FOCUS
Samantha is interested in addressing Native Hawaiian health disparities and exploring protective factors that affect the mental and physical health of Native Hawaiian women. Using the community-based participatory research approach, she hopes to restore cultural identity through culturally grounded interventions that revitalize ancient practices and values that have been lost through colonization.
MORE ABOUT SAMANTHA
Samantha is a doctoral student in the Office of Public Health Studies at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She received her master of social work degree from the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, Honolulu. Through her graduate studies, she has gained experience in facilitating community-based participatory research projects within predominantly Native Hawaiian communities, including the PILI (Partnerships to Improve Lifestyle Interventions) ‘Ohana Project, targeting obesity in Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Samantha has also served as a program coordinator for National Institutes of Health–funded undergraduate and graduate training grants in the John A. Burns School of Medicine Department of Native Hawaiian Health. She works closely with God’s Country Waimānalo, a nonprofit, grassroots organization that has initiated culturally grounded projects focused on wholistic wellness, self-sufficiency, and food safety for Native Hawaiians. Samantha feels it is her kuleana (responsibility) to serve her Lāhui (Hawaiian Nation), and she is dedicated to a healthier Hawaiʻi.
DISSERTATION GRANT AWARDEE — AUGUST 2020
How Deep is your Kaumaha? Unfolding the Experiences of Historical and Intergenerational Trauma among Wāhine
Cultural severance enforced by western colonization dramatically changed the political, economic, social, and cultural systems of Hawaiʻi. The introduction of patriarchal gender norms disrupted Native Hawaiian functioning of gender duality.” “By investigating historical and intergenerational trauma, we can build tools to accurately measure Native Hawaiian womenʻs health that will provide concrete evidence in proposing targeted policy and interventions to decrease health disparity.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HPRS DISSERTATION AWARDS, CLICK HERE.
