Background
I have prior experience in health economics research related to socioeconomic status and affecting Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), conducting mixed-methods analyses, and collaborating with other investigators. I have a Master’s in Public Affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and a doctorate in health economics from the Harvard School of Public Health. Upon graduation, I worked with investigators from the RAND Health Insurance Experiment at The Health Institute at the New England Medical Center measuring primary care and health status from the patient perspective.
Then, at the Cardiovascular Data Analysis Center at The Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, which ran large international clinical trials, I examined cost and quality of life alongside cardiovascular clinical trials strengthening my skills in patientcentered outcomes research. For over a decade at the Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Hawaiʻi), I examined health disparities affecting AANHPI subgroups using a combination of ethnicity data from member surveys and administrative data. I have also worked closely with the Department of Native Hawaiian Health for many years. For five years, I served as the Director for the Research Training and Education Core of the Center for Native and Pacific Health Disparities Research.
Currently, I am the Component Head for economic analysis for the Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge, and Opportunities, funded by NIGMS