Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and Hawaiʻi has above-average rates of the rare disease.
Sunlight exposure increases the risk for skin cancer, and new research is studying exactly how Hawaiʻi’s summer sun is impacting the state.
Researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine looked at hundreds of hospital visits for melanoma across the islands and uncovered several surprising trends: More men than women were hospitalized for the disease, and more cases were seen in Maui residents than expected.
HPR spoke with two of the scientists behind the research. Heather Zimmerman, a fourth-year medical student, and Krystal Cie, who is in her third year.
They theorized about some of the study’s observations, such as the disparity in melanoma rates across sexes.
“It's just been shown in multiple studies over the years, and it's likely related to more outdoor exposure,” Zimmerman explained.
“It's likely related to more outdoor exposure. You know, men are more prone to not wear a shirt when they're outdoors. For example, they could be working construction.”
Zimmerman and Xie explained why the research was important to them as members of their community.
“Certain populations here are having later stage diagnosis of skin cancers, and it was recently shown again in another study a couple years ago that they're prone to be diagnosed later with greater thickness spread, et cetera, and resulting in higher or increased mortality, morbidity,” Zimmerman said.
“So my question is, what is the cause of that? What's behind that, and how can we help?”
Xie told HPR, “One of the reasons why I decided to come back home and choose to be a part of the JABSOM community was really to advocate for my communities.”
There’s still plenty of time to enjoy the summer sun, so long as you protect yourself from its rays.
“Beyond sunscreen, there's other ways you can protect yourself. You can wear broad brim hats. You know, long sleeves; Those aren't continual investments; you buy them and you have them for quite a while,” Zimmerman said.
More information on the study about Hawaiʻi’s melanoma rates can be found here.
This story aired on The Conversation on July 31, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
