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About Us

CHL

CHL is a partnership among remote Pacific states and other jurisdictions of the US: Alaska, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, Hawaii, Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. All jurisdictions have US Land Grant Colleges, which have united in the Pacific Land Grant Alliance (PLGA).

We are combining efforts to:

  • train a public health nutrition work force
  • conduct public health nutrition research
  • develop a food, nutrition, and physical activity data management and evaluation system
  • communicate nutrition and health related information to the public

With no US National Nutrition monitoring (e.g, NHANES) in these jurisdictions, not even in the states Alaska and Hawaii, the information we attain through CHL will guide future children’s obesity prevention programs and policies.

The goal of this Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Coordinated Agricultural Program (CAP) among Pacific Region USDA-defined Experimental Program for Stimulating Competitive Research (EPSCoR) states/jurisdictions is to build social/cultural, physical/built, and political/economic environments that will promote active play and intake of healthy food to prevent young child obesity in the Pacific Region. To do this, CHL will engage the community, and focus on capacity building and sustainable environmental change. CHL will serve as a model for other regions with remote underserved Native populations at risk for obesity.

CHL Center of Excellence

The CHL Center of Excellence continues to build capacity in a partnership among 11 jurisdictions of the US Affiliated Pacific – to provide training, research and extension/outreach to maintain and extend the CHL network, examine long-term effects of the multilevel CHL intervention and provide access to best practices in policy, systems and environmental approaches for prevention of child obesity. 

 CHL Center aims to:

1) Increase the number of educators, practitioners, and researchers who receive the training and effectively model behviors necessary to address the complex problem of childhood obesity prevention through further development and enhancement of CHL training programs, including the CHL Summer Institute and Certificate Program in underserved Pacific populations.

2) Test the long-term impact (6 year) of the CHL integrated multilevel policy systems and environmentally focused community intervention on child behaviors, obesity and related functional outcomes in underserved Pacific populations.

3) Further build and maintain the CHL Center of Excellence to continue to monitor Pacific child obesity and related behaviors and environments and provide information for program and policy guidance to prevent child obesity.

CHL Food System

FOOD SYSTEM RESILIENCY FOR CHILDREN’S HEALTHY LIVING (CHL FOOD SYSTEM) is a five-year United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant to develop a CHL Food Systems model.

Our goal is to use systems dynamics research methods in an integrated approach to develop a CHL Food Systems Model and simulations to identify and test drivers of resiliency in food supply chains for decreasing food wastage and increasing food and nutrition security, healthful dietary patterns, and healthy body size among children, in order to prevent chronic disease in households and communities across the US Affiliated Pacific insular area (Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Am. Samoa) which will be used to guide education and extension programs.

Objectives are to 1. Develop and test a System Dynamics stakeholder-driven transdisciplinary multilevel food and nutrition security resiliency model. 2. Provide graduate training to future leaders from the US Affiliated Pacific Region in food and nutrition security model development. 3. Incorporate Model key results and tools into extension and other community programs with online access to simulation tools on the CHL website to guide multilevel systems change.

CHL Organization Chart

Program Steering Committee

The CHL Program Steering Committee was established in 2011 and is composed of distinguished members representing CHL regions. The PSC was entrusted with the responsibility of formulating and overseeing CHL scientific and administrative procedures, directives, and internal communication.

PSC Members

Tanisha Aflague, PhD
Co-Investigator, Associate Professor of Nutrition University of GuamCooperative Extension & Outreach

Degree sought: PhD in Nutrition
Hometown:  Guam

What drew your interest to the CHL training program?
CHL’s objectives were in line with my passion for children and health and the training program was an opportunity to maintain my commitment to lifelong learning.

What are your long-term goals?
Return to Guam and work in academia at the University of Guam to teach higher-level nutrition courses and develop a nutrition degree program or coordinated program in dietetics. I also aspire to conduct research on Guam that will support funding opportunities for programs that support childhood obesity prevention and treatment.

After completing your studies, how do you hope to impact your home community?
I hope to apply the findings of my research and develop a program or curriculum to implement in schools and summer camps to prevent and treat overweight and obesity.  I also aim to be an advocate for children in public policy development.

Describe one thing that you appreciate about your home community.
The Chamorro traditional values of infa’maolek (restore harmony): Respetu (Respect), Manginge (expression of respect), Mamahlao (shame/humility), Chenchule (present/gift), Che’lu (sibling), Påtgon (child).

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned thus far from the CHL program?
The CHL program has demonstrated the value of being worldly – to keep abreast of the actions and efforts of childhood obesity prevention in the state of Hawaii, within the country, and across the world, while maintaining a connection to our home jurisdictions.

What is a typical day for you like?
I make breakfast for myself and my son; call home; take my son to school; report to CHL; attend class; do homework; when I can, do physical activity; pick up my son; assist my son with his homework; make dinner; prepare him for bed; call home; do homework/read; sleep.

What are your hobbies / interests?
Running, going to the beach/swim, keeping my son entertained and active.

What’s your favorite food or dish to cook?
Chalikilis – chicken and rice porridge.

What is the healthiest dish you know how to cook?
Kadun mannok – chicken soup.

If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go and why?
Spain.  As I learn more of Guam’s history, I am more aware of the significantly large imprint that Spain has made on our people, food, customs, and traditions.  That said, I would love to see firsthand how similar our cultures really are.

Any words of wisdom for future CHL trainees?
Take pride in who you are, where you come from, and your family history. Embrace diversity with an open mind and warm heart – you will be surprised we’re really not at all that different from one another.  Look for opportunities to share your culture with others in your daily activities. Lastly, center your research or project on a passion of yours – if you don’t know what that is, your educational journey will help you find it.

Jean Butel, PhD
Assistant Specialist, Director, SNAP-Ed and EFNEP, CHL Hawaii Lead University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
Patricia Coleman, BS
Co-Investigator, Interim Dean Northern Marianas CollegeCooperative Research and Extension Education Services

Degree sought:  Masters in Public Health
Hometown:  Chalan Kiya, Saipan

What drew your interest to the CHL training program?
I was interested in the opportunity to obtain a degree while still being able to work for my community as well as the Pacific-focus that the CHL program offers.

After completing your studies, how do you hope to impact your home community?
I hope to be able to conduct more studies and interventions to improve the health of those within my community.

Describe one thing that you appreciate about your home community.
The good vibes!(which come from the people who call the CNMI home).

What is a typical day for you like?
Very busy!  My day usually starts at 6:00 a.m. (or earlier) depending on when my one year-old and two year-old wake up.  I work from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  I also coach youth soccer on certain days.  Then I usually do school work from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. on weekdays.

What are your hobbies / interests?
Soccer and food.

What’s your favorite food or dish to cook?
Hmm…not sure I have a favorite.  I just cook spontaneously when I feel “inspired” to do so.

What is the healthiest dish you know how to cook?
That’s tough to answer because I know how to cook many healthy dishes.  I’ll need to get back to you on that one.

If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go and why?
I would want to visit Italy because of all of the wonderful food that I could sample there!

Any words of wisdom for future CHL trainees?
Manage your time well: don’t procrastinate.  When the going gets tough, remember that you are doing this (going to school) for your community.

Jonathan Deenik, PhD, MS
Freely Associated States Lead Site Co-Investigator University of Hawaii at ManoaDepartment of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences
Travis Fleming, RDN
Collaborator, Community Nutritionist American Samoa Community CollegeAgriculture, Community and Natural Resources Division
Rachael Leon-Guerrero, PhD, MS, RD
Vice Provost for Research & Sponsored Programs / Professor of Nutrition University of GuamOffice of Research & Sponsored Programs
Rachel Novotny, PhD RDN LD
CHL Director, Principal Investigator, Professor University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
Leslie Shallcross, MS RDN
Co-Investigator, Professor of Extension University of Alaska FairbanksCES District Administration