Dr. Ryan Shontell
Ryan Shontell, PhD
Native Hawaiian
(He/Him/His)
Medical Student MS2
JABSOM
NHPI Data Equity, AYA Health, Heme Onc
Aloha! My name is Ryan Hiroshi Keli'i Shontell and I am a Native Hawaiian medical student from a tiny town called Kohala on Hawai'i island. I am an aspiring oncologist interested in studying the environmental factors that may contribute to chronic disease and cancer burden among our NHPI communities.
Hometown: Kohala, HI
Undergrad: BS, Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa (2018)
Graduate: PhD, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa (2023)
Med School: John A. Burns School of Medicine (2027)
Contact: ryan.h.shontell@gmail.com
Hobbies: Weightlifting, fingerstyle guitar, surfing, reading
Dr. Keliʻi Shontell was invited to meet with KHON News to discuss our team's recent papers published in JAMA and JAMA Network Open on the continued need to disaggregate and include NHPI health data in large national analyses. Hoʻomaikaʻi Dr. Shontell on the well-deserved spotlight and mahalo to uplifting the health of our lāhui!
Hoʻomaikaʻi Drs. Keliʻi Shontell and Nikki DeVille for this important JAMA paper emphasizing data inclusion and visibility for Pacific Islanders is critical for the present & future health of our communities, especially including our youth! Together we can make change!
The team published in JAMA Network Open a study titled "Racial Disparities in Cancer Stage at Diagnosis and Survival for Adolescents and Young Adults". We found that there are significant 10-year overall survival gaps among Indigenous Adolescent and Young Adults with the top 10 deadliest cancers in the United States. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders make up some of the largest deficits in long-term survival. The findings highlight significant work to be done specifically for the Indigenous Adolesecent and Young Adult population with cancer.
