A warm congratulations to Dr. Rica Ann Dela Cruz, our newest CHL PhD graduate! Rica is a UH Junior Researcher and CHL’s very own Data Manager. She received her BA in Biology from Bryn Mawr College, an MPH in Epidemiology from UCLA, and most recently, a PhD in Public Health from UH Mānoa. Biba, Dr. Dela Cruz! Given her recent accomplishment, let’s look into Rica’s educational journey, dissertation research, evolution with CHL, and what’s next!
Rica’s educational pursuits have taken her across the US, she is deeply rooted from Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, where she was born and raised with a strong Chamorro lineage [Tenorio & Sablan (familian Deda) from San Antonio on her mother’s side and Santos (familian Maka) & Dela Cruz (familian Chala) from Chalan Kanoa on her father’s side]. Her experiences growing up in Saipan led to the subconscious development for a better health for all. Seeing people from the Marianas, including many relatives, receive disease diagnoses and die much younger than those she met upon moving away from the islands prompted her to question these differences. This fundamental question led her to public health, a field in which one of the underlying goals is to understand these very health disparities. Another influential experience was during her time working on a Substance Abuse Prevention program on Saipan, “Project Brabu,” upon completion of her BA. Through this work, Rica recognized the need for data and capacity building to develop evidence-based programs in the Pacific. These collective experiences guided Rica towards the decision to pursue a career in public health and she began graduate studies for an MPH. Seeking further training in community-based research and the skillsets needed to conduct independent research in the future, Rica continued on to a PhD program, which led her to UH and CHL.
Rica’s role on the CHL team has evolved over the years. She was initially drawn to CHL’s mission and commitment to improving diet and physical activity behaviors and preventing obesity, specifically in the US-affiliated Pacific (USAP) region and eventually became a Graduate Research Assistant. “This was the first program I had seen that collected so much health-related data throughout our islands, with many investigators who are so invested in our population and some investigators even native to our region.” Being able to work with and learn from CHL aligned well with her dissertation research, which focused on the influences of diet and physical activity behaviors on overweight and obesity among young children in the Northern Mariana Islands. Rica was motivated to conduct this research due to the substantial impact non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have on island communities and her understanding of the role obesity and lifestyle behaviors play in NCD development. “By studying how to improve diet, physical activity, and other health behaviors using a socioecological model, I hope that the amount of people in our islands who become ill with NCDs can be reduced and Pacific Islanders can live longer, healthier lives. By focusing on young children, I believe we can reverse the current trends and see healthier generations in the future.”
Long term, Rica is committed to continued work towards improving health behaviors in the Northern Mariana Islands and the greater USAP region with the goal to reduce disease in populations she cares deeply about. She envisions contributing to continued data surveillance and applying for funding for community-based interventions as part of her efforts in public health research in the Pacific.
In her spare time, you can find Rica hiking, going to the beach, and spending time with her husband, Roger, and their fur baby, Rusty the Corgi. She also enjoys travelling and learning about the cultures and places of the world. In her lifetime, she hopes to visit as many countries and hike as many National Parks as she can. Rica is an awesome collaborator and brings positivity to the CHL team – we are very lucky to have her and are excited to continue seeing her succeed in future endeavors. Si Yu’os ma’åse’, Dr. Dela Cruz!