# Population Sciences in the Pacific Research Program

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA · 2024 · $70,792

## Abstract

POPULATION SCIENCES IN THE PACIFIC RESEARCH PROGRAM - ABSTRACT
The Population Sciences in the Pacific (PSP) Program focuses on population-based research, with an
emphasis on cancer epidemiology and cancer prevention. The mission of the PSP Program is to conduct
epidemiological, behavioral, and translational research to understand patterns of cancer occurrence across our
catchment populations, with the goal of decreasing the overall cancer burden, as well as cancer disparities, in
our catchment area. The Program has 24 Full Members and 13 Associate Members. The majority of these
Members are located at UHCC and several at UH professional schools, with a few from research institutions in
the Pacific. Currently, PSP research is supported by $6.2M annually in direct cost, including $3M from the
NCI and $2.16M from other NIH institutes. Over the past six years, PSP Members published 778 cancer-
related research articles; of which 39% were intra-programmatic, 15% were inter-programmatic and 93%
were inter-institutional collaborations. To achieve the Program’s mission, PSP Members conduct cancer
research under three interconnected aims. Aim 1 is to understand environmental, lifestyle, biological and
social determinants of ethnic differences in cancer-related health behaviors, cancer risk, and patient survival.
Aim 2 is to identify novel biomarkers (e.g. radiomic, epigenomic, metabolic, genetic, and microbiomic) that
improve risk classification concerning cancer occurrence and survival. Aim 3 is to develop and test
interventions aimed at preventing and controlling cancer, and promoting cancer health equity, in our catchment
area and beyond. These Aims seek to alleviate the overall cancer burden in Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Affiliated
Pacific Islands (USAPI), and to reduce the disparities in cancer risk and outcomes across diverse populations
in our catchment area. PSP Members have a strong track record of investigating cancer risks and outcomes in
relation to diet, physical activity, obesity, ectopic fat, tobacco smoking, substance use, and other social and
behavioral factors. Their research is grounded in large-scale studies that employ innovations in epigenomics,
radiomics, biomarker identification, and social and clinical psychology. PSP Members have developed several
catchment-area-specific, culturally responsive interventions that seek to reduce cancer risk, promote cancer
control, and improve quality of life among cancer survivors. In the next period of CCSG support, PSP Members
will continue to conduct cutting-edge research under the stated three Aims. Through intensive strategic
planning, the Program has identified key emerging research areas for Program expansion, including, but not
limited to, populomics, climate change and environmental risk factors, cancer care delivery, and application of
data science to cancer prevention and control research. Supported by COE to identify the needs and priorities
of the communities that UHCC serves, and by CRTEC a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10935914
- **Project number:** 2P30CA071789-23
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA
- **Principal Investigator:** Sungshim Lani Park
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $70,792
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1997-07-01 → 2029-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10935914

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10935914, Population Sciences in the Pacific Research Program (2P30CA071789-23). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10935914. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*