Professor of public health studies at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa, Tetine Sentell, has been named the inaugural Chin Sik and Hyun Sook Chung Endowed Chair in Public Health Studies. This endowment aims to recruit and retain top faculty in public health, supporting research, training and scholarship dissemination on critical health issues in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region.
“It is a tremendous honor to have been selected as the Chin Sik and Hyun Sook Chung Endowed Chair in Public Health Studies and to continue the legacy of impact in scholarship and mentorship,” said Sentell. “Meeting this wonderful and generous family and learning about their parents has also been a great joy.”
Addressing health inequities at many levels
Sentell has been a faculty member at UH Mānoa since 2009 and is an internationally recognized scholar with more than 25 years of research experience in understanding and addressing health inequities at the individual, family and community-level. She also served as chair of the Office of Public Health Studies from 2019 to 2021, and as interim dean of the Thompson school from 2021 to 2023.
“We are excited to have Professor Tetine Sentell serve as the inaugural Chin Sik and Hyun Sook Chung Endowed Chair in Public Health Studies,” said Alex Ortega, dean of the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health. “Her excellent scholarship, advocacy and dedication to addressing health inequalities make her the ideal candidate for this endowed chair.”
Sentell has published more than 120 papers and led projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Her work has earned her the UH Board of Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching, and she has served as an expert for the World Health Organization and as a Fulbright Specialist in Albania.
Sentell holds a PhD in health services and policy analysis, an MA in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in English literature from Middlebury College. She was a National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco.
The Chin Sik & Hyun Sook Chung Endowed Chair in Public Health Studies honors Chin Sik Chung and his wife, Hyun Sook Chung. Chin Sik Chung was a pioneering biostatistician and genetic epidemiologist, one of the first professors in the Public Health Studies program. Hyun Sook Chung taught English as a second language at Heald College. Their children created this endowment to continue their parents’ legacy and support public health students.
Upcoming fall event
As the inaugural chair, Sentell will continue innovative research and host a fall event to celebrate the endowment, share work across the university, and build connections for new policy and practice directions. The event will feature local speakers, student research presentations, and networking opportunities to foster public health research and collaboration.
