I am originally from Puerto Rico and I've been a resident of Hawaii for the past 35 years.
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Ph.D. Medical Sociology University of Hawai`i, Manoa, HI
Dissertation: Community Participation in HIV Prevention Planning: From Local Wisdom to Public Health Policy.
M.A. Sociology University of Hawai`i, Manoa, HI
Thesis: Building Bridges for HIV/AIDS Prevention: A Case Study of the Role of Participatory Action Research in Social Capital Development.
MPH University of Hawai`i, Manoa, HI
Thesis: The Dynamics of Discovery: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Adult Education
Bachelor of Science Nursing, University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK
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My professional experience in Hawaiʻi spans research and teaching in community health and higher education. I have collaborated with local community health organizations, the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa on projects related to community health planning, HIV/AIDS prevention in communities of color, early childhood education, and youth violence prevention.
In higher education, I have served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Hawaiʻi Tokai International College, and Hawaiʻi Pacific University. I am now a Professor in the Social Science Division, specializing in Sociology, at the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu.
Before moving to Hawaiʻi, I lived in Anchorage, Alaska, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing science from the University of Alaska and worked as a Clinical Nurse at Providence Alaska Medical Center. Additionally, I was the sole proprietor of Reminisce Inc. Antiques and Collectibles, operating in Anchorage from 1985 to 1990 and in Honolulu from 1990 to 1996.
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SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 321 Sociological Theory
SOC 324 Race & Ethnic Relations
SOC 334 Deviant Behavior
SOC 353 Survey of Sociology of Aging
SOC 354 Medical Sociology
SOC 355 Death, Dying and Bereavement
SOC 369 Men and Masculinities
SOC 459 Popular Culture
SOC 469 Sociology of Sexuality
SOC 479 Applied Sociology: CBPR in Health
SOC 498 Sociology of Fashion
SSCI 301 Research Methods
SSCI 486/490S Senior Project /Practicum
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Selected Publications
Hanson, M., Zougris, K., & Garcia-Santiago, O. (2023). Contextualizing drug use and pharmacological harm in the United States: a socio-historical overview. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 1–29.
Irwin, Katherine, Mossakowski, Krysia, Spencer, James H., Umemoto, Karen N., Hishinuma, Earl S., García-Santiago, Orlando, Nishimura, Stephanie T. & Choi-Misailidis, SooJean. (2017). Do different dimensions of ethnic identity reduce the risk of violence among Asian American and Pacific Islander adolescents in Hawai‘i? Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment Volume 27, Issue 3
García-Santiago, O. and Zougris, K. Converging Economies of a Diverging Union? A sub-systemic analysis of inequalities of the E.U member states. (2016). International Journal of Social Science Studies. Vol 4, (11).
Wegner, E., García-Santiago, O., Nishimura, S., Hishinuma, E., Mayeda, D. (2010). Educational Performance and Attitudes Towards School as Risk Factors for Violence. Psychology in the Schools; Volume 47, Issue 8, pages 789–802
Kim-Ju, G., Mark, G.Y., Cohen, R., García-Santiago, O., Nguyen, P. Community Mobilization and Its Application to Youth Violence Prevention. (2008). American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Mar. Supplement, Vol. 34 (3), pS5-S12.
Spencer, J.H., Irwin, K., Umemoto, K., García-Santiago, O., Nishimura, S.T., Hishinuma, E.S., Mayeda, D.T., and Choi-Misailidis, S. (2008). Exploring the Hypothesis of Ethnic Practice as Social Capital: Violence Among Asian/Pacific Islander Youth in Hawai’i. International Journal of Social Psychiatry.
Mayeda, D.T., Hishinuma, E.S., Nishimura, S.T., García-Santiago, O., Mark G.Y. (2006). Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence Prevention Center: Interpersonal Violence and Deviant Behaviors Among Youth in Hawai'i. The Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine; Vol. 39 (2), pp. 276.