Hawai‘i Public Health Institute is home to many public health programs, projects, and initiatives. We organize our work into four portfolios, each aimed at advancing the health and wellness of the people and islands of Hawai‘i.
Our Community Preparedness & Resilience portfolio focuses on strengthening the systems, relationships, and infrastructure that help Hawaiʻi navigate change. We work at the intersection of climate, food, aging, and community health to support communities facing immediate challenges while building long-term conditions for health.
Through policy development, cross-sector partnerships, youth and community leadership, and applied public health practice, we work toward practical, equity-driven solutions. Our goal is straightforward: communities across Hawaiʻi have the tools, knowledge, and capacity to protect health, respond to emerging risks, and move forward with resilience.
Hawai‘i Youth Food Council
The Hawaiʻi Youth Food Council (HYFC) uplifts youth leadership in building a more just and resilient food system. HYFC brings together young leaders from across the islands to learn, organize, and advocate for policies that increase access to healthy, culturally appropriate food. Through education, storytelling, and civic engagement, youth members shape conversations around school meals, local agriculture, food equity, and climate impacts on food systems. By investing in youth voice and leadership, we are strengthening the next generation of food system advocates in Hawaiʻi.
Food Systems and Resiliency
Dedicated to cultivating resilience through our work supporting local food systems. Our mission is to nurture good food and sustainable land stewardship for Hawaiʻi, ensuring that there is access to nutritious food through sustainable options that support our people and the planet.
Climate & Health
Bringing a public health lens to climate change in Hawaiʻi. Through Climate & Health Hawaiʻi, our statewide network of clinicians, researchers, emergency managers, and community leaders, we turn what people are already experiencing — extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding, water quality — into practical protections, education, and policy.
James McCallen
Healthy Aging & Community Living
One of the greatest achievements of public health is that we get to live longer, healthier lives. As Hawaiʻi’s population ages, we must ensure that our communities are prepared to support people across the full course of life. HIPHI works to implement policies, programs, and systems to support healthy aging, mitigate disparities that accumulate over time, and strengthen the community conditions that allow us all to age with dignity, safety, and connection.
As part of our broader Community Preparedness & Resilience efforts, we recognize that older adults are often disproportionately affected by climate impacts, emergencies, and social isolation. By building age-friendly systems and strengthening community networks, we help ensure that kūpuna remain supported before, during, and after times of disruption.
Lindsey Ilagan, MS
[she/her] Joining HIPHI in 2020, Lindsey convenes the Kūpuna Food Security Coalition and other initiatives under the Kūpuna Collective, an age-friendly incubator that addresses critical issues for older adults and transforms the narrative from kūpuna as beneficiaries to powerful change agents in building resilient communities. She values working with partners to address drivers of health disparities, particularly among Kānaka ʻŌiwi. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Chapman University, and Kamehameha Schools. In her free time, Lindsey enjoys being outdoors, eating good food, and loving on her three year old dogo argentino.
