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OFFICE OF STRATEGIC
HEALTH INITIATIVES

ABOUT

The University of Hawaiʻi (UH) System plays a critical role in educating and training Hawaiʻi’s health workforce, as well as researching and addressing health challenges throughout Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. Established in 2018, the UH Office of Strategic Health Initiatives (OSHI) is dedicated to improving health and health care in Hawai‘i and the Pacific through:

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STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

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COMMUNITY-ENGAGED ACTIVITIES

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FEDERAL STRATEGIES

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RESEARCH & SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

PROJECTS

OSHI established the UHealthy Hawaiʻi Initiative from listening sessions across the UH System and the community. With key internal and external partners, OSHI seeks to leverage UH System’s programs, resources and expertise to improve health and health care in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, through various projects, including those below.

Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity

Advancing traditional and cultural practices to improve health equity for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations.

Red Hill Registry

Working with the community to co-develop an opt-in third-party registry to support those impacted by the Red Hill water crisis.

Rural Health Research and Policy Center

Inspired by community needs, RHRPC uses policy strategies to improve health across geographies.

OUR TEAM

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AIMEE MALIA GRACE, MD, MPH, FAAP

Director

Dr. Grace directs the Office of Strategic Health Initiatives, where she leads the UHealthy Hawai‘i Initiative and serves as the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI for projects such as the Rural Health Research and Policy Center, Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity, and Red Hill Registry. She is a pediatrician and public health/health policy professional by background, and previously served as health policy advisor for U.S. Senator Brian Schatz in Washington, D.C. Dr. Grace completed her undergraduate studies in human biology at Stanford University, medical degree at the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine, pediatrics residency at Stanford University’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Master of Public Health (Health Policy and Management) degree at the Harvard School of Public Health, and General Academic Pediatrics (Health Policy) fellowship at the Children’s National Health System.

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RILEY JOHNSON

Operations Manager

Riley has served as Operations Manager for the Office of Strategic Health Initiatives since spring 2024, where she provides operational and strategic management support to multiple federal and state projects. Previously, Riley served as a legislative correspondent for U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono’s office in Washington, D.C. where she managed the Senator’s defense and veterans affairs portfolios. She previously earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she wrote her thesis on the success of the anti-pesticide movement in Hawai’i. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Defense and Security Studies at the Naval War College.

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ROSANA “SANIE“ WELDON, PhD, MPH

Red Hill Registry Director

Dr. Weldon is an Environmental Health Scientist and Associate Specialist faculty member in the Office of Public Health Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Her research interests and expertise are in exposure assessment and environmental epidemiology with particular focus on women, children, and reproduction. During her career in public health she has worked on various large-scale, federally-funded studies to assess associations between chemical exposures, including pesticides, benzene, PFAS, persistent organic pollutants, and phthalates, and health outcomes. Dr. Weldon received her undergraduate degree in Human Biodynamics, Master of Public Health (Environmental Health Sciences), and doctorate (Environmental Health Sciences) from the University of California, Berkeley.

In her role as Registry Director, Dr. Weldon will provide strategic leadership of multiple UH units and external partners in the successful operation of the registry.

Tara Sutton

TARA SUTTON

Director of Community Engagement

Tara H. Sutton is a dedicated community advocate and current master’s candidate in Geography & Environment at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). She holds three bachelor's degrees in Communicology, Anthropology, and Ethnic Studies from UHM. Her research focuses on the social impacts of environmental crises, specifically examining how crisis response tactics affect trust between the Department of Defense and local communities. A resident of the Navy water line since 2019, Tara has been personally impacted by the Red Hill water contamination, deepening her commitment to supporting affected families. As a mother and active community member, she brings a deeply personal and informed perspective to her role in facilitating the health registry for those impacted by the water crisis.

NEWS

UH NEWS

$4.6M anonymous gift boosts UH Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity

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University of Hawaii tackling rural health care with $1M grant (subscription required)

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UH to receive big funding boost from 2023 federal budget (subscription required)

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Editorial: Boost support for health-care careers (subscription required)

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Improving rural healthcare goal of new UH research and policy center

CIVIL BEAT

Hawaii Island Is Getting New Federal Funds To Tackle Health Care Shortages. Is It Enough?

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Indigenous innovation, health equity initiative marks first-year milestones

UH NEWS

Health workers for underserved communities supported with $50K grant
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