The CHL Food Systems Trainee representing the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Hannah Isabel Shai, has been selected as a Health Policy Research Scholar (HPRS). HPRS is a leadership training and development program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Hannah is among the 40 scholars selected nationwide in recognition of her commitment to using research to advance health equity through policy change.
As part of the program, scholars receive annual funding for up to 4 years to support completion of their doctoral program. HPRS provides policy and leadership development training, coursework, and mentorship throughout the program. Training and development will be focused on health equity and the policy process, leadership, communication, implementation, and dissemination.
Hannah is committed to addressing food and nutrition insecurity in the CNMI by highlighting potential improvements in the local food system. Her research aims to utilize built food environment measures to address food system issues. One of her primary research goals is to ensure that community voices are elevated through her research and to sustain important food system conversations. As such, her research will also leverage qualitative methods to inform context and framing efforts in food and nutrition policy. As a native of the NMI, she understands the importance of community context in translating research to inform and implement solutions.
Hannah is a proud native of the CNMI. She has experienced firsthand the benefits of reciprocity and a culture that thrives in being there for others. For that reason, she is committed to ensuring the CNMI is at the center of her research and to highlight the strengths of her community. She adds, “I would not be who I am or where I am today without a community to dream for. Marianas, hu sen guiya hao yan hagu i rason hu.”
For more information about HPRS and RWJF’s other leadership programs, visit https://healthpolicyresearch-scholars.org/.