Kekoa (Koa) Lopez-Paguyo, MPH

Research, Technical Assistance, and Training Manager | National Association of Pasifika Organizations

Kekoa Lopez-Paguyo, MPH, is a Native Hawaiian-Mexican-Filipino NHPI community health equity advocate from Kalihi on the island of O’ahu, Hawai’i and identifies as Māhū ('oia/they/she). They currently coordinate Pacific Islander community health workers (NHPI-CHWs) uplifting the Peau o le vasa: Analysis of the Efficacy and Feasibility of the PILI Lifestyle Program (PLP) + Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Intervention and Adaptation of SDOH Measures Pilot Study as a Research, Technical Assistance, and Training Manager. They previously served as Program Manager of Regional Pacific Islander Taskforce in the Bay Area, a Pacific Islander community health advocacy organization in the Bay Area. Before rejoining Taskforce in early 2023, they were one of six 2021-2022 inaugural APHA/KP community health fellowship program placed within KP's Office of Community Health to focus on grant-making strategies. Their community health advocacy interests are in: NHPI culturally-relevant public health interventions leveraging community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods to engage community co-equally in design and implementation; addressing Pacific Islander chronic disease disparities through self-management health education and empowerment; pregnancy-related intergenerational trauma, toxic stress HPA-axis dysregulation, screening and health system response to adverse childhood experience (ACEs); as well as data disaggregation for NHPI cancer screening health equity.