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Faculty

Natasha Ariyoshi, LCSW, CSAC
Field Education Liaison

Gartley Hall 004B
Tel: 808.956.9885
E-Mail: natasha9@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Recidivism in Hawaii and the intersection with ethnicity, gender and cycles of abuse and trauma
  • Narcissism and impacts on relationships

Robin G. Arndt, MSW, LSW
Junior Specialist

Gartley Hall Rm. 004B
Phone: 808.956.9885
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: rgarndt@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Technology in practice and education
  • Lifelong learning and professional development/competency
  • Values, ethics, & reflective practice
  • Leadership
  • Interprofessional education

Clifford Bersamira, PhD, AM
Assistant Professor

Gartley Hall Rm. 205C
Phone: 808.956.6245
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: clifford.bersamira@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Addiction/Behavioral Health Policies and Service Delivery
  • Addiction/Behavioral Health Services and Healthcare Reform
  • Recovery Support Services and Mutual Aid
  • Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian Behavioral Health Disparities
  • Behavioral Health Systems and Services Integration

Kathryn Braun, DrPH, MPH
Professor

Tel: 808.956.5768
E-mail: kbraun@hawaii.edu
Website: www.hawaii.edu/aging/

Research Interests:
  • Asian and Pacific Islander aging
  • End-of-life decision making
  • Minority health
  • Community-based research and evaluation

Rachel Burrage, MSW, PhD
Assistant Professor

Gartley Hall Rm. 201D
Phone: 808.956.6240
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: rburrage@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Indigenous well-being
  • Culture and mental health
  • Historical and collective trauma
  • Individual and community resilience

Joonyoung Cho, PhD, MSW, MPH
Assistant Professor

Gartley Hall Room: 213

Phone: 808.956.6126

Email: joony@hawaii.edu

Website: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/aging/

Research Interests:
  • Aging in place
  • Social relations
  • Productive aging

Aimee Chung, MSW, LSW
Junior Specialist

Gartley Hall Rm. 004A
Phone: 808.956.5715
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: aimee.chung@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Trauma Informed Care
  • Wellness, Well-being, & Culturally-Grounded Self-Care
  • Child Abuse Prevention
  • Interpersonal Violence
  • Issues facing oppressed, marginalized, and differently-abled populations
  • Interprofessional Social Work
  • Field Education

Michael DeMattos, MSW, PhD
Assistant Specialist, BSW Program Chair

Gartley Hall Rm. 006
Tel: 808.956.6135
E-mail: mdmattos@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Teens & their families
  • Substance abuse
  • Best practice

Meripa Godinet, PhD, MSW
Professor, Associate Dean

Gartley Hall Rm. 216
Tel: 808.956.6239
E-mail: meripa@hawaii.edu
Website: Child and Family Research Lab

Research Interests:
  • Juvenile delinquency prevention
  • Social and adjustment issues of Pacific Islander adolescents
  • Multi-culture and cross-culture issues

Jing Guo, PhD, MA
Associate Professor

Gartley Hall Rm. 201A
Tel: 808.956.2195
E-mail: jingguo@hawaii.edu
Website: Child and Family Research Lab

Research Interests:
  • Comparative family policy
  • Work, family and Gender
  • Migration and child education
  • Asian Americans, Immigrants and child welfare
  • Social policy and social services in China

Seunghye Hong, PhD, MA (MSW equiv.)
Associate Professor, PhD Chair

Gartley Hall Rm. 215
Tel: 956-4605
E-mail: shong9@hawaii.edu
Website: Child and Family Research Lab

Research Interests:
  • Neighborhood Contexts
  • Immigration
  • Mental Health
  • Community-Based Practice
  • Research Methodology

Miquela Ibrao, PhD, MSW, MPH
Assistant Professor

Gartley Hall Rm. 201F
Phone: 808.956.4494
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: mibrao@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Indigenous Health & Wellness
  • Indigenous Methodologies & Knowledge Systems
  • Aging
  • Community-Based Participatory Research
  • Social Determinants of Health

Francie J. Julien-Chinn, PhD, MSW
Associate Professor, MSW Chair

Gartley Hall Rm. 205B
Phone: 808.956.4929
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: fjjc@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Organizational and workforce issues in child welfare
  • Child welfare outcomes including: permanency; well-being; kinship; and foster care.

Babe Kawaii-Bogue, PhD, LCSW
Assistant Professor

Gartley Hall Rm. 205A
Phone: 808.956.6127
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: kawaii@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Mental Health
  • Racism
  • Thrivance Cultivation among Black, Indigenous, Multiracial, and Pacific Islander Communities

Jennifer Kishida, MEd
Junior Specialist

Gartley Hall Rm. 203B
Tel: 808.956.3831
E-mail: jenkishi@hawaii.edu


Theresa Kreif, MSW, LSW
Junior Specialist

Gartley Hall Rm. 009
Tel: 808.230.4806
E-mail: kreif@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Micronesian health & wellbeing
  • Pacific connected workforce development
  • University/Community Partnerships
  • Integration of traditional Native Hawaiian and Micronesia connected health and wellness practices
  • Administration

Sophia Lau, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor

Gartley Hall Rm. 008
Phone: 808.956.6123
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: sophiabk@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Socio-Cultural Determinants of Health
  • Healthcare Disparities Including in Health Behaviors and Health Service Utilization
  • Mental Health Literacy
  • Help-Seeking Patterns.

Yeonjung Jane Lee, PhD, MA (MSW equiv.)
Associate Professor

Gartley Hall Rm. 214
Phone: 808.956.9614
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: Yeonjung@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Health equity
  • Social justice/racial justice
  • Aging
  • Diversity

Wendy J. Lum, MSW, M.Ed.
Assistant Specialist

Gartley Hall Rm. 105
Phone:
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: wendyrs@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Workforce Development 
  • Interprofessional Education 
  • Field Education 
  • Immigrant Rights and Refugee Rights
  • Equity and Social Welfare 
  • International/Global Social Work
  • Food Insecurity/Student Basic Needs

Azure Lwin-Maluo, MSW
Instructor

Gartley Hall Rm. 001B
Phone : 808.956.6237
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: azurelm@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Child Welfare
  • Field Education/Experiential Learning
  • Organizational Culture & Change
  • Leadership
  • Indigenous Education, Reconciliation & Decolonization

Research Interests:
  • Substance use prevention among NHPI youth
  • Social, behavioral, and cultural determinants of health among NHPI populations
  • Indigenous CBPR methodologies that promote the decolonization of social work research

Shelley Muneoka, MSW
Junior Specialist

Gartley Hall Rm. 001E
Tel :: 808.956.7009
Fax :: 808.956.5964
E-mail :: muneokas@hawaii.edu

Hā Kūpuna National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders at MBTSSW

Research Interests:
  • Intergenerational wellness
  • Aging and later life
  • Kānaka maoli population

David A. Nisthal, MSW
Instructor

Gartley Hall Rm 001A
Phone: 808.956.6974
Fax: 808.956.5964
E-mail: dnisthal@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Liberation and resistance movements
  • Healing justice and holistic self-care
  • Men’s healing work
  • Sexual violence prevention

Danielle R. Phillips, Ph.D., LSW
Assistant Professor

Gartley Hall Rm. 201E
Tel: 808.956.6205
E-mail: drphill@hawaii.edu
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Research Interests:
  • Health outcomes
  • Young and emerging adults
  • Gender and Sexuality
  • Sexual reproductive justice and health
  • LGBTQIA2S+ folx
  • Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) folx
  • Youth experiencing homelessness
  • Mental health and overall well-being
  • Intersectionality Theory Strengths-Based Perspective
  • Mixed Methodologies
  • Participatory action research methodologies

Cameron W. Rasmussen, PhD, MSW.
Assistant Professor

Gartley Hall Rm. 005
Tel: 808.956.9447
E-mail: cwras@hawaii.edu

Research Interests:
  • Accountability and violence
  • Restorative and transformative justice 
  • Abolition and social work
  • Prison abolition 
  • Decarceration 
  • Community-based research

Rebecca Stotzer, PhD, MS, MSW
Professor, Director of Distance Education Program, Department Chair

Gartley Hall Rm. 007
Tel: 808.956.6121
E-mail: rstotzer@hawaii.edu
Website: Child and Family Research Lab

RESEARCH BRIEF: Bias Against Micronesians in Hawai’i

Research Interests:
  • Hate Crimes
  • Violence
  • Sexuality and Gender Identity
  • Prejudice and Stereotypes
  • Oppression and Discrimination
  • Intergroup Conflict

Emeritus Faculty

Paul L. Adams, MA, MSW, DSW, Professor
Colette V. Browne,  DrPH, MSW, MEd, Professor. E-mail:cbrowne@hawaii.edu,
Noreen K. Mokuau, DSW, MSW, Professor and Dean
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