HONOLULU, HI, June 01, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ruben Juarez, PhD, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Juarez has built a distinguished career at the intersection of economics, public health, disaster response and community-based research. His work is defined by a rare ability to translate rigorous economics and data science into practical systems that help vulnerable communities during moments of crisis. Through large-scale, multidisciplinary initiatives, he has advanced a model of research in which communities are not merely studied, but actively served through timely information, direct support and long-term infrastructure.

Since 2022, Dr. Juarez has served as the HMSA Distinguished Professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he has helped lead research addressing urgent health and social challenges across Hawaii. His work focuses particularly on populations that are often underrepresented in traditional data systems, including Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, immigrant communities, rural residents, the Hispanic community and families affected by the Maui wildfires. By integrating economics, public health, community engagement and real-time data systems, Dr. Juarez has helped demonstrate how academic research can produce both scholarly insight and immediate public benefit.

A central example of this approach is the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study, the largest research and community health initiative developed in response to the 2023 Maui wildfires. The study was designed not only to document the long-term health and social impacts of the disaster, but also to return meaningful information to participants and decision-makers. Through this work, Dr. Juarez and his collaborators have helped build a new framework for disaster research: one that combines health screening, social determinants of health, biomonitoring, community trust, data dashboards and long-term follow-up to better understand and respond to the needs of survivors.

Dr. Juarez began serving as chief executive officer of Hawaii Integrated Analytics in 2018. As a co-founder of the University of Hawaii startup, he has led efforts to help communities, public agencies and nonprofit organizations use data in ways that are actionable, ethical and responsive to local needs. Under his leadership, Hawaii Integrated Analytics has focused on ensuring that data are not only collected, but also returned to communities in forms that can inform services, policies and resource allocation.

From 2020 to 2025, Dr. Juarez served as co-director of the Pacific Alliance Against COVID-19, where he worked with researchers, physicians, community leaders, nonprofits and government partners to address urgent public health needs during the pandemic. This work strengthened his commitment to community-engaged science and helped inform his broader vision for health research that is rapid, trusted, culturally responsive and capable of reaching populations often missed by conventional systems.

Dr. Juarez's academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Universidad de Guanajuato, completed in 2004, and a Doctor of Philosophy in economics from Rice University in Houston, earned in 2008. Before becoming HMSA Distinguished Professor, he served as an associate professor, graduate chair and full professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he developed large-scale research initiatives with community engagement at their core.

Beyond academia, Dr. Juarez has been deeply involved in civic and community leadership. Since 2021, he has served as co-founder and treasurer of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. He is also an active volunteer and advocate within Hawaii's Latino community, reflecting his broader dedication to minority populations whose needs are often undercounted, underrepresented or overlooked in formal systems of research and policy.

Dr. Juarez's contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board Member of the Year Award. His work has received support from major institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Kaiser Permanente, the Hawaii Community Foundation, and the State of Hawaii.

Throughout his career, Dr. Juarez has pursued questions that cut across disciplinary boundaries. Rather than treating economics, health, disaster response and community engagement as separate fields, he has developed models that bring them together. This unconventional approach has allowed him to build projects that are scientifically rigorous while also directly useful to communities facing urgent social and health challenges.

Looking ahead, Dr. Juarez aims to expand the infrastructure needed to support communities affected by disasters, beginning in Maui and extending to other regions facing climate-related and public health emergencies. Through the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study and related initiatives, he is working to develop long-term monitoring systems, community-centered data platforms and intervention models that can be adapted nationally. His broader goal is to train future scholars and practitioners to move beyond research as observation and toward research as a vehicle for action, equity and resilience.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. The suite of Marquis® publications, including Who's Who in America® and Who's Who in the World®, remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the globe. Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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