The first comprehensive housing factbook since the Maui wildfires has underscored the bleak state of housing affordability across the state. The ’s (ߣsir��ƵERO) second edition of the annual report hopes to contribute to better-informed policy solutions to the ongoing housing crisis.

The factbook includes analyses on the high cost of housing, with a spotlight on West Maui; the overall statewide property market; challenges facing the building of new housing; the demand for housing; as well as specific data per county and zip code. ߣsir��ƵERO’s target audience includes policy makers, journalists, housing non-profits, developers and related industries, or anyone with an interest in the housing crisis.

ߣsir��ƵERO reported high interest rates, high prices and low supply have continued to keep housing extremely unaffordable. Prices statewide have remained elevated while the number of transactions has collapsed. The number of overall transactions in 2023 was only half of what it was in 2021, and 2023 saw fewer single-family home transactions than any of the previous 25 years.

To accompany the factbook, ߣsir��ƵERO has also released its updated —an interactive tool that allows users to explore housing market data across ߣsir��Ƶʻi’s neighborhoods.

Effects of Maui wildfires

The past year has brought significant shocks to the housing market in ߣsir��Ƶʻi, specifically on Maui, ߣsir��ƵERO researchers write. The fires destroyed an estimated 3,000 homes, exacerbating the existing housing shortage and generating a population of displaced families.

“Efforts to address the disaster’s consequences have run up against familiar roadblocks including rigid regulatory barriers, slow permitting and infrastructure bottlenecks,” according to the ߣsir��ƵERO report.

Across the state, ߣsir��ƵERO notes that policymakers have shown a willingness to act to address the housing crisis.

“The governor’s emergency proclamations on housing and county efforts to reform permitting processes are examples of government action. However these efforts will take time to show progress, and data continues to paint a picture of a market experiencing an extreme affordability crisis,” ߣsir��ƵERO said.

High interest rates in particular are making it difficult to finance a home purchase, for developers to finance new construction and disrupts the filtering process as homeowners are reluctant to trade up and forfeit their existing low mortgage rates.

“The consequences of unaffordable housing continue to show up in out-migration (of ߣsir��Ƶʻi residents), homelessness, and more families being priced out of the local market,” ߣsir��ƵERO said.

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ߣsir��ƵERO is housed in ߣsir��Ƶ ����ԴDz�’s .

This editorial by University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi Cancer Center Director Naoto T. Ueno first appeared in the on Sunday, May 19, 2024.

There scarcely has been a more critical time to invest in �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s cancer-related health. Cancer diagnoses in America this year are expected to surpass 2 million for the first time in history, and more than 35 million new cancer cases worldwide are predicted in 2050—a 77% increase from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022. In ߣsir��Ƶʻi, each year an average of 7,393 local residents are diagnosed with invasive cancer, leading to 2,393 deaths. Such grim projections from the American Cancer Society, the World Health Organization, and our state point to the importance of state House Bill 2504, which proposed raising �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s cigarette tax by 2 cents per cigarette. Although this measure championed by physician Gov. Josh Green and supported by the state House and the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi ultimately failed in the 2024 ߣsir��Ƶʻi Legislature, its purpose remains crucial for the future of cancer education, research, and patient care in ߣsir��Ƶʻi.

Support for groundbreaking cancer research and patient care

As the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in ߣsir��Ƶʻi and the Pacific, the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi Cancer Center plays a critical role in groundbreaking research, patient care, and clinical trials of new cancer treatments. Funding from the cigarette tax has long supported programs that seek to understand the causes of cancer, develop prevention strategies and care for cancer patients, and educate the next generation of cancer researchers and physicians, as well as to build the ߣsir��Ƶ Cancer Center’s top-notch facility.

The irony here is that smoking cessation efforts driven by cancer research and community engagement have reduced cigarette use by more than half, in turn reducing state funding of the ߣsir��Ƶ Cancer Center tied to the cigarette tax. This decrease limits our ability to maintain the center’s original mission to lessen the burden of cancer in ߣsir��Ƶʻi. HB2504 would have allowed us to restore our original funding level from 10 years ago.

�Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s diverse communities to benefit.

Restoration of the tax revenue would enhance our ability to attract and retain world-class scientists and clinicians. The restored funding could support evidence-based programs tailored for �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s diverse communities, including Native ߣsir��Ƶians, Pacific Islanders, underserved Asian Americans, and low-income populations. Understanding and reducing tobacco use behaviors among these groups, along with researching e-cigarette use among adolescents and young adults, are critical steps in mitigating cancer risk.

Further, full funding would also attract federal grants and collaboration, further positioning ߣsir��Ƶʻi as a leader in cancer research. It would bring additional renowned researchers and clinicians to ߣsir��Ƶʻi address the shortage of specialized oncology practices, and facilitate clinical trials for patients throughout the Pacific region. Additional tax funding would enable the ߣsir��Ƶ Cancer Center to continue to expand innovative cancer treatment and prevention strategies tailored to �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s unique demographics, and bring more and earlier-phase clinical trials to our Islands.

Investing in cancer research and patient care is not only a medical necessity but a moral imperative. Nearly 40% of our adult population will experience cancer in their lifetimes. By supporting initiatives like HB2504, we can ensure that comprehensive care is accessible right here in ߣsir��Ƶʻi nei, eliminating the need for patients to leave the Islands and leave their homes and loved ones behind in search of cutting-edge cancer treatments.

As director of the ߣsir��Ƶ Cancer Center, I am committed to advocating for transformative research and delivering world-class education, prevention, diagnosis and treatment to our community. The future of cancer-related healthcare in ߣsir��Ƶʻi hinges on the decisions made by our community and legislators. We must prioritize funding to safeguard the health and well-being of future generations.

—By Naoto T. Ueno, MD, PhD, FACP, director of the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi Cancer Center, a professor of medicine at the center, and a two-time cancer survivor.

The University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa’s Isabella Kneeshaw became the first ever ߣsir��Ƶʻi athlete to earn Big West Freshman of the Year honors after an incredible first collegiate season.

Kneeshaw took home honors after winning the conference title in the 400m while anchoring a pair of Big West-title winning relay teams in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. UC Irvine’s Kailah McKenzie will share the award with Kneeshaw.

On the final day of the Big West Championships, Kneeshaw helped the 4x100m relay team break the school record for the third time this year, running a 45.03 in the final to win. The freshman then closed strong in the 400m to pull away for the title in 54.01 seconds to post the second-fastest time in school history.

Kneeshaw capped off her meet by running the final leg of the 4x400m relay squad that took home the conference title in 3:39.47, coming within 0.37 seconds of the program record. She again ran a strong final closing stretch, pulling away in the final 100 meters once again to make the Rainbow Wahine the first team since 2017 to sweep both relays at the Big West title meet.

For more on Kneeshaw, go to

A haute couture gown (hand-made and custom-fitted for the client) by the late Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori has been donated to the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa (CTAHR) Historic Costume Collection.

The gown is made of silk chiffon and features sequins and beads sewn on to look like bamboo, fans, leaves and three-dimensional flowers. Mori’s motif was the butterfly, which was incorporated into many of her creations, and this gown features a draped butterfly wing in the front.

Mori was the only Asian person in her lifetime to be accepted by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode—the French organization that governs haute couture fashion.

“This donation will complement other Hanae Mori creations we have in the collection, and its history is a nice link between fashion, agriculture (plants), and philanthropy,” said Andy Reilly, a professor in the . “The collection represents the history of ߣsir��Ƶʻi as told through clothing, and I am very thankful that the gown will remain in ߣsir��Ƶʻi.”

The donor, Fredrica Cassiday, had originally considered gifting it to the Met in New York, Reilly explained, but wanted it to remain in ߣsir��Ƶʻi and chose CTAHR instead.

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The ߣsir��Ƶʻi Leadership Forum announced 16 local leaders who are joining the ninth cohort of its Omidyar Fellows program, and seven are alumni from the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi. The program seeks to cultivate the conditions in which ߣsir��Ƶʻi thrives by equipping leaders with the skill and cross-sector relationships necessary to affect societal change.

These individuals were chosen through a rigorous application process, selected based on their accomplishments, innovative skills, ability to collaborate with other leaders, and motivation to make a positive change.

“We are excited to bring back this unique opportunity for emerging leaders to engage in impactful discussions, learn from one another, and help make ߣsir��Ƶ‘i even better,” said AJ Halagao, president of ߣsir��Ƶʻi Leadership Forum and Shidler College of Business alumnus. “We strive to develop, engage, and inspire leaders to drive impact and catalyze positive change.”

The seven ߣsir��Ƶ alumni who were selected as the ninth cohort of Omidayar Fellows:

• Katie Bennett (ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa ), Founder and Lead Mediator, Family Mediation ߣsir��Ƶʻi
• Amanda Corby Noguchi (ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa, ), President and Creative Director, Under My Umbrella, Inc.
• Stacy Ferreira (ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa), CEO, Office of ߣsir��Ƶian Affairs
• Vicky Hanes (ߣsir��Ƶ Hilo – ), COO, Legal Aid Society of ߣsir��Ƶʻi
• Shawn Kanaʻiaupuni (ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa – ), President and CEO, Partners in Development Foundation
• David Kopper (ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa), Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of ߣsir��Ƶʻi
• Kaulana Mossman (ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa), Community Planning Liaison Officer, Department of Defense Pacific Missile Range Facility
• Laura Reichhardt (ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa – ) Director, ߣsir��Ƶʻi State Center for Nursing

For the full list of the ninth cohort, see the website. The program has a history of selecting ߣsir��Ƶ alumni and employees.

Two University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa athletes, Hallee Mohr and Tara Wyllie, earned spots in the NCAA West Regional, securing spots for next week’s national preliminaries.

Mohr will represent ߣsir��Ƶ in the discus after winning the Big West title and setting a school record. The senior capped off her final conference championship dominating the Big West field in the discus and set a program record with a toss of 58.25m (191-1) and sits in 11th place in the west region. This also marks the third straight year that Mohr will compete at the NCAA West Regionals in the discus.

Wyllie will compete in the triple jump after finishing with the No.2 mark in the conference this season. The sophomore is the first Rainbow Wahine triple jumper to qualify for the NCAA postseason since 2015. Wyllie posted the No.2 outdoor mark in program history at the Stanford Invitational, jumping 12.77m (41-10.75) to better her fifth-best program mark of 12.69m that she posted the previous meet. Wyllie also won the MPSF indoor triple jump title in February.

Read more at

The University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa team placed third in two national polls, marking the highest final ranking in the history of the Rainbow Wahine program and the Big West.

This season’s finish is also the highest for a Big West team since the conference began sponsoring women’s water polo in 2009.

The Big West champion Rainbow Wahine finished 23-4 in Maureen Cole’s farewell season as head coach and advanced to the semifinals of the Women’s National Collegiate Water Polo Championship last week in Berkeley, Calif. ߣsir��Ƶ set a program record with an .852 overall winning percentage and became the first Big West school to reach the NCAA tournament’s final four since the ‘Bows’ semifinal appearance in 2013.

Read more at

The national recruitment for the next president of the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi 10-campus system will officially begin in late May 2024 after the ߣsir��Ƶ Board of Regents (BOR) approved the position description and leadership profile at the May 16 BOR monthly meeting at ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa. The position description and leadership profile were based on feedback provided through six public forums that were held on four islands, and a public survey along with input from the regents and the Presidential Search Advisory Group (PSAG), who edited and finalized the profile before it was brought to the board.

• ߣsir��Ƶ President Search Website

“We are very pleased that the next phase of the search can officially begin, and the regents thank the PSAG for their important work on the leadership profile,” said BOR Interim Chair Gabriel Lee. “We are hoping there is a lot of local and national interest in the position and that we are able to attract the best candidates possible to lead the state’s sole provider of higher education.”

, the search firm hired by the BOR, will officially launch the recruitment in late May with outreach and national advertisements. The search is following the timeline approved by the regents on March 21.

• May to August—Candidate recruitment period
• August—Review of candidate materials, first round of candidate interviews
• September—Three to four finalists are named
• October—Final selection and negotiation, new president is announced
• Early 2025—New president begins

The PSAG is made up of stakeholders from across the ߣsir��Ƶ system and local community. The group assisted with county forums along with the development of the leadership profile and position description. The PSAG will review candidate applications, identify and recommend candidates for interviews, interview the first round of eight to 12 candidates and recommend semifinalists to the selection committee, which consists of all 11 regents.

As part of the listening phase of the search promised by the regents, approximately 565 people attended the six public forums held across the state in person or via Zoom. The public survey completed in February received 2,093 responses.

The new president will succeed President David Lassner, who announced in September that he will retire at the end of 2024.

To get a unique look at how climate change is impacting marine mammals, ߣsir��Ƶ News interviewed whale expert Lars Bejder, director of the at the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa , on how innovative technologies are helping experts monitor the health of marine mammals.

Bejder is a conservation biologist who focuses on marine mammals such as whales and dolphins in ߣsir��Ƶʻi and internationally. He utilizes drones and specially designed sensors to gather data on cetaceans.

What species of marine mammals do you monitor?

ߣsir��Ƶʻi has more than 20 species of whales and dolphins. We study between 8–10, and each one of those have different conservation issues and pressures.

The most iconic species we have in ߣsir��Ƶʻi is the humpback whale that spends about three months a year here on their breeding grounds. We study the ߣsir��Ƶian monk seals, which are only found here in ߣsir��Ƶʻi and spinner dolphins, which is a coastal species. We also study pilot whales and false killer whales. Some generic threats for all of them are entanglements, ship strikes, noise pollution and climate change, and depending on the species, some are more or less affected by each of these.

What kind of tech are you using?

Using innovative technology such as drones and tags, we’re starting to get a good understanding of how humpback whales change from year to year based on climatic events. For example, a few years ago, when there was a large heat wave across the North Pacific, we saw significant declines in humpback whale health or body condition, which shows us how closely these animals’ health are linked to climate.

The two main new technologies that we use are calibrated drones and suction cup tags, the suction cup tags we use across species—so humpback whales, pilot whales, false killer whales and monk seals. We apply these onto those animals and acquire an incredible wealth of data. We use drones to estimate body condition and health of individuals and populations, and we use those across all of the different species that are here in ߣsir��Ƶʻi.

How are you using tech to monitor humpback whales?

We have collected the world’s largest database on humpback whale health. And when I say health, it’s body condition which we measure through drones using calibrated lenses and custom fit altimeters. We’re able to fly these instruments repetitively over the same animals across ocean basins. So on the breeding grounds here in ߣsir��Ƶʻi and also on the foraging grounds up in Alaska, we can really see how the body condition of these animals changes every season and every year. We have now measured 10,000 humpback whales. And when you think about it, the population estimate here in ߣsir��Ƶʻi is between 12,000 and 14,000. So a significant amount of the animals are visiting ߣsir��Ƶʻi. The fact that we also measure them up in Alaska allows us to see how much energy and condition they lose here in ߣsir��Ƶʻi and vice versa.

How is climate change impacting humpback whales?

If you have a very good year, for example, the conditions are right, you’re going to have a lot of prey, and things are good for the whales up in Alaska. And a year later, you see that the animals are healthy, they’re large, and you’re getting calves. But what we’re also finding is when we have a bad year, for example, climatic events that are not good for prey items up in Alaska, the year later, we have significantly skinnier animals and less calves being born. And that’s really telling us something about the health of the oceans is portrayed through these animals. By simply flying a drone over animals, we can say something about the health of the ecosystem, and that’s really, really promising and exciting.

Dr. Thomas Samuel “Sam” Shomaker will be the next dean of the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa (JABSOM) after his nomination was approved today (May 16) by the ߣsir��Ƶ Board of Regents (BOR). Shomaker is scheduled to begin on July 1 and was nominated by ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno after a comprehensive nationwide search.

Related ߣsir��Ƶ News story: Former leader recommended as ߣsir��Ƶ medical school dean

“Dr. Shomaker has extensive leadership experience and served in senior leadership positions within higher education and medical schools, including his time at JABSOM,” said Bruno. “He has an understanding of the needs of JABSOM, our community and health partners, ߣsir��Ƶʻi and beyond.”

Shomaker is a 1986 JABSOM ߣsir��Ƶuate and previously served as vice dean of the medical school from 2000-2005 and interim dean from 2005 to 2006. He returns to JABSOM after serving as dean of the Austin campus for the University of Texas Medical Branch and the dean and vice president at Texas A&M Health Science Center.

“Mahalo to the search advisory committee and Provost Bruno for affording me this opportunity,” said Shomaker. “It is the highest professional honor of my career to be named the dean of my alma mater. My senior quote upon ߣsir��Ƶuation was, ‘thank you for the opportunity to serve the people of the state of ߣsir��Ƶʻi.’ Now I get to realize that dream.”

At the public presentation Shomaker delivered at JABSOM as one of the finalists for the position, he outlined his goals for JABSOM: become the leading medical school in the Asia-Pacific region and the leading Indigenous-serving medical school in the world and leverage JABSOM’s unique location to develop research, business and health care connections with Asia and the Continental U.S.

“I am excited by the great potential of JABSOM, both in training the next generation of physicians for ߣsir��Ƶʻi and in contributing to the diversification of our economy through our research program,” said Shomaker. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff and ߣsir��Ƶ of our school and our important clinical partners to make JABSOM all it can be for our state and its people.”

Shomaker has 20 years of experience in health care, an MD degree, a law degree, and a master’s degree in management to improve health care. His educational journey includes earning his MD from ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa, a JD from Georgetown University School of Law, a master’s degree in management from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree from St. Louis University.