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Home > Research
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Research Projects
OPHS policies and procedures place a high
priority on research activities. Through long-standing and well-developed
collaborative research relationships with community and government
organizations, OPHS faculty are involved in numerous research
projects that span a wide range of public health issues. Select
topics of ongoing OPHS faculty research are illustrated below.
The topics are classified broadly by subject, but the categories
are not mutually exclusive and in some instances the research
is related to more than one field.
Infectious Diseases
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Leptospirosis screening (Katz) |
| • |
Various projects on sexually transmitted diseases (Katz) |
| • |
Evaluate the efficacy of using mutated tRNA primers
to combat HIV-1 inhibition (Lu) |
| • |
Evaluate the use of a blood-derived monocyte delivery
system for gene transfer into the central nervous system
for the treatment of neuroAIDS (Lu) |
| • |
In vitro cell culture model for siRNA based protection
from West Nile virus infection (Lu) |
| • |
Test and establishment of novel therapeutics for neuroAIDS
and other neurologic disorders (Lu) |
| • |
Molecular-based diagnostic methods for leptospirosis
(Lu) |
| • |
Establishment of laboratory diagnosis and detection
for norovirus infection (Lu) |
Chronic Diseases
| • |
Diabetes and metabolic syndrome (Grandinetti) |
| • |
PBI factors in back pain (Hurwitz) |
| • |
Epidemiologic studies of cardiovascular disease (Grandinetti,
Grove) |
| • |
Effects of volcanic emissions on lung and cardiovascular
function (Grandinetti) |
| • |
Risk factors for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (Grandinetti) |
| • |
Developing and testing a cancer patient navigation curriculum
(Braun) |
Social/Behavioral Sciences
| • |
Testing the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change
(Nigg) |
| • |
Fun 5 – Promoting physical activity and healthy
nutrition in children (Nigg) |
| • |
Using exercise to help college students quit smoking
(Nigg) |
| • |
Obesity prevention in hotel employees (Nigg) |
| • |
Examining stage of change for physical activity among
several nationally funded projects (Nigg) |
| • |
Improving direct measurement of sun protective behaviors
(Maddock) |
| • |
Factors associated with leisure-time physical activity
in public parks in diverse communities (Maddock) |
| • |
Evaluation of interventions to improve nutrition, increase
physical activity, and decrease tobacco use in Hawai‘i
(Maddock) |
Environmental Health
and Related Topics
| • |
Virus susceptibility in various natural
marine animal populations (Lu) |
| • |
Environmental virology and toxicology (Lu) |
| • |
Disease management for Hawai‘i aquaculture (Lu) |
| • |
Isolation and identification of anti-viral compounds
from marine microorganisms (Lu) |
Gerontology
| • |
Replicating evidence-based programs for healthy aging
(Braun) |
| • |
Tracking capacity building efforts in the Aging Network
(Braun) |
Health Disparities
| • |
Ethnic comparisons of 5-year breast cancer survival
in Hawai`i (Braun) |
| • |
Ethnic comparison of population structures and longevity
in Hawai`i (Braun) |
| • |
Hawaiian-Caucasian differences in nasal ciliary motility
(Braun) |
| • |
Assessment of cancer knowledge, attitudes, practices,
and outreach preferences in Waimanalo (Braun) |
| • |
Assessing needs and preferences for long-term care among
Native-Hawaiian elders (Braun) |
| • |
Institutionalizing recommended tobacco-cessation treatment
guidelines in the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems
(Braun) |
| • |
Ethnic differences in smoking behavior (Grandinetti) |
| • |
Supports and barriers of young adult Native Hawaiians
to living a healthy lifestyle (Braun) |
The OPHS graduate and adjunct faculty, as well
as faculty in other departments and programs, encourages students
to participate in ongoing research projects. This provides
students with valuable research experience and the opportunity
to contribute to professional publications and conference
presentations. Positions as graduate
research assistants are offered by a select number of
OPHS research projects. Student-involved research may also
be the result of an independent field practicum conducted
through an outside agency.
Examples of student research follow:
| • |
Analysis of data on “remnant-like particles” newly obtained
from the Honolulu Heart Program and presented as first author in a peer
reviewed article. |
| • |
Analysis of data on the Metabolic Syndrome using newly acquired lab
results from frozen specimens from the Honolulu Heart Program. A manuscript
is in preparation. |
| • |
Analysis of data on dietary patterns of consumption from the Kohala
Health Research Study. |
| • |
Development and testing of a cancer screening intervention, findings
from which were presented at national meetings and published in the CDC-online
journal, Preventing Chronic Disease. |
| • |
Fun 5 – a physical activity and nutrition project in elementary
school children includes a graduate research assistant. |
| • |
The Healthy Hawai‘i Initiative includes three graduate research
assistants. |
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