Student Spotlight: Adair Kealiinohomoku
Meet Adair Kealiinohomoku, an M.P.H. student at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. Kealiinohomoku expects to graduate in 2028 with an M.P.H. in epidemiology.
Kealiinohomoku is someone that loves to learn and has built a large set of skills through academics and work experience. She is passionate about patient care, community outreach and supporting others to improve their situation, whether that be through future policy reform goals or present-day volunteer work.
She originally planned to take a different path into healthcare by becoming an M.D. After earning dual B.S. degrees in mathematics and biological sciences in 2018, she began studying for the MCAT exam before the COVID pandemic forced her to pause and reconsider.
Kealiinohomoku got a job as a manager for Norco, a gas supply company, and saw firsthand some of the challenges that patients would encounter trying to access supplies they needed while dealing with insurance. During that time she went back to school and earned a degree in respiratory therapy from Mt. Hood Community College.
“My background [is] biology, math, management and patient care,” said Kealiinohomoku. [The M.P.H. program] is perfect for me because it takes all those subjects and just slams them together.”
Kealiinohomoku is very community-focused and has spent much of her adult life volunteering in various roles, ranging from coaching youth sports to working with narcotics prevention groups like Royal Rose.
One of those volunteer opportunities included a stint in a post-op stepdown unit for abdominal surgeries at OHSU before COVID restrictions came into play while she was still considering which route to take into healthcare.
She is also passionate about working with underprivileged high school students that are interested in the medical field.
“I didn’t have anyone that really knew how to navigate higher education and so being able to talk to students and mentor them has been a whole new chapter of my life,” said Kealiinohomoku. “It’s nice to know that I can support others in moving forward [and offer encouragement and reassurance].”
As she earns her M.P.H. degree, Kealiinohomoku is also still working as a respiratory therapist and gets satisfaction and joy from that work. “I get the autonomy to advocate for someone’s care [and I get to be involved in very intense care situations].”
After graduation, Kealiinohomoku hopes to continue her education and pursue a Dr.P.H. degree. Her goal would be to work in a role that shapes policy and healthcare reform.
Written by Seth Preuss, OHSU Senior Communications Specialist