Addressing Oral Health Disparities in Settings Without a Research-Intensive Dental School: Collaborative Strategies

Research suggests that oral health is linked to systemic health, and those with poor oral health are potentially at greater risk for important diseases, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) in Hawaii have high rates of many such diseases. Studies in children in Hawaii have revealed disparities in dental health; for example, API children have significantly higher rates of cavities than other groups. Hence, conducting further study is vital in adults, particularly APIs, to assess oral health and its correlation to overall health outcomes. Given the lack of a dental school and the lack of fluoridated water in the state, the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) has identified the need to assume a leadership role in creating effective community-based oral health research and treatment programs. With the support of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, JABSOM fostered a collaborative relationship with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, a premiere research-intensive dental school, the Waimanalo Health Center, and the Hawaii State Department of Health. This partnership has worked together to implement a community-based approach to performing research designed to illuminate disparities and develop innovative strategies to promote oral health in Hawaii’s diverse populations. We hope that this collaborative, culturally competent approach may serve as a model for use in other settings without a research-intensive dental school

Oral Health Disparities and Periodontal Disease in Asian and Pacific Island Populations

Introduction—While oral health disparities exist in many ethnic groups in Hawaii, the challenge of developing research and intervention programs is hampered by the lack of a dental school and adequate state resources. Objective—To use a collaboration model to establish a mentoring relationship with a researchintensive school of dentistry to reduce oral health disparities in Hawaii. Methods—Collaborative interactions with the University of Hawaii School of Medicine (UH) and the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry at Chapel Hill (UNC) included bimonthly teleconferences, on-site planning and mentoring sessions, yearly conferences in Hawaii open to the community using UNC faculty, and on-site skills training sessions. The community was asked to participate in determining priorities for research through focus-group interactions. Two pilot investigations were also conducted. Results—Both universities have been awarded grants to fund activities to support the combined intellectual and physical resources of multiple private, public, and community organizations to achieve the goal of improving the oral health status of the people of Hawaii. As a result of initial planning, two related grants have been submitted (one approved, one disapproved) to fund pilot studies on the oral health status of mothers and their babies in a rural community. These studies include both UH and UNC investigators. Conclusions—Health disparities occur among diverse ethnic groups in Hawaii, and links between general health and oral health continue to emerge. In spite of obstacles to designing effective research and intervention programs in Hawaii, UH fostered a collaborative relationship with a premiere dental research institution to develop competence in clinical research, conduct pilot studies, and obtain extramural funding for comprehensive studies. Direct involvement of community representatives in the research process is integral to the success of such studies and will continue to serve as the foundation of our community-based participatory research. The network partners have accomplished their primary goal of developing culturally appropriate methods for assessing determinants of oral health, oral health-related quality of life, and health outcomes in Asians and Pacific Islanders

Growth in clinical research productivity and funding at the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine: the past 10 years.

Over the last ten years, faculty at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and the University of Hawaii (UH) have been actively engaged in ongoing efforts to increase the quantity and improve the quality of biomedical research in the State of Hawaii. JABSOM's Clinical Research Center (CRC), funded in 1995 by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) of the National Institutes of Health, has provided research infrastructure that has been essential to these efforts. The CRC and other JABSOM departments and affiliated programs have collaborated with public and private entities within the community, particularly in the area of health, related to diverse racial and ethnic populations. This paper sets forth a number of the significant indicators of research progress, as illustrated primarily through CRC support for various research activities conducted at JABSOM.P20 RR011091-10/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United StatesP20 RR11091/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United StatesR25 RR019321-01/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United State

Six years and counting: the NIH-funded Clinical Research Center of Hawaii.

The CRC was developed in 1995 to make Hawaii a site of innovative, progressive research. Since then, the numbers of researchers and publications supported by the CRC have increased. In the next several years, the CRC will expand further into Hawaii's research community and apply for GCRC status, a strategy that will attract even more resources and investigators to JABSOM.P20 RR11091/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United State

The birth of the RCMI Clinical Research Center is a joint venture of the University of Hawaii and Kapiolani Health.

Hawaii established a Clinical Research Center with collaboration from the University of Hawaii Pacific Biomedical Research Center, the John A. Burns School of Medicine and Kapiolani Health via a five year award from the Research Centers in Minority Institutions of the National Institutes of Health. Support offered includes consultative services for protocol design; epidemiological and biostatistical analysis; design of study forms; and data and specimen collection and analysis.P20RR/AI11091/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United State

Healthy people in Hawaii?: an overview of ethnic health disparities in Hawaii for the Healthy People 2010 initiative targeted health concerns.

Significant health disparities exist between ethnic groups in the United States. The authors reviewed literature examining the epidemiology of health disparities in Hawaii's multiethnic population. One of the primary goals of the Healthy People 2010 initiative is to eliminate health disparities, specifically cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infant mortality, child and adult immunizations and HIV/AIDS. However, the research on ethnic health disparities is fragmented, especially in Asian/Pacific Islanders. Unclear definitions of ethnicity (i.e., self-report, mixed ethnicity, etc) and aggregated study populations (i.e., combining multiple ethnic groups into one category) obscure the true health status of ethnic minorities in Hawaii. This paper presents an overview of the state of the literature on Hawaii ethnic health disparities.P20 RR11091/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United State

Early experience with inhaled nitric oxide for the treatment of infants and children with pulmonary hypertension.

When nitric oxide (NO), an endogenous regulator of smooth muscle tone, is administered by inhalation, it acts as a selective pulmonary vasodilator. This report details the treatment with inhaled NO of the first 11 patients in Hawaii

The Clinical Research Center of Hawaii: a nine year progress report.

The UH-CRC is an NIH minority funded infrastructure program at the University of Hawaii in partnership with Hawaii Pacific Health, now in its ninth year. The main purpose of the UH-CRC is to foster clinical research at UH in order to improve the health of the citizens of Hawaii, particularly those who suffer disproportionately from disorders affecting these communities. This status report documents the continued success and progress of the Center Manuscripts published or in press have increased from an average of 43 in years 1-3 to 54 in years 4-6 to 84 for years 7-9. Actual dollars received per year ranged from 1-7 million dollars the first 6 years, but reached 8-22 million dollars the last three years. This status report also documents the mandate for this clinical research infrastructure program to compete successfully for mainstream funding status by 2010.P20 RR011091-10/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United StatesP20 RR11091/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United State