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The journey and needs of caregivers will be the focus of the next Susan C. Hirano Cancer CARE Community event, 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, January 17, at our Sullivan Conference Center. The public is invited to this free interactive workshop designed to acknowledge and empower caregivers while building a supportive community. Topics include: caregiver research done at the UH Cancer Center, self-care tips, and ways to express and process emotions safely. Separate sessions will be facilitated for caregivers and patients, survivors and thrivers, to foster open, supportive dialogue. Click here for program information. Click here to register by January 9, 2026.

Gov. Josh Green signed state House Bill 1300 (HB1300) into law on November 15, enacting it as Act 254. The act allocates funds from the state to the UH Cancer Center for a multiethnic cancer cohort study, designed to investigate social determinants of health, lifestyles and environmental exposures, particularly among Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and Filipinos. A key component of the study is an analysis of health effects linked to living near landfills in Nānākuli. Thank you to proponents of the UH Cancer Center for supporting research that will make a difference for our communities in Hawai‘i and across the Pacific.

Pictured, from left: Keli Santos; Drew Santos, President, Coolingcancer.org; UH Cancer Center Director Dr. Naoto T. Ueno; Shirley Santos.

Coolingcancer.org President Drew Santos and the Santos family gave a check for $100,000 to the UH Cancer Center in a presentation on November 20. The funds were raised via the Cooling Cancer Golf Tournament, which took place on August 29 at the Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach. Over the past 12 years the tournament has raised a total of $750,000 to support UH Cancer Center research and activities. Mahalo to The Santos Family, and all who participated in this year’s tournament, for your continued support in the fight against cancer! Click here to view coverage by KHON2.

Pictured, from left: Lauren Imai, Clinical Trials, UH Cancer Center; Corinne Ihara, Administrative Support Specialist, UH Foundation; Dr. Hideko Yamauchi, Director of Clinical Affairs, UH Cancer Center; Joana Story, Office Manager, In Line Flooring; Peter Hirano, Co-Founder, Susan C. Hirano Cancer CARE Community; Taryn Miyamoto, President, In Line Flooring; Dr. Erin Bantum, Full Member, Population Sciences in the Pacific; Tawney Sablan, Associate Director of Development, UH Foundation; Kathleen Griffin, Associate Director of Development, UH Foundation; Michelle Hashimoto, Event Coordinator, UH Cancer Center.

In Line Flooring President Taryn Miyamoto, along with In Line Flooring Office Manager and breast cancer survivor Joana Story, recently presented the UH Cancer Center with a donation of $10,000. The money was raised through a social media campaign created by In Line Flooring to promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month and raise funds for the UH Cancer Center. For every like or share the campaign received, In Line Flooring pledged $10 to help the UH Cancer Center's research and education efforts. Mahalo, In Line Flooring!

About 55 people gathered on November 8 at our Sullivan Conference Center for “Ka ‘lke Ola: The Knowledge of Life — Blood Cancer Survivorship Program.” The event celebrated the progress in the fight against blood cancers. Sponsored by Blood Cancer United, the free educational program highlighted new blood-cancer treatments, as well as survivorship knowledge. The night was capped off with live entertainment from Kumu Hula Malia Haumschild and her hālau, and a lantern-lit walk around the UH Cancer Center in recognition of the continuing fight to end cancer. Mahalo to everyone who participated!

A group of students of UH Mānoa School of Life Sciences faculty member Dr. Howard C. Shen toured the UH Cancer Center and JABSOM last month to broaden their awareness of diverse research topics. The Biology 108 students visited with scientists and active laboratories to gain exposure to real-life working environments, and to better understand how coursework is relevant to career paths. In addition, the seminar was a platform for networking between faculty and students, to help the students pursue undergraduate research opportunities.

‘Caring for Caregivers’ – Presented by the Susan C. Hirano Cancer CARE Community of the UH Cancer Center
Saturday, January 17, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Sullivan Conference Center

Free admission

Click here to register
Program information at UHCancerCenter.org/cancercare

The Barry & Virginia Weinman Symposium 2026
Wednesday, January 21, to Friday, January 23, 2026
Sullivan Conference Center
Registration information to come; program information at weinmansymposium.com

JOB BOARD

Graduate Research Assistant - Population Sciences in the Pacific

Professor - Ho‘ōla Early Phase Clinical Research Center Director

For all University of Hawaiʻi Internal Civil Service Recruitments, please see the bulletin by the Human Resources Office for the most current vacancies.

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Cagrilintide-Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. Chi H, Yang H, Deng Y. N Engl J Med. 2025 Nov 20;393(20):2067. 

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Survival disparities in non-small cell lung cancer: Disaggregating Asians from NHPI and identifying variability among common Asian subgroups - The largest single-center study in Hawai'i. Wannaphut C, Tanariyakul M, Yoshikawa GT, Hernandez BY, Villanueva NA, Acoba JD. Cancer Epidemiol. 2025 Dec;99:102904. 

Association of a Lifestyle Risk Index With Visceral and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue in the German National Cohort (NAKO). Maskarinec G, Klapp R, Nöthlings U, Schulze MB, Bamberg F, Machann J, Schlesinger S, Leitzmann M, …., Pischon T.
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Targeting mTORC2-Dependent AKT/FOXO1/RNF125 signaling exploits a therapeutic vulnerability in c-MET-activated and β-catenin-mutated hepatocellular carcinoma. Wang X, Zhou Y, Zhang S, Farrar C, Xie X, Li J, Zhang SM, Zhang Z, Yonemura A, Haynes JT, Feng X, Shang R, Xu Z, Wu Y, Qiao Y, Cui G, Liao W, Li R, Calvisi DF, Zhang S, Xu M, Chen X, Wang H. Hepatology. 2025 Dec 2. 

A novel ferroptosis-related microRNAs signature for predicting prognosis in endometrial cancer: An observational study. Murakami H, Wang J, Yu H. Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Nov 21;104(47):e46102. 

Deoxygenative Difunctionalization of Aldehydes via Ketyl Radical and Light/Dark Pd Synergy. Bian T, Colomer G, Liu Y, Tius MA, Zhang Z. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2025 Nov 28:e21847. 

Differential blood DNA methylation loci between Native Hawaiian and White women are associated with dietary patterns and metabolic biomarkers. Song MA, Gupta A, Park SY, Kim J, Archer KJ, Tiirikainen M, Franke A, Wilkens LR, Le Marchand L, Chung D, Lim U. Sci Rep. 2025 Nov 28. 

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