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Office of Strategic Health Initiatives

The University of Hawaiʻi (UH) System’s Office of Strategic Health Initiatives, under the UH System Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI), was established to identify funding and establish strategic opportunities, partnerships, policies, and initiatives to improve health and health care across the state and nation by leveraging UH’s research enterprise, programs, and capabilities in the area of health sciences.  The UH System has significant health sciences programs that collectively play an essential role in educating Hawaiʻi’s health workforce and addressing the health challenges facing Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.  The Office of Strategic Health Initiatives leads the UHealthy Hawaiʻi initiative to leverage the UH System to improve health and health care in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.

Meet the Team

Aimee Malia Grace, MD, MPH, FAAP

Director

Dr. Aimee Malia Grace serves as Director of the UH System Office of Strategic Health Initiatives. She leads the UHealthy Hawaiʻi Initiative as well as UH System federal affairs. Dr. Grace is a pediatrician and previously served for three years as lead health policy advisor for U.S. Senator Brian Schatz in Washington, D.C. where she managed Senator Schatz’s legislative work in the health field, including the areas of telehealth, Medicaid buy‐in, Tobacco to 21, Project ECHO, public health emergency preparedness, and chronic pain. She also managed Senator Schatz’s budget and appropriations for health programs of importance to Hawaiʻi and Native Hawaiians. Dr. Grace completed her undergraduate studies in human biology at Stanford University, medical degree at the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine, pediatrics residency at Stanford University’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Master of Public Health (Health Policy and Management) degree at the Harvard School of Public Health, and General Academic Pediatrics (Health Policy) fellowship at the Children’s National Health System.

Asami Headshot

Asami Kobayashi

Policy ANALYST

Asami Kobayashi serves as a Policy Analyst for the UH System Office of Strategic Health Initiatives and supports Dr. Grace’s efforts on the UHealthy Hawaiʻi Initiative and UH System Federal Relations. She has experience in the legislative branch of our federal and state government as former staff to U.S. Representative Ed Case, State Senator Donna Mercado Kim, and State Senator Laura Thielen. Asami also received her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Minor Certificate in Political Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. 


UHealthy Hawaiʻi – The University of Hawaiʻi's Commitment to a Healthier Hawaiʻi and Pacific