Kamuela Werner, MPH
Mr. Kamuela Werner, a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian), is a Research Associate in the Center for Native and Pacific Health Disparities Research and Community Engagement Division of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), University of Hawai‘i Mānoa. He develops, implements, and disseminates scientific and medical information to allied health professionals within the Ulu Network, a coalition of 30-health organizations with over 60-sites that serve Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Peoples across Hawai‘i and continental U.S. He also assists in maintenance of the medical school's Māla Lā‘au Lapa‘au, a medicinal plant garden used as a living outdoor classroom, which provides opportunities for learners to practice Hawaiian ancestral health knowledge and reconnection to land. He has prior academic/professional experience in Natural Resource and Environmental Management, particularly in the area of native plant conservation.
He received his Masters in Public Health at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, specializing in Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health. His research interests include comprehensive re-structuring of Native Hawaiian health research gathering, analyzing, interpretation, storing and ownership practices; establishing metrics to determine JABSOM’s compliance with the University of Hawai‘i "Native Hawaiian Sense of Place" policy; and evaluating environmental phenomena impacting Native Hawaiian health and well-being. He is from the Wai‘anae Coast but now resides in Papakōlea, O‘ahu.
