University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health

Department of Social Work ∙ Office of Public Health Studies ∙ Center on Aging

William Chismar, PhD, Interim Dean

Tetine Sentell, PhD Chair/Director, Office of Public Health Studies

Jing Guo, PhD, Chair, Department of Social Work

Victoria Fan, ScD, Interim Director, Center on Aging

Theresa Kreif, MSW, LSW, Assistant to the Dean

THOMPSON SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL

 Claire Asam, PhD, Trustee Chair, Lili‘uokalani Trust

Cathy Betts, Esq., Director, State of Hawai‘i Dept of Human Services

Susie Chun Oakland, Hawaii State Senator, Retired

Sheri Daniels, EdD, CSAC, Executive Director, Papa Ola Lōkahi

David Derauf, MD, MPH, Executive Director/Physician, Kokua Kalihi Valley

Aimee Malia Grace, MD, MPH, FAAP Director, UH System Office of Strategic Health Initiatives

Jodi Haunani Leslie, DrPH, RDN, LDN, CDCES, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist

Lorrin Kim, MAAS, Chief, Office Planning, Policy & Programs, State of Hawai’i Dept. of Health

Janis A. Reischmann, MSW, MBA, Executive Director, Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation

Nainoa Thompson, President of the Polynesian Voyaging Society

Sharlene K. Tsuda, Community Volunteer

UH Mānoa Founded

1907

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) is the flagship campus of the University of Hawai‘i system’s 10 campuses. UHM is a land-, sea-, and space-grant institution

Total Enrollment

18,025

Enrollment Undergraduate: 13,209

Graduate: 4,816

UH Mānoa ranked

#62 out of the top 300 in the USA

QS World University Rankings: USA 2020

Degrees and Programs

4 Professional Degrees

53 Doctoral Degrees

86 Master’s Degrees

98 Bachelor’s Degrees

68 Certificates

Myron “Pinky” Thompson

The namesake of the School, Myron “Pinky” B. Thompson earned his MSW from the University of Hawai`i in 1953. He was a visionary who worked on behalf of all the people of Hawai`i but was especially renowned for his efforts to preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian culture.

He served as the Executive Director of the Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Centers, Trustee of the Bishop Estate and co-founded and was president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. He helped establish key organizations such as ALU LIKE, Inc., and Papa Ola Lōkahi.

Throughout his life, he sought guidance through the wisdom and knowledge of his ancestors to pioneer modern day initiatives that would help ensure the future of Native Hawaiians and all people of Hawai`i. The UH Board of Regents approved the naming of the School after him on September 19, 2008.

VISION OF THE THOMPSON SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK & PUBLIC HEALTH :

To achieve social justice and health equity for the people of Hawai‘i and citizens in a changing world.

Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health MSW Program is ranked by US News and World Report in the top 20% of programs.

55 Faculty

20 Staff

15 Lecturers

209 Adjunct Field Instructors

56 Graduate Assistants

581 Total Students

Public Health BA: 158

Public Health MPH/MS/PhD: 104

Social Work BSW: 120

Social Work MSW/PhD: 199

Thompson School Degree Offerings

Social Work

• Bachelor of Social Work
  • Campus and Online Options
• Master of Social Work
  • Campus and Online Options
    • Specialization
      • Child and Family
      • Behavioral Mental Health
      • Gerontology
      • Health
• PhD in Social Welfare

Public Health

• Bachelor of Arts
• Master of Public Health
  • Specialization
  • Epidemiology
  • Health Policy and Management
  • Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health
  • Social and Behavioral Health Sciences
• Master of Science
• PhD in Public Health
• PhD in Epidemiology

Center on Aging

• Undergraduate Certificate on Aging

Research & Contract Funding and Community Impact

2021 RESEARCH/CONTRACT FUNDING: $12,148,414

Field Internships

Thompson School students contribute 109,510 hours each year to community organizations throughout Hawai’i

Which is an estimated contribution of $2,628,750 in labor

At over 175 community organizations

Federal (Selected)

Administration on Aging

(NIH) National Cancer Institute

(NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse

(NIH) Fogarty International Center

(NIH) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

(NIH) National Institute of Mental Health

Department of Defense

Department of Justice

State of Hawaiʻi (Selected)

State of Hawaiʻi

Department of Education

Department of Health

International (Selected)

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR IRSC)

Peking University

Foundations and Nonprofits (Selected)

Liliʻuokalani Trust

The Hawaii Pacific Foundation

Alu Like

The Queen’s Medical Center

Inter Disciplinary Research Leaders

Clinical Scholars

Hawaiian Place of Learning

The Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health strives to build a kauhale (village) that fosters educational excellence that is grounded in cultural competency with a focus on research, instruction and service.

NHIH: The Office of Public Health Studies host the only specialization in the United States dedicated to Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health.

Ke Aʻo Mau: This signature interdisciplinary course, taught by kumu loea, is organized around principles and practices that support cultural competency in work with Native Hawaiians. Supported by the Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation.

Ola HAWAII aims to achieve health and wellness among Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, and others who experience health disparities by supporting team-science and community-engaged research. Funded by NIH/NIMHD.

Hā Kūpuna National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders explores health and resilience of Native Hawaiian elders. Funded by the US Administration on Aging.

Hawaiʻi Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative (HADI): HADI’s statewide, culturally-tailored “best practices” dementia programs include interdisciplinary memory clinics, memory care navigation, Savvy Caregiver, Dementia Friends, plus training in dementia early detection and support.  Funded by the US Administration for Community Living.

Mele Aloha

Ākea ka moana nui
Hoʻolālani ʻia o ʻIwikuamoʻo
E pūlama i mōhala nā pua
A kū i ka māna
E kupu a liko aʻe
E ulu a ola mau
A kau i ka puaaneane
E ola mau Ka Lāhui!

The immense ocean of Kanaloa
Aligned is ʻIwikuamoʻo
Cherish them so they may blossom
Fed by the elder, the younger retains the
knowledge
Bud forth and grow
Increase and thrive
To live a full life
Long live the Nation!

As namesake for the School, Pinky is a teacher for all who enter our kauhale. A mele aloha (song of aloha) written by social work alumni Brandee Aukai and Kelly Anne Beppu was gifted to the School to honor Pinky’s life and his dedication to teaching and learning.

Global Social Justice

The Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health is committed to globally engaged research and education. Our students and faculty collaborate with international professional institutions and organizations engaged in epidemiology, gerontology, health literacy, health behavior,  health services, social welfare, mental health, child welfare and health economics.

Research, Teaching, and Field Internship with Colleagues and Partners (selected)

Korea

• Ewha Womans University
• Soongsil University, Graduate School of Social Welfare
• Catholic University of Korea Graduate School of Public Health
• Korea University Department of Public Health Sciences
• Research Institute of Science for the Better Living of the Elderly

Japan

• Tokyo University
• Juntendo University-Department of Public Health
• Kyorin University-Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies
• Doshisha University
• Okinawa International University
• Kwansei Gakuin University
• Yamaguchi Prefectural University
• Saitama Prefectural University
• Shinnyo-En Foundation

Hong Kong

• Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Taiwan

• China Medical University Taiwan
• National Yang-Ming University
• Taipei Medical University
• Taipei Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare

China

• Peking University Health Sciences Center
• National Health and Family Planning Commission
• Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Oceania

• University of Guam, College of Health Sciences
• Guam-Micronesian AHEC
• Pacific Islands Health Officer Association
• Republic of Palau Ministry of Health-Bureau of Public Health
• Kwajalein and Ebeye City, Republic of the Marshall Islands
• University of Melbourne, Australia
• University of Wollongong, Australia
• Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

Southeast Asia

• Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
• Respati University, Indonesia

North America

• Laval University, Canada
• Queens University, Canada
• Trent University, Canada
• Universite de Montreal, Canada
• University of Toronto, Canada
• Instituto Nacional de Geriatria, Mexico

South America

• Universidad de Caldas, Colombia
• Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
• Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil
• Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredi, Peru

Europe

• University of Oxford, United Kingdom
• National Institute of Public Health, Albania

Africa

• Ifakara Health Research and Development Center, Tanzania

Joint Educational Programs (3+2) in Public Health

• Fudan University
• Nanchang University
• Wuhan University

The Adolescence and Motherhood Research (AMOR) project, supported by the Fogarty International Center and the Fulbright Specialist program, builds upon academic partnerships between Public Health and colleagues in Brazil and Canada.

Bias Against Micronesians Funded by the National Institute of Justice, this study examined the relationship between experiencing bias or discrimination and adapting to a new home in Hawai’i.

The Health Financing Transition project built new theoretical and empirical insights into health financing and is used by the World Health Organization and World Bank in national health system planning.

Hawai‘i-China International Exchange Program provides public health education globally while preparing future leaders through connections with several leading schools of public health in China. Students spend eight weeks engaged in a service-learning project.

Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Gartley Hall

2430 Campus Rd. Honolulu, HI 96822

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/thompson/

Department of Social Work

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/thompson/dsw/

Office of Public Health Studies

http://manoa.hawaii.edu/publichealth/

Center on Aging

https://www.hawaii.edu/aging/

University of Hawai‘i Foundation

https://www.uhfoundation.org/