$2.2M grant funds next phase of Maui wildfire recovery study by University of Hawai‘i researchers

Researchers at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa were awarded a $2.2 million grant from National Institutes of Health to support the next phase of the Maui Learnings to Overcome Adversities study.

The new research examines long-term impacts of the 2023 Maui wildfires and factors influencing health and well-being after disasters.

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health Dean Alex Ortega and John A. Burns School of Medicine Department of Native Hawaiian Health Chairperson and professor Keawe Kaholokula led the 3-year study.

The new award builds on an initial phase that gathered perspectives from residents, community organizations, emergency responders and healthcare providers to help guide the survey design.

Recent findings published in August 2025 in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed mental health effects of the wildfires extended around Maui, not just within burn zones. Research identified housing displacement and income loss as key drivers of depression and anxiety.

“The first phase of Maui [Learnings to Overcome Adversities] revealed important lessons about the health and mental health consequences of the wildfires,” said Ortega in a university release. “With [National Institutes of Health’s] continued support, we can now translate those lessons into evidence-based strategies that improve disaster preparedness, recovery and resilience for communities facing future disasters.”

Researchers will now survey 1,200 adults who lived on Maui during the wildfires, including those displaced, to examine factors influencing long-term recovery and disaster response among individuals, families, communities, healthcare systems and social service organizations around Maui.

Survey findings are expected to inform public policy, emergency response planning, health services and community recovery efforts in Hawai‘i and nationwide.

“Nearly 3 years into the recovery, we hope to learn more about the personal, sociocultural, community and system-level factors that promote health and well-being after experiencing a devastating disaster, such as the 2023 Maui wildfire[s],” said Kaholokula in the release.

Recovery is not the same for everyone.

“We hope to understand how these factors evolve over time and vary across different populations as communities continue to rebuild,” Kaholokula added.