rather than a single source. Some exposures may have existed before the wildfire because of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 geology, historic agricultural and industrial land use, diet and other environmental factors. The disaster may then have introduced new contaminants while also disturbing and remobilizing pollutants already present in soil, dust and the built environment.

Because pre-fire biomonitoring data are not available, the current study cannot determine precisely how much of the measured burden came directly from the wildfire versus chronic, persistent or other ongoing exposures. Longitudinal biomonitoring and environmental sampling will be critical to disentangling those pathways.

“The biggest message is that exposure may not end when the smoke clears,” said Ruben Juarez, MauiWES co-director and –HMSA Distinguished Endowed Professor of Health Economics at 糖心视频 Mānoa. “What we are likely seeing is a complex combination of exposures—some that may have been present for years and others that may have been generated or remobilized by the wildfire. When a disaster burns through a community, it can fundamentally change how contaminants move through the environment. The next scientific challenge is to disentangle those sources and understand which exposures persist, where they come from and what they mean for long-term health.”

A different kind of wildfire

Much of what is known about wildfire health effects comes from studying smoke generated by burning vegetation. But fires such as those that devastated Lahaina represent a fundamentally different type of disaster.

Wildland-urban interface fires can burn homes, vehicles, electronics, treated lumber, electrical systems and other infrastructure, generating complex mixtures of contaminants while simultaneously disturbing pollutants accumulated in soil from earlier agricultural, industrial or other land uses. Those materials may remain in ash, settled dust, soil and debris or be redistributed across the landscape during cleanup and recovery. Potential pathways of continued exposure include resuspended fine particles, contact with contaminated dust and debris and indirect environmental exposure even after visible smoke has dissipated.

“We have traditionally thought about wildfire exposure primarily through the lens of smoke,” said Alika Maunakea, MauiWES co-director and professor at the 糖心视频 Mānoa . “But when an entire community burns, we are dealing with a much more complicated exposure environment. The biology is telling us that we need to understand not only what was in the air during the fire, but what was already present in the landscape, what the disaster may have mobilized, and what is actually getting into people鈥檚 bodies during the months and years that follow.”

Exposure was not confined to Lahaina

The study also identified substantial geographic differences in both metal exposure and pulmonary health across Maui.

Lahaina residents showed a distinct metal profile, including relatively elevated concentrations of arsenic and cadmium, while Wailuku/Kahului residents had the highest median concentrations of copper, iron and molybdenum. Kula and Kihei showed different metal profiles as well, underscoring that there was no single uniform exposure pattern across the island.

Pulmonary impairment also varied across Maui. Among interpretable breathing test results, Wailuku/Kahului exhibited some of the highest prevalence of abnormal lung-function measures, while Lahaina also showed substantial pulmonary impairment and Kula generally showed the lowest burden.

Those patterns suggest that the exposure landscape after a major disaster may be more complicated than simply comparing people inside and outside a burn zone. Researchers believe the measured metal mixtures may reflect overlapping contributions from wildfire-generated material, contaminants remobilized by the disaster, historically contaminated soils, local land use, geology and other ongoing environmental sources. Determining the relative contribution of each pathway is now a major focus of the research.

Implications far beyond Maui

The findings from Maui have implications beyond Hawaiʻi. As destructive fires increasingly reach developed communities, researchers say disaster-response systems may need to look beyond short-term measurements of smoke and particulate matter. Future responses could include longer-term environmental monitoring, human biomonitoring, respiratory surveillance and targeted assessment of soil, ash and settled dust, particularly in places with histories of agricultural or industrial contamination.

New NIH study will disentangle legacy and disaster-related exposures

The next phase of research will investigate the sources of the metal contaminants. In September 2026, 糖心视频 announced a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to investigate pollutants left behind by decades of agricultural and industrial activity in Hawaiʻi and examine whether wildfires and other disasters can remobilize those contaminants, creating new pathways of human exposure.

The project is led by Maunakea, Juarez and Alison Lee of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. It will follow approximately 1,000 Hawaiʻi residents over five years and combine environmental measurements, biological samples and cardiopulmonary assessments. The research will help distinguish persistent background exposures, legacy contamination and disaster-related exposures, while examining how those different sources contribute to heart and lung health over time.

Together, the studies shift the scientific question from simply “What did the wildfire release?” to a broader one: “How does a disaster transform an existing environmental contamination landscape and change what people are exposed to?”

Connecting participants with information, care

Researchers emphasized that the study is designed not only to document health effects, but also to connect participants with information and care. MauiWES participants receive access to their individual health results, opportunities to discuss those findings and referrals when screening identifies potential health concerns. The study will continue following families over time to understand how health changes during Maui鈥檚 recovery.

“We know these findings may be difficult for families who have already been through so much,” Juarez said. “Our responsibility is not simply to publish the science. It is to help people understand what we are finding, return information to the community, connect people with care when they need it, and continue learning alongside Maui as the community recovers.”

Resources for Maui residents

Research about the wildfires may raise health questions or bring back difficult memories. Maui residents can access the following resources:

• Current environmental conditions and advisories: The maintains a Maui Wildfire Environmental Monitoring Data Portal with current information on air, soil, ash and debris, coastal waters and other environmental monitoring.
• Medical and behavioral health resources: The provides medical, mental health and recovery resources, including materials in multiple languages.
• Emotional or crisis support: Hawaiʻi CARES 988 provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day. Call or text 988. Local counselors can assist with mental health, crisis and substance-use concerns.
• Help finding community services: Aloha United Way 211 connects Hawaiʻi residents with health care, housing, food, financial assistance, mental health services and other local resources. Dial 211 or visit the statewide resource directory.
• MauiWES participants: Participants can access individual health results through the MauiWES participant portal. Send questions about the study to mauiwes@hawaii.edu.

Hawaiʻi鈥檚 economy has slowed this year under the weight of war-driven oil prices and an unusually active storm season, including two hurricanes within three weeks, according to the 鈥檚 (糖心视频ERO) quarter 3 forecast for 2026.

Real GDP growth will fall to about half a percent in 2026, from more than 3% last year, and payroll employment will edge lower. 糖心视频ERO expects gradual relief as energy prices ease and storm recovery proceeds, with growth and hiring firming in 2027 and 2028. An aging, shrinking population will keep job gains modest, and continued AI investment offers upside potential for incomes, although the extent remains uncertain.

“Overall, we expect 2027 to bring gradual economic improvement to the state as energy prices and storm effects recede, although the persistent Middle East conflict remains a primary risk, together with election-related policy uncertainty,” 糖心视频ERO wrote. “Slowly declining population will mean a tepid trend employment path, while AI adoption could provide a potential upside income surprise in the years ahead.”

Takeaways from the September 25 report:

• The U.S. economy continues to grow about 1.5–2%, supported by higher-income households benefiting from AI-related wealth gains and to some extent by the AI buildout. High fuel and other prices strain lower-income families. With core inflation above its 2% target, the Federal Reserve began to raise the federal funds interest rate at its September meeting. Long-term rates have already surged, pushing mortgage rates higher. Growth abroad remains soft, with Canada facing new U.S. tariffs, China growing at its slowest pace since the pandemic, and high oil prices weighing on many trading partners.
• Hawaiʻi tourism faced dual headwinds this year from surging fuel costs and a parade of storms. Hurricane Lowell鈥檚 September brush with Kauaʻi will cut that county鈥檚 arrivals by more than 6% for the year. Statewide visitor arrivals will decline just over half a percent for the year as a whole, while a sharp drop in reported length of stay will pull the average daily visitor census down more than 6%. Maui tourism continues to recover, and 糖心视频ERO expects modest statewide arrivals growth to resume in 2027 and 2028 as energy prices ease and storm effects fade.
• Hawaiʻi鈥檚 job growth has stalled. Maui is the only county that 糖心视频ERO expects to see net gains this year. Weak labor demand, rather than a shortage of workers, is the main story: job postings are down and the unemployment rate has edged up to a still-low 2.7%. Real wage gains have been modest and uneven across industries. Statewide payroll employment will contract slightly this year before a small 2027 rebound, and income growth will slow before recovering.
• Honolulu inflation reached 5.6% over the 12 months ending in July, driven by the energy price surge and continued shelter cost increases. 糖心视频ERO expects inflation to average 4.8% in 2026, easing to 3.3% in 2027 as these pressures fade.
• Construction remains a significant contributor to the state economy, supported by ongoing large federal military projects, the Honolulu Skyline rail project, the Kapālama port upgrade and private condominium development. Construction employment has flattened but should remain above 40,000 workers for some years to come, even as the public infrastructure cycle gradually passes its peak. Changes to federal law and a potential new local financing tool will support more housing development.
• Housing affordability remains strained even though prices have stayed largely flat this year. High mortgage rates—now about 7%—have pushed up monthly payments, and Hawaiʻi鈥檚 already-high condo fees could rise further under new federal funding rules. Rebuilding from this year鈥檚 storms adds near-term costs for the state and counties, particularly because of long lags in the release of federal recovery funds.

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糖心视频ERO is housed in 糖心视频 Mānoa鈥檚 .

Tropical Storm Nolo is approaching Hawaiʻi and is likely to bring heavy, potentially flood-causing rainfall and high winds, especially to Hawaiʻi Island.

The Hawaiʻi Mesonet – Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal (HCDP) team at the University of Hawaiʻi has launched a new website that provides easy access to up-to-date rainfall and wind observations from Hawaiʻi Mesonet stations across the state.

Tropical Storm Nolo Viewer

“The goal is to make the observations collected by the Hawaiʻi Mesonet readily accessible during the storm, so that people can quickly see where rainfall and strong winds are occurring and how conditions are changing over time,” said Matt Lucas, who, along with Cherryle Manzano, developed the Nolo weather tracker.

The website provides two tools for monitoring the storm:

• Current storm conditions: A map at the top of the page allows users to view either cumulative rainfall (current storm total) or maximum wind gust speed at Hawaiʻi Mesonet stations. Selecting an individual station brings up graphs showing rainfall and wind speed over time.
• Storm evolution: An animated map at the bottom of the page displays either 1-hour rainfall or maximum hourly wind gust velocity at all Hawaiʻi Mesonet stations. Users can select a specific hour to examine conditions at that time or play the map as an animation to visualize the chronology of the storm and how rainfall and wind conditions change over time.

The tracker provides observations from Hawaiʻi Mesonet stations and is intended to offer a straightforward way for residents, emergency managers, researchers, media and others to monitor observed rainfall and wind conditions as Tropical Storm Nolo approaches and moves through Hawaiʻi.

A living laboratory at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 Magoon Research and Education Station is exploring ways to cool buildings and homes without expensive electricity bills while increasing local food production.

Led by Andy Kaufman, associate professor in the (CTAHR), the project evaluates vegetated roof and living wall systems designed for tropical island environments.

“There’s nothing like this that we know of in the world that’s this high-tech and this real-world application,” Kaufman said.

Eco-shed testing site

The half-acre facility features miniature structures called “eco-sheds” set in gravel to simulate dense urban centers. One traditional asphalt-shingle shed serves as a baseline control. Four experimental sheds test commercial tray installations along with single-layer planted roofs.

Kaufman and his team compare the performance of native Hawaiian and non-invasive ornamental plants under identical conditions. Solar panels power all monitoring equipment, keeping operations off the electrical grid.

Monitors located outside and inside each eco-shed record internal heat, humidity, soil moisture, and solar radiation. Early trials on unplanted roof media showed cooling capacity before vegetation took root.

“Before we planted, when we just had the media on, we had an eight- to nine-degree difference between the control shed and the sheds that had just the media on the roof,” Kaufman said.

Lowering temperatures and growing food

Living wall systems display culinary crops like tomatoes, kale, and herbs. These systems allow apartment residents lacking yard space to produce fresh food. The team spent five years developing lightweight growth media that retain nutrients and slow stormwater runoff into ocean waters.

Eighteen students contributed to building the site and data gathering. Kaufman wants to continue hosting public tours and partner with the landscape industry, the state Department of Education, as well as other local and State governments to expand green infrastructure across Hawaiʻi.

Funding is provided by the Ulupono Initiative, the City and County of Honolulu, and the Land Economics Foundation.

University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 researcher Rachel Novotny is helping provide one of the clearest pictures yet of childhood obesity and community health across the Pacific.

Novotny, director of the Children鈥檚 Healthy Living Center of Excellence at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, served as lead author of a key paper in a three-part series published in The Lancet Regional Health 鈥� Western Pacific. She also co-authored the other two papers.

The series brings together evidence from 22 Pacific Island countries and territories, helping address a long-standing challenge of fragmented health data across the region.

“The Pacific overall is not well understood globally because it consists of many small places with diverse historical influences,” Novotny said. “This series helps us see our Pacific community and the commonalities we share amidst all that diversity. It serves as a goalpost to show where we are and to encourage collaborative action.”

Shared values across the Pacific

Novotny鈥檚 paper examined 33 studies encompassing more than 33,000 children aged 2 to 11 years and reviewed community and school-based interventions to prevent or manage child and adolescent obesity. The findings revealed that overweight and obesity rates increased as children grew older and were generally higher among boys and within higher-income households, due to imported, high-calorie foods and lower daily physical activity.

Intervention programs had more success when locally co-designed and tailored to local cultural contexts and supported by policy actions.

Models for regional collaboration

While regions like Hawaiʻi and Alaska were excluded from the series鈥� dataset due to World Health Organization classifications of the region, long-term programs developed at 糖心视频 惭腻苍辞补 鈥� such as the Children鈥檚 Healthy Living Center of Excellence 鈥� offer practical models co-developed with US-affiliated Pacific jurisdictions with relevance for neighboring island nations.

“Our work shows the value of building a shared community of researchers across the Pacific,” Novotny said. “We hope this series serves as a call to action to maintain monitoring of nutrition and health, strengthen local policies, and share strategies to improve the nutrition and health of Pacific children.”

The first study to measure wild ungulate (axis deer, mouflon sheep, goats, pigs, etc.) grazing on Hawaiʻi rangelands finds forage losses at two-thirds of sites surveyed, with axis deer the clearest driver of decline across ranches on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui.

Led by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补鈥檚 College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR), the research provides the first evidence that grazing by wild ungulates, particularly invasive axis deer, is reducing the forage at Hawaiʻi’s working cattle ranches. Published in Rangeland Ecology & Management, .

“This is the first study to actually measure how much forage wild ungulates are removing from working ranchlands in Hawaiʻi, and the losses are significant,” said Professor Melissa Price, corresponding author and researcher at CTAHR鈥檚 Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM).

Measuring forage loss

Non-native ungulates were largely introduced between the 1700s and 1960s. On Maui, axis deer were detected at 95% of surveyed sites, with roughly 47,000 deer ranging across a third of the island at elevations up to 2,150 meters.

“Axis deer came out as the biggest driver of declining rangeland condition, which matches what ranchers have been telling us for years,” said CTAHR Extension agent Mark Thorne, a study co-author and rangeland specialist.

The team compared vegetation growth with and without ungulates using motion-triggered trail cameras alongside fenced exclusion plots. Sites dominated by axis deer produced about 24% less forage on average than ungulate-free sites. Feral goats showed similar impacts. However, wild pigs and mouflon sheep frequented higher-elevation areas with generally faster forage production, illustrating how species-specific habits complicate land management.

Slow recovery

Several Maui sites sat within areas burned by the August 2023 wildfires. Researchers warned that overgrazed rangelands recover more slowly after fire and stay vulnerable to fire-prone weeds such as fireweed, found at nearly 70% of sites.

“We’ve had to shrink our herds some years because there just isn’t enough grass left once the deer get to it,” said Greg Friel, a Maui island cattle rancher and co-author on the study. “It’s good to finally see numbers behind something ranching families here have been living with for a long time.”

The study was funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and led by Lauren Katayama, who recently earned a master鈥檚 degree from NREM.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa nearly $5.9 million through two grants to continue and expand the (MauiWES), Hawaiʻi鈥檚 largest and most comprehensive disaster health cohort.

The new funding from the (NIMHD) will allow researchers to continue following adults affected by the August 2023 Maui wildfires and expand the study to 800 children, creating an unprecedented opportunity to understand how a major disaster affects physical health, mental health, development and recovery over many years.

Together, the awards will extend MauiWES through 2031—eight years after the fires.

“These awards transform MauiWES from an emergency response into a long-term commitment to Maui,” said Ruben Juarez, 鈥�HMSA Distinguished Endowed Professor of Health Economics and co-principal investigator of MauiWES. “We began studying families within months of the fires. Now we can follow them for years to understand which health problems persist, who is recovering and what we can do to better protect communities after future disasters.”

MauiWES impact

MauiWES was launched following the August 8, 2023 wildfires and enrolled approximately 1,800 adults and 200 children from wildfire-affected communities, including Lahaina and Kula, during its first year. The study brings together health screenings and biological monitoring with information on environmental exposures, mental health, housing, displacement and economic recovery.

What began as an emergency response supported by the State of Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi has now grown into a long-term, federally funded effort to understand the health consequences of the Maui wildfires.

MauiWES has already translated its early community investment into measurable scientific and health impact. Across three annual community reports—2024, 2025 and 2026—the study has documented persistent respiratory and mental health challenges, housing instability and barriers to care as families recover. Findings published in and have further documented the lasting health effects of the fires and the critical roles of displacement, economic disruption and social support in recovery.

To date, MauiWES has connected hundreds of participants to healthcare and mental health services, and has now provided more than 4,000 appointments and screenings to more than 2,500 residents, returning health information and referrals directly to the community.

Following Maui survivors through recovery

The first award, R33MD019793, The Maui Wildfire Exposure Cohort Study on Community Health and Resilience, provides approximately $2.2 million over three years to continue following roughly 1,000 adults affected by the wildfires through 2029.

Participants receive comprehensive health assessments that include lung function testing, blood pressure, mental health screening and biological samples. Researchers also track housing, employment, displacement and other measures of recovery. By following the same people over time, MauiWES can move beyond a snapshot of the disaster to answer a bigger question: How does health change as families rebuild their lives?

Expanding MauiWES to children

The second award, R01MD021757, Evaluating the Health and Developmental Impacts of Wildfire Exposure on Children, provides approximately $3.7 million over five years and extends the MauiWES program through 2031.

The project will expand MauiWES to 800 children (400 children affected by the wildfires and 400 unexposed children for comparison) and follow them over several years. Researchers will examine lung and cardiovascular health, mental health, environmental exposures, stress, cognitive development, school attendance and academic performance. Early findings show why long-term follow-up is important. Among approximately 200 children evaluated after the fires, MauiWES researchers found high levels of symptoms of depression and anxiety, probable PTSD, and evidence of airway obstruction.

“Children are especially important to follow because their lungs, brains and bodies are still developing,” said Alika Maunakea, professor at the and co-principal investigator of MauiWES. “By looking at environmental exposures, health, stress, and education together, we can better understand how the wildfire may shape their development as well as identify ways families, schools, and health systems can support their recovery.”

From Maui to a national model

A major strength of MauiWES is that researchers began collecting detailed health information and biological samples shortly after the disaster, creating an early baseline that can now be connected with years of follow-up. MauiWES is among the earliest cohorts established after a wildfire disaster to collect both biomedical samples and health screening data, providing important baseline information that can be compared with participants鈥� health trajectories over time.

With the new awards, MauiWES will combine long-term data from the participants, creating a comprehensive picture of how disaster affects people and families across generations. The goal is not only to understand what happened in Maui, but to turn those lessons into better health screening, clinical care, school support, disaster-response, and prevention-oriented strategies for communities in Hawaiʻi and across the country.

The MauiWES team emphasized that the study would not be possible without the thousands of Maui residents who have participated and the community organizations, health care providers and local leaders who have supported the effort since the fires.

Research reported in this release is supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R33MD019793 and R01MD021757. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Read more about MauiWES on 糖心视频 News.