Paula Saladino

Developed and designed culturally grounded lesson plans to educate Hawai‘i middle school students about the risks of e-cigarette use and effective substance use resistance strategies. Conducted on-site data collection at Hawaiʻi Island public schools to examine factors influencing substance use among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth. Maintained research records of human subjects and supported the research team through data entry, data management, statistical analysis, and interpretation of research findings.

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) Research Assistant at University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center (August 2022 – Present)

• Developed and designed culturally grounded lesson plans to educate Hawai‘i middle school students about the risks of e-cigarette use and effective substance use resistance strategies.
• Conducted on-site data collection at Hawaiʻi Island public schools to examine factors influencing substance use among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth.
• Maintained research records of human subjects and supported the research team through data entry, data management, statistical analysis, and interpretation of research findings.
• Contributed to the preparation of research manuscripts examining e-cigarette use trends, substance use motivations, and culturally relevant resistance strategies among Native Hawaiian adolescents.
• Presented research findings on the development, efficacy, and effectiveness of the Ho'ouna Pono program, a culturally-grounded drug prevention curriculum, at community outreach events and trainee research presentations.
• Redesigned the Ho'ouna Pono website to improve usability and functionality by implementing scheduling features, a lesson plan customization tool, discussion boards, and integrated Google Workspace services.

Health Manager at Honolulu Primary Care Associates, LLC (August 2026 – September 2026)

• Assisted with patient intake by obtaining vital signs (i.e., height, weight, heart rate, manual blood pressure, temperature, and SpO₂), medication reconciliation, and updating patient charts with accurate allergy, social history, and family history information. • Reviewed patients’ health maintenance needs during intake, including chronic disease management, immunizations, advance health care directives, and patient health questionnaires.
• Assisted with patient checkout by scheduling follow-up appointments in Akamai, ordering appropriate laboratory tests, and completing order forms.
• Answered patient phone calls, documented telephone encounters in Epic, and communicated patients’ needs and concerns to physicians.
• Promoted patient engagement by communicating laboratory and imaging results, reminding patients of upcoming appointments and laboratory tests, and identifying medical refill needs.
• Checked in patients, processed payments, and updated patient registration and insurance information in Epic and Akamai.
• Monitored the Hawaiʻi Health Information Exchange (HHIE) daily to identify patients with emergency department visits or hospital admissions and scheduled appropriate follow-up appointments.
• Educated patients on the benefits and potential risks of recommended health screenings and immunizations.

Bachelor of Arts in Public Health. Minor in Pre-Health. – University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (August 2020 – May 2024)