Deborah Juarez MPA, ScD

Dr. Deborah Taira is a health economist. She has a B.A. in economics from Amherst College, a Master in Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a doctorate in health economics from the Harvard School of Public Health. She also has ten years of experience at the Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA, Blue Cross, and Blue Shield of Hawaii) as a research manager analyzing administrative data. Currently, she is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Her research focuses on understanding and reducing health disparities, particularly involving Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. Interests include medication adherence and social network analysis.