Native Hawaiians exhibit higher rates of accelerated aging compared to white and Japanese Americans, the Honolulu Chapterʻs 2024 Scientist of the Year reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A leading epigeneticist, Dr. Alika Maunakea is a professor in the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine and a Native Hawaiian. He looked at biological rather than chronological age and how that relates to onset of disease. While living in poorer neighborhoods is associated with health disparities, it doesnʻt determine destiny, Dr. Maunakea said. "Our data at the molecular level shows clearly that engaging in healthier lifestyles reduces the risk for disease and likely improves longevity," he said.

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