John S.K. “Keoni” Kauwe III, PhD
President of Brigham Young University - Hawai'i and Professor of Biology at Brigham Young University
John S.K. Kauwe III currently serves as president of Brigham Young University–Hawaii with a joint appointment as a professor of Biology at Brigham Young University. He has a Ph.D. in evolution, ecology, and population biology from Washington University in St. Louis and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Alzheimer’s disease genetics at the Washington University School of Medicine.
Dr. Kauwe’s research has contributed in unique ways to our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease risk and resilience as well as the genetic basis for variation in fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. His research has included using a variety of novel study designs and approaches, and he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers including high profile publications in the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Nature Genetics, PNAS, and PLoS Genetics. He has also conducted research in HIV-related dementia, rheumatic heart disease, height, and other complex traits.
Dr. Kauwe’s research efforts are conducted with an intentional focus on inclusion of and outreach to populations that are underrepresented in biomedical science. He frequently speaks to communities and academic organizations that serve underrepresented populations, including engagements in Hawaii, Alaska and Samoa.
