Multiple outlets reported that the National Institutes of Health has awarded nearly $5.9 million to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to continue and expand the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study (MauiWES) through 2031. The funding will allow researchers to keep tracking adult survivors of the August 2023 wildfires while expanding the study to include 800 children. Researchers say survivors continue to face challenges with physical health, mental health, housing, and economic stability years after the disaster.
- Two NIH grants totaling nearly $5.9 million were awarded through the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
- MauiWES is described as Hawaiʻi’s largest disaster health cohort, originally enrolling approximately 1,800 adults and 200 children from Lahaina and Kula after the August 8, 2023 fires
- The new funding extends the study through 2031 — eight years after the fires
- One grant of approximately $2.2 million over three years will continue tracking roughly 1,000 adult survivors through 2029, with assessments including lung function testing, blood pressure checks, and mental health screenings (The Garden Island)
- A second grant of approximately $3.7 million over five years will expand the study to 800 children, examining how wildfire exposure and displacement affect development, lung health, mental health, and education (The Garden Island)
- The study originally launched as an emergency response supported by the State of Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, and Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi before becoming federally funded (Hawaii)
- Researchers plan to use findings to improve clinical care, health screenings, school support, and disaster response both in Hawaii and nationally
Sources
- Hawaii News Now: UH Manoa secures $5.9M NIH grant to expand Maui wildfire study
- Hawaii: VNR: Nearly $6M in NIH awards will extend UH Mānoa’s landmark Maui wildfire health study
- The Garden Island: UH gets $5.9M to expand study of Maui fire survivors
- Hawaii: Nearly $6M in NIH awards will extend UH Mānoa’s landmark Maui wildfire health study
Share this article
