Chase Bryer, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and assistant professor and gerontologist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Center on Aging, has been selected for the third cohort of the Community Health and Aging in Native Groups of Elders (CHANGE) RCMAR Research Education Program.

Bryer will participate in the 18-month national program, supported by the National Institute on Aging, which provides mentorship and specialized training in Native aging research. He will also receive $50,000 in pilot funding to support community-engaged research focused on HIV and aging.

His research aims to understand how people living with HIV can maintain their health and well-being as they age, with particular attention to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander kūpuna (elders). The project will emphasize culturally grounded care and incorporate the lived experiences, knowledge, and priorities of older adults.

In partnership with the Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center and Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi, Bryer will work alongside Thompson School co-investigators Miquela Ibrao and David Stupplebeen to explore the needs and experiences of kūpuna aging with HIV.

The findings could help inform more culturally responsive healthcare approaches and improve the quality of life for older adults living with HIV in Hawaiʻi.

Source: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/10/20/kupuna-aging-with-hiv/