Services
ENGAGEMENT
RESEARCH
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
Our Process
1. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Gather input from community stakeholders
RHRPC meets with community members to gather ideas for research topics, as well as to potentially inform landscape assessments.
2. RESEARCH
Collect and analyze multiple data sources
RHRPC utilizes, analyzes, and synthesizes data from federal statutes, academic literature, media, national databases, market research partners, stakeholder input, and other sources to inform issues and potential policy solutions.
3. REPORT
Produce and/or commission technical papers and policy briefs to detail findings and recommendations.
For each topic identified, RHRPC develops and/or commissions a technical paper (approx. 30 pages) and a policy brief (approx. 6 pages) that serve as tools to inform stakeholders and offer policy recommendations.
4. EDUCATE
Educate policymakers on recommendations from RHRPC reports
RHRPC meets with policymakers and other key stakeholders to educate them about our findings and strategic policy recommendations.
Our Team
AIMEE MALIA GRACE, MD, MPH, FAAP
Director, Principal Investigator
amgrace@hawaii.edu
Dr. Aimee Grace is the director of Strategic Health Initiatives for the University of Hawaiʻi System, where she directs the UHealthy Hawaiʻi Initiative. She received a BS in Human Biology at Stanford University, an MD at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine, and a MPH at Harvard University. Dr. Grace previously served as health policy advisor for U.S. Senator Brian Schatz in Washington, D.C. where she worked on issues related to telehealth, funding for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander health programs, Medicare and Medicaid policy, and more.
KELLEY WITHY, MD, MS, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
withy@hawaii.edu
Dr. Kelley Withy is professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine and the director of the Hawaiʻi/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Her research focuses on health workforce assessment and health careers development.
DIANA SHAW, PhD, MPH, MBA, FACMPE
Rural Health Policy Specialist
dmshaw@hawaii.edu
Dr. Diana Shaw is located on Molokaʻi. She has a PhD in Social Policy (with a Health Policy Concentration) from Brandeis University, Heller School of Public Policy and Management, as well as an MPH from the University of Rochester Medical Center and an MBA from St. John Fisher. She was previously the executive director of the Lānaʻi Community Health Center.
AMY MA
Project Manager
amylma@hawaii.edu
Prior to joining UH, Amy Ma served as a certified National Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach at Waimanalo Health Center, where she provided direct patient care. Amy received her Bachelor of Science with honors from Stanford University in Human Biology, with a concentration in Lifestyle and Preventative Medicine.
JOHN DESFOR, MPH
Policy and Data Analyst
johnd6@hawaii.edu
John Desfor is located on Hawaiʻi Island, and holds an MPH from the University of Iowa College of Public Health. He previously worked at the Rural Policy and Research Institute in Iowa City, where he focused on supporting rural health and Medicare reimbursement initiatives.