The faculty is a balanced mix of professionals with diverse interests and skills, many of whom have had substantial international experience. The multicultural student body includes experienced health professionals from the United States and other countries. The school's many alumni offer professional links with field placement agencies and potential job sites, and they participate with students and faculty in school activities. Strong cooperative relationships in teaching, research, and student field supervision exist with community agencies, the state Department of Health, federal agencies such as the Public Health Service, and other areas of the University of Hawai'i. The school also enjoys a well-established student exchange program with the school of public health at UC Berkeley.
Cooperative relationships are equally important to the school in the international arena.
They provide unique research and educational experiences for faculty and students. The school is a World Health Organization Collaborating Center. Initiatives in the Pacific region have resulted in the designation of the school as the Secretariat for the Pacific Island Health Officers Association.