Mission & Philosophy

Kūlia i ka nu‘u—Strive for excellence

The mission of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health (DNHH) is to be a center of excellence in education, research, and quality healthcare practices committed to the optimal health and wellness of Kānaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiians), their families and communities, while embracing traditional Hawaiian values and practices. Native Hawaiian health, as an academic and medical field of study, embraces a multi-disciplinary approach in addressing the health disparities experienced by Kānaka ‘Ōiwi (and other health disparate groups) that integrates the biomedical, behavioral, psychosocial, and public health sciences with Hawaiian cultural knowledge and wisdom. It applies these sciences and Hawaiian cultural knowledge to medical education, basic and clinical research, clinical services and training, and community engagement.