About the Team

Jack Barile, Ph.D. (he/him), is the Principal Investigator for this project. He is the Associate Dean for Research for the College of Social Sciences, Director of the Social Science Research Institute, Professor of Psychology and Senior Advisor for the Health Policy Initiative. His primary research interests include understanding the role of neighborhood stress in the formation and maintenance of health disparities, ecological assessment, quantitative methods, and program evaluation. Jack's research centers around ecological determinants of health-related quality of life and well-being. This line of research includes the study of individual-level factors, such as adverse childhood experiences and multiple chronic medical conditions, as well as neighborhood-level factors, such as housing, crime, and poverty.

Eva McKinsey, Ph.D. (she/her), is an applied social and community psychologist. Broadly, her work focuses on interventions, programs, and movements aimed at building resilient, accountable, and healthy communities. Her focus areas include system-level integration of trauma-informed care, shifting attitudes related to punitiveness, and building cultures of accountability. She has conducted research on various topics in diverse contexts, including housing and homelessness in Hawai’i, military personnel issues with the Congressional Research Service in Washington, DC, and trauma-informed judicial practice in North Carolina. She is also a practitioner of transformative justice and a doula, supporting families as they welcome little ones into this world.

Reinie Gerrits-Goh, Ph.D. (she/her) is a health services researcher. Reinie prioritizes work on improving healthcare practice through the responsible implementation of research into policy. Originally from the Netherlands, Reinie started her education with a focus on internation public health, completing a Bachelors in Maastricht, Copenhagen and Malmö, a Masters in Stockholm and a PhD in the field of Health Services Research in Amsterdam. Reinie has experience evaluating different parts of how healthcare systems operate. As a research advisor in the Netherlands, she conducted mixed-methods research to advice government, insurers and other healthcare stakeholders on healthcare finances, the development of quality-of-care measures, and the implementation of shared-decision making methodologies for care providers. Reinie additionally works on Hawaii’s Medicaid analytic capacity building and Medicaid policy and program evaluation. In her free time Reinie enjoys painting with watercolors and swimming at Ala Moana beach.

Charles (Charlie) Iwata (he/him) is a research and evaluation specialist supporting several projects with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) Social Science Research Institute. Charlie combines a keen qualitative sensibility with quantitative rigor to foster a synthetic and eclectic analytical approach in order to bridge the sciences and humanities. Charlie’s early background in humanities, communication, and digital media (B.S. in Arts & Letters from Portland State University) is complemented by postgraduate studies in library and information science and data analytics (UHM). Charlie’s professional work uses skills in data preparation, analysis, and modeling, with applications ranging from evaluation of Hawaii housing services and Medicaid waiver programs to predictive modeling for administrative health data, delivering human-centered solutions to complex problems. 

Outside of his primary work, Charlie’s interests include experiments with generative AI, media editing and production, bread baking, and amateur archaeology. He can often be seen on the south shore of Oʻahu, climbing a tree and playing ukulele.

Meldrick Ravida, M.P.H., is a public health professional specializing in epidemiology and community health. As the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) Research/Evaluation Specialist, he collaborates with a dynamic team to advance impactful health research projects including Medicaid program evaluation. 

He previously worked with the American Public Health Association and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, where he focused on addressing the unique needs of Filipino wildfire survivors in Maui. Collaborating with community stakeholders and health systems, he identified recovery gaps and developed tailored strategies to enhance outreach and guide program implementation. His work informed resource allocation and strengthened community resilience through compassionate and data-driven approaches. 

Meldrick's expertise lies in translating complex research into actionable solutions to improve health outcomes. He specializes in developing strategies, designing health programs, and addressing social determinants of health, including food security, education, and healthcare access. Additionally, he excels in optimizing processes, making evidence-based decisions, and building strong professional relationships. In his free time, he enjoys running and playing pickleball.

Yone Kawe (Eric) Lin, B.S., M.S., is a Research Specialist at Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) under the College of Social Sciences atUniversity of Hawai’i, Manoa (UHM). He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology from UCLA, and spent four years at UCSF in an oncology research lab, conducting research on lung cancer and metastasis. 

Driven by a passion for data analysis in the medical and clinical fields, he has developed skills in data management, statistical modeling, and data visualization, with a focus on R programming. He has earned his Master of Science in Quantitative Health and Clinical Research from UHM, where his research of interest focused on quantitative methods and personalized medicine. His work also reflects a deep interest in using machine learning techniques to solve complex healthcare challenges and advance precision medicine. Outside of work, Eric enjoys playing volleyball and indulging in his love for watermelon.

Ashlyn Wong, M.A. (she/her), is a Graduate Assistant for this project under the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI). She is a Ph.D. candidate for the Clinical Studies Program at the Department of Psychology, College of Social Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her primary research interests include examining sociocultural factors and their impact on perceptions of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Additionally, she is interested in taking a resilience-based approach to her research to reduce stigma and mitigate barriers to ADHD assessment and care in historically marginalized and underserved populations. 

On the side, Ashlyn is involved in providing assessment and evidence-based treatment to children, youth, and their families to help them achieve various goals, including increasing knowledge on mental health disorders, enhancing different skills (e.g., coping, organizational, parenting), and improving parent-child relationships. In her free time, she enjoys playing pickleball, creating art, and trying new places to eat.