D.C. Given this widespread appreciation of the value of these academic centers, it is difficult to comprehend how the University of Hawaii can permit its School of Public Health, once a jewel in its academic crown, to come to its present state of affairs. Surely good reason, if not concern for the health of the public, must prevail in this case. I was recently informed that the school may be closed due to economic constraints. I would like to ask the UH president to reconsider and give the school a chance and support to fully function as a center for education and research in the field of public health not only in Hawaii but also in the Asia-Pacific region. I wonder why public health receives lower priority at the time when health is a more and more important part of our lives.
Health is a very complex issue.
No single discipline can comprehensively deal with health problems. The interdisciplinary approach employed by the programs at the UH School of Public Health is imperative to improve the health of the people in Hawaii. Closing it will result in the deterioration in people's health in the long run. It also means that the people in the Asia-Pacific region will lose the training and research center for public health. I sincerely hope that UH will not close the School of Public Health.