The Center for Native and Pacific Health Disparities Research (the Center) located in the Department of Native Hawaiian Health (DNHH) at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. The Center is currently in its 15th year of continuous funding awarded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to support biomedical and behavioral research on Cardiometabolic Health Disparities in its priority populations of Native Hawaiians, Pacific Peoples, Filipinos and other Pacific-based Native Peoples (Alaska Natives, New Zealand Maori).

The Center directly funds three 5 year studies led by our investigators:

• Dr. Kazuma Nakagawa,
• Dr. Tetine Sentell and,
• Dr. Dee-Ann Carpenter and Dr. Marjorie Mau

The overall goals of the Center for the next 5 years, explains Dr. Mau (PI and Director), is to both FOCUS and COLLABORATE.

• Our Focus will be to fully embrace the community in our scientific studies and activities related to Metabolic Syndrome while at the same time strategically
• Collaborate with other Hawai‘i health disparities research groups that compliment our portfolio of studies and investigators

The Center's core directors are Dr. Mariana Gerschenson (Deputy Director), Dr. Cecilia Shikuma (Research Director), Dr. Deborah Taira Juarez (Training Director), and Ms. Donna-Marie Palakiko (Community Engagement Director) who directly oversee the programs and activities of the Center AND they have enabled us to …

… Partner with the BRIDGES and RMATRIX programs here at JABSOM in a very effective way.