Maui wildfire exposure: health and resilience cohort
Official title: The Maui Wildfire Exposure Cohort Study on Community Health and Resilience
Funded at University of Hawaii at Manoa · NIH-11423023 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A long-term study of Maui residents to understand how wildfires affect health and well-being and to help communities recover.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Hawaii at Manoa NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Honolulu, United States) |
| Project start | July 2, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $725,224 |
| NIH project number | 4R33MD019793-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11423023 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Maui residents who experienced wildfire exposure and are willing to participate in annual health surveys and provide biospecimens over time.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals not experiencing wildfire exposure or not participating in follow-up assessments may see limited personal benefit.
What this research studies
This project will enroll 1,000 Maui residents to follow their health and living conditions over five years after the 2023 wildfires. It combines surveys with biospecimen analysis to measure stress and exposure to environmental contaminants. Researchers will track changes in health, socioeconomic factors, and access to resources each year and compare them with similar communities that were not exposed. The study will also develop a data-driven toolkit to guide local recovery efforts and inform policy for future disasters.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could inform disaster response, resilience planning, and health interventions for wildfire-affected communities.
How similar studies have gone: Previous disaster cohorts have shown that longitudinal health tracking can reveal lasting impacts and inform recovery efforts.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Juarez, Ruben — University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Study coordinator: Juarez, Ruben
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.