skip to Main Content

The State of Hawaii has unique and highly diverse marine life, plant life and people,
offering untapped resources and opportunities for discovery in the biomedical sciences.

INBRE V Leadership Team and External Advisors
Back Row (L-R): David Easa, Jason Moore, Paul Helquist, David Horgen; Middle Row (L-R): Brad Jones, Peter Hoffmann, Claire Wright, Gary Landreth, Youping Deng, Megan Ross, Jane Onoye; Front Row (L-R): Kari Kim, Karen Pellegrin, Elizabeth Ryan, Robert Nichols, Shelley Lusetti, Olivia George, Benjamin Fogelgren, Jon-Paul Bingham, Leighanne Felix
Increasing Biomedical Research across Hawaii

INBRE V is aimed at expanding the biomedical research capacity in Hawai’i by:

  • Fostering and then nurturing undergraduate research and education in biomedical science at the University of Hawai’i and at our partner institutions under our PATHway to Biomedical Careers Activity
  • Supporting promising junior investigators at our partner institutions under our Developmental Research Project Program.
  • Offering a rich set of research and education resources, with emphasis on natural product discovery and development, and molecular medicine.
Program Summary

The Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) provides biomedical research and education opportunities in Hawai’i by building research capacity at every level from our community colleges through our Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUls). INBRE V – HI-INBRE continues to expand a proven PATHway to Biomedical Careers outreach effort directed at invigorating and integrating the pipeline of potential biomedical researchers at our community colleges and baccalaureate universities through which students progress to careers as scientists and science educators. A complementary Developmental Research Project Program supports promising junior investigators at our PUIs.
INBRE V is funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

Mission Statement

The HI-INBRE is an IDeA Networks for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) grant supported under the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). INBRE V – HI-INBRE is aimed at enhancing biomedical research at four of our primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) and five of our community colleges in Hawaii in order to foster biomedical careers at two critical stages: undergraduate and junior investigator/entry-level faculty. The program will therefore increase the quality and hence competitiveness of our developing researchers in Hawaii, as well as provide a pipeline of qualified students interested in biomedical careers.

Our current program, INBRE V, is funded under an approximately $21.3 million award from NIGMS for a five-year period from 2023 to 2028. INBRE V builds on the success of several previous INBRE and Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN) grants, beginning the 21st year of continuous funding under the IDeA program. INBRE V is administered by the John A. Burns School of Medicine. The PUIs in our partnership are: University of Hawaii at Hilo; Chaminade University; Hawaii Pacific University; University of Hawaii at West Oahu. The participating community colleges are: UH Maui College; Kapiolani Community College; Leeward Community College; Windward Community College.

INBRE V – HI-INBRE is centered on two thematic areas: Natural Product Discovery and Molecular Medicine. Research on natural products builds upon exciting work among several of our partners, and will be expanded across the state, as each site has access to marine and plant life resources unique to Hawaii. In addition, research related to health disparities specific to Pacific Islanders will be supported. As a means to enhance research development and analysis in these areas, a strong Bioinformatics Core is available to all INBRE researchers and students. In addition, partnerships and collaborations between the PUIs and our research intensive, flagship university, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, provides essential resources for our INBRE researchers and students at multiple levels.

The INBRE Junior Investigators are mentored by a nationwide team of established, senior investigators with records of research success, with the aim of guiding the Junior Investigators toward their own independently, externally funded research programs. The entire program benefits from the advice of an External Advisory Committee comprised of world-renowned scientists.

Undergraduate / Community College student involvement in research will be promoted through our PATHway to Biomedical Careers. Science faculty across the state, including, in particular, the INBRE Junior Investigators, will provide research programs in which the students can participate. Students are encouraged to pursue research throughout their undergraduate program.

inbre-team
INBRE IV Leadership Team
Jessica Paje, Dr. Jon-Paul Bingham, Dr. David Easa, Dr. Peter Hoffmann, Dr. Robert Nichols, Dr. Helen Turner, Dr. Youping Deng, Dr. David Horgen, and Kari Kim.
Back To Top