Population Sciences in the Pacific Program

A key objective of the Population Sciences in the Pacific (PSP) Program is to understand and eliminate racial/ethnic disparities in cancer and to reduce overall cancer incidence and mortality in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. This goal aligns with the mission of the UH Cancer Center. The program currently consists of 37 members representing diverse disciplines: molecular and nutritional epidemiology, bioinformatics, biophysics, clinical and health psychology, public health, and social work. PSP consists of two program areas:

Cancer Epidemiology

Cancer Epidemiology focuses on understanding the causes of cancer. A main goal of Cancer Epidemiology is to identify determinants of cancer risk and progression that drive the racial/ethnic differences in cancer incidence and mortality in Hawaiʻi.

Cancer Prevention

Cancer Prevention seeks to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in cancer in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific through development, implementation, and dissemination of cancer prevention interventions.

Resources

Cancer Epidemiology has established valuable resources for population research including the Hawaiʻi Tumor Registry (HTR), a state-wide tumor registry responsible for cancer surveillance in Hawaiʻi, and the Multiethnic Cohort Study, a study that follows over 215,000 residents of Hawaiʻi and Los Angeles of five main ethnic groups. Cancer At a Glance, a part of HTR, is a document that is updated on a regular basis to summarize the information collected by the Hawaiʻi Tumor Registry.