Dr. Jessie Kai is CHL’s Training, Extension and Outreach Coordinator and joined the Hawaii team in 2022. Dr. Kai assists CHL Food Systems co-investigators, Drs. Marie Fialkowski Revilla and Monica Esquivel, in managing and facilitating the Food Systems training program and outreach activities through curriculum development, coordinating and tracking progress of activities for graduate students and community partners.
As a recent graduate (2022) in the PhD in nutritional sciences program at UH Manoa, Dr. Kai continues to pursue her research interest in household environment and early childhood feeding practices, specifically among Pacific Island populations. As a Native Hawaiian from Hilo who splits her time with home and Oahu for work, she shares her culture, passion for food, and the environment that surrounds it.
“I love eating with people and sharing with them things Iʻve made or bought. For my MS, I was really interested in nutrients and what they do for us. For my PhD, I became very intersted in infant complementary feeding practices. I am blessed to have my perssonal “loves” be partnered with my professional interests.”
Outside of work, you can find Dr. Kai enjoying the ‘aina through gardening and earthing, by walking around barefoot in the grass. She has a love for animals, most especially Scottish highland cows and aspires to have a few bovine dogs of this kind in the future. A fun fact about Dr. Kai, she has never broken a bone or been stung by a bee!
Mahalo to Dr. Kai for being part of the CHL team!