A service dog who supported nursing students and faculty at the University of �鶹��ý at Hilo became an honorary member of the Class of 2026 at the school’s Spring Nursing Pinning Ceremony.

Liam, a service dog belonging to Assistant Professor Tracy Thornett, crossed the stage wearing a custom stole after spending the past two years attending lectures, labs and clinical rotations alongside students. The senior class voted to pin Liam during the ceremony in recognition of the comfort and support he brought to the cohort.

“He’s literally the best dog I’ve ever had,” said Thornett.

From reject to service dog

Born in Pāpaʻikou, Liam was unable to be registered with the American Kennel Club because of an overbite. Thornett originally planned for him to become a therapy dog, but those plans changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and a difficult period in her personal life as she cared for her mother during cancer treatment outside �鶹��ý.

“I just felt myself unraveling,” Thornett said. With support from her doctor, Liam became her official service dog.

A classroom companion with lasting impact

Liam helped Thornett continue teaching while also becoming a familiar presence for nursing students. She introduced him to her junior nursing class in fall 2024 and openly shared how his companionship supported her mental health and well-being.

Liam later became a staple in nursing labs and classrooms, where students said he helped demonstrate the compassion and human connection central to healthcare.

“He reminds me how to do that over and over again,” Thornett said.

During spring break, University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� nursing student Jolene Chun joined National Guard search and rescue efforts in high-risk flood zones in Waialua to help ensure the safety of residents and property during the state evacuation order in March. Chun, a state-activated �鶹��ý Air National Guard Staff Sergeant medic with the U.S. Air Force, is pursuing her advanced degree through the (GEPN) in the (SONDH).

“The most impactful moment during the search was witnessing the devastation of mass amounts of property and vehicles displaced due to the powerful impact of the flood,” Chun said.

Chun earned her bachelor of arts in with a concentration in disaster preparedness and management from UH West Oʻahu in 2021. Her decision to serve as a medic in the �鶹��ý Air National Guard was influenced in part by educational opportunities, including tuition assistance that supported her undergraduate degree.

Her training in the GEPN program built on her clinical experience as a medic, strengthening her ability to respond in high-pressure situations.

“The program helped me render aid with definitive treatments in mind, which made me more confident assisting in the field,” she said.

Even to make the smallest difference, I will answer the call.
—Jolene Chun

Balancing both roles, Chun said the skills complement each other and reinforce a shared focus on patient care, making her immediate decision to assist during spring break instinctive.

“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to assist in responding to people in the community. Even to make the smallest difference, I will answer the call,” she said.

A long-term commitment to service

Chun plans to graduate in 2028 and commission as a �鶹��ý Air National Guard nurse, eventually pursuing the to continue serving �鶹��ý communities. In addition to focusing on women’s wellness, she aims to help improve coordination across federal, state, city and private sectors to expand access to healthcare.

As the affected communities continue cleaning and rebuilding, Chun reflects on the ongoing efforts. “I am appreciative that the National Guard members are still out there working with the community to help the land and people pick up the pieces to hopefully normalize after the effects of the Kona Low system.”

SONDH Dean Clementina Ceria-Ulep added, “Jolene’s dedication as a nursing student and medic showcases the remarkable service and leadership our students bring to �鶹��ý communities.”

Fourteen dental hygiene students from the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� and UH Maui College received a combined $42,000 in scholarships from the �鶹��ý Dental Service (HDS) Foundation, supporting the next generation of oral health professionals across the state.

“The HDS Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that communities across the state have healthy smiles. For HDS, part of this commitment means funding scholarships and other programs to support our local workforce,” said Diane Paloma, HDS president and CEO and UH Board of Regents member. “We hope that after graduation, these students will work in �鶹��ý and serve the state that nurtured them.”

Seven UH Mānoa recipients were honored February 6 at the UH Mānoa Campus Center during a celebration attended by students and their ʻohana, university administrators, faculty and HDS executives. A separate event for the Maui scholarship recipients is also planned.

Each of the 14 students received $3,000 to support their education and clinical training.

The recipients are:

• UH ����ԴDz�—Caitlin Raquel Baclay, Ari Bang, Maria Cabasag, Carly Koki-Tupuola, Kimberly Magsipoc, Natalie Morimoto and Shareena Lei Pascual
• UH Maui College—Samantha Buechler, Emmie-Lynn Campos, Geila Guzman, Joanna Javier, Samantha Oliveira Gasmen Goodman, Sarah Singh and Kaitlyn Yamada

“These scholarships provide more than financial assistance — they provide encouragement,” said Kristine Osada, dental hygiene program administrator at UH Mānoa. “Our students balance rigorous coursework and clinical training, and this support allows them to stay focused on becoming skilled, compassionate oral health professionals for �鶹��ý.”

UH Mānoa’s , offered through its (SONDH), is the only bachelor’s-level dental hygiene degree in the state and prepares students for national and regional licensure examinations. offers an , a cohort-based program emphasizing prevention, education and clinical practice. Both programs are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

Related UH News story: High-quality, low-cost dental cleaning with training hygienists

Hands-on dental care for the community

The public can book appointments for student-led dental services at either campus clinic. There, students gain hands-on clinical experience under licensed faculty supervision. Learn more about the or the .

A Native Hawaiian nurse leader at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� (SONDH) has earned national recognition for her work advancing health equity. Donna-Marie Palakiko was named a 2025 Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing (ADLN).

“I am honored to be inducted into the 2025 Class of New Fellows for the American Academy of Nursing,” said Palakiko, associate professor and SONDH director of cultural innovation and strategy. “This recognition is shared with those who volunteered to be a part of my program of research, supported my learning & growth, and most of all, my ʻOhana. I am excited to continue the work to improve health among Indigenous communities.”

Fellowship in AAN recognizes individuals whose work has had a lasting impact on health and healthcare through research, policy, practice – and education. Palakiko was inducted in October 2025 during the academy’s annual Health Policy Conference in Washington, U.S.

As a Distinguished Fellow of ADLN, she joins a national network of leaders advancing justice, equity, diversity – and inclusion in nursing.

According to ADLN, “The 2025 Fellows represent a powerful collective dedicated to shaping the future of nursing and healthcare by ensuring all voices are heard and valued.”

Research and community impact

Related UH News story: Nursing innovator fellowship for UH ����ԴDz� assistant professor

Palakiko joined UH ����ԴDz� in 2019 as the first Native Hawaiian nurse to be hired and receive tenure with promotion at SONDH. Her research addresses asthma inequities among Native Hawaiians and focuses on building a culturally responsive health workforce. For more than 25 years, Palakiko has advanced health equity for Native Hawaiians and other underserved communities. Her work focuses on culturally safe health programs, strengthening the nursing workforce, and addressing social and cultural factors that influence health.

Earlier this year, Palakiko joined the American Public Health Association (APHA) leadership team and serves on the boards of the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Association (NCEMNA) and the Asian American Pacific Islander Nurses Association (AAPINA).

She earned her doctorate from the UH ����ԴDz�, her master’s of science from the University of California, San Francisco, and her bachelor’s of science from the University of San Francisco. She is a 2022 Fulbright Post-Doctoral Fellow, a 2023 Fellow of the LEADS program, and a recipient of the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders & Innovators.

The University of �鶹��ý’s three 4-year universities earned national recognition in the U.S. News and World Report 2026 Best Colleges rankings released on September 23, including four top 10 regional rankings for UH West Oʻahu.

, and were ranked among the top 4-year institutions by U.S. News and World Report out of based on up to 17 measures (depending on ranking category) of academic quality, including graduation and retention rates, peer assessments, financial resources and student excellence.

“These rankings reflect the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff and students across all three UH 4-year campuses,” UH President Wendy Hensel said. “They show that we are continuing to provide �鶹��ý students with a high-quality, affordable education while preparing them to lead in their communities and beyond.”

The flagship campus of the UH System ranked No. 92 as a top U.S. public university; No. 122 for best colleges for veterans; No. 169 overall in the country; and No. 189 in social mobility, which measures how well schools graduated students who were federal Pell Grant recipients.

The came in at No. 109 among the best undergraduate business programs out of 533 ranked undergraduate business programs.

The is the No. 118 best undergraduate nursing program among 686 ranked undergraduate nursing programs.

The in the ranked No. 139 for best undergraduate economics programs in the nation.

The placed No. 150 among the best undergraduate engineering programs that offer doctoral degrees in the country.

The in the ranked as the No. 177 best undergraduate computer science program out of 601 ranked programs.

The in the ranked No. 196 out of the top 682 best undergraduate psychology programs in the nation.

UH Hilo ranked No. 178 as a top U.S. public university, No. 204 for social mobility and No. 329 overall among the top 434 national universities—a classification based on offering a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs, emphasizing research, as explained in the rankings categories below.

UH �ᾱ����’s is the No. 186 best undergraduate nursing program in the country, the placed No. 254 among the 533 best undergraduate business programs, and the ranked No. 297 out of the best 682 undergraduate psychology programs.

UH West Oʻahu ranked No. 3 for best public colleges in the West, No. 3 for best colleges for veterans among regional colleges in the West, No. 8 overall among regional colleges in the West (two spots higher than last year and five spots higher than the year prior) and No. 8 for social mobility for regional colleges in the West (five spots higher than last year and 13 spots higher than the year prior).

Ranking categories

UH Mānoa and UH Hilo were ranked in the national universities category, which featured institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s and doctoral programs, and emphasize faculty research or award professional practice doctorates.

UH West Oʻahu is in the regional colleges in the West category, which includes schools that focus on undergraduate education and grant fewer than 50% of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines.

Two longtime University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� faculty members, Kathryn Braun and Cullen Hayashida, played key roles in the 20th anniversary conference of the (ACAP) held in Fukuoka, Japan, in March 2025. They joined a 10-member �鶹��ý delegation, including representatives from the �鶹��ý State Department of Health and local kūpuna-serving organizations.

The conference brought together experts from more than 40 countries to share knowledge on dementia-friendly communities, digital inclusion, migration and care work, and intergenerational relationships.

Braun, professor of public health at UH ����ԴDz� and current ACAP president, is the principal investigator of the federally-funded in the . She highlighted �鶹��ý’s rapidly aging population and the value of learning from other countries’ experiences.

“�鶹��ý is one of the most rapidly aging states in the nation, but not as fast as Japan and several other Asian countries,” said Braun. “These gatherings help us adapt successful models to meet �鶹��ý’s unique needs.”

Hayashida, graduate affiliate faculty in UH ����ԴDz�’s , and , is the founding director of the Kūpuna Education Center at Kapiʻolani Community College. He described ACAP as a vital network of researchers, educators, healthcare professionals, and advocates committed to active aging.

“Active retirees should pivot from just being youthful to becoming useful contributors,” he said.

ACAP welcomes members of all ages and backgrounds to participate in monthly webinars and international knowledge exchange. Membership is free. To join, email Kathryn Braun at kbraun@hawaii.edu.

The University of �鶹��ý’s three 4-year universities earned high marks in the rankings released on September 24, including three top 5 rankings for , a top 10 national ranking for and , and a top 20 national ranking for the UH ����ԴDz� Shidler College of Business’ international business program.

All of UH ����ԴDz�, UH Hilo and UH West Oʻahu ranked among the top 1,500 4-year institutions by U.S. News and World Report out of based on up to 17 measures (depending on ranking category) of academic quality, including graduation and retention rates, peer assessments, financial resources and student excellence.

“These rankings underscore our success in continuing to elevate our program quality and outcomes as we improve financial sustainability while containing costs and improving value to our students,” said UH President David Lassner. “As the state’s sole provider of public higher education, we take great pride in our mission to serve communities across the islands as we prepare the next generation of �鶹��ý’s leaders through our commitment to continuous improvement in student access and success for all.”

UH ����ԴDz�

UH ����ԴDz� tied for No. 7 among , a ranking that identifies colleges where students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from racial or ethnic groups different from their own. UH ����ԴDz�’s diversity index score was 0.75. The ethnic categories used in the calculations are non-Hispanic African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Asian, non-Hispanic white and multiracial (two or more races).

The flagship campus of the UH System also ranked No. 92 as a top U.S. public university; No. 171 overall in the country; No. 187 as a best value school; No. 218 in social mobility, which measures how well schools graduated students who were federal Pell Grant recipients; and No. 120 for best colleges for veterans.

The came in at No. 20 for international business programs and No. 127 among the best undergraduate business programs out of 532 ranked undergraduate business programs.

The is the No. 96 best undergraduate nursing program among 686 ranked undergraduate nursing programs.

The placed No. 139 among the best undergraduate engineering programs that offer doctoral degrees in the U.S., and the ranked as the No. 145 best undergraduate computer science program out of 584 ranked programs.

The ranked No. 161 for best undergraduate economics programs in the nation, and the placed No. 229 out of the nation’s top 681 undergraduate psychology programs. Both departments are housed in the .

UH Hilo

UH Hilo stands out in several key areas. It ranks among the in the country, earning a diversity index score of 0.76, just behind top schools like Stanford and Johns Hopkins (0.77).

In addition, UH Hilo ranked No. 111 for social mobility out of the top 433 national universities, a classification based on offering a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, emphasizing research, as explained in the rankings categories below. UH Hilo also placed No. 188 as a top U.S. public university and No. 352 overall among national universities.

UH �ᾱ����’s is the No. 182 best undergraduate nursing program in the country, the placed No. 281 among the 532 best undergraduate business programs, and the ranked No. 293 of the best 681 undergraduate psychology programs.

UH West Oʻahu

UH West Oʻahu placed No. 2 among , ranked No. 3 for best public colleges in the West, No. 4 for best colleges for veterans among regional colleges in the West, No. 6 for , No. 10 overall among regional colleges in the West (five spots higher than last year) and No. 13 for social mobility for regional colleges in the West (13 spots higher than last year).

Ranking categories

UH ����ԴDz� and UH Hilo were included in the national universities category, which featured institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s and doctoral programs, and emphasize faculty research or award professional practice doctorates. UH West Oʻahu is in the regional colleges in the West category, which includes schools that focus on undergraduate education and grant fewer than 50% of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines.

—By Marc Arakaki

The �鶹��ý Leadership Forum announced 16 local leaders who are joining the ninth cohort of its Omidyar Fellows program, and eight are alumni from the University of �鶹��ý. The program seeks to cultivate the conditions in which �鶹��ý thrives by equipping leaders with the skill and cross-sector relationships necessary to affect societal change.

These individuals were chosen through a rigorous application process, selected based on their accomplishments, innovative skills, ability to collaborate with other leaders, and motivation to make a positive change.

“We are excited to bring back this unique opportunity for emerging leaders to engage in impactful discussions, learn from one another, and help make Hawai‘i even better,” said AJ Halagao, president of �鶹��ý Leadership Forum and Shidler College of Business alumnus. “We strive to develop, engage, and inspire leaders to drive impact and catalyze positive change.”

The eight UH alumni who were selected as the ninth cohort of Omidayar Fellows:

• Katie Bennett (UH Mānoa ), Founder and Lead Mediator, Family Mediation �鶹��ý
• Amanda Corby Noguchi (UH Mānoa, ), President and Creative Director, Under My Umbrella, Inc.
• Stacy Ferreira (UH Mānoa), CEO, Office of Hawaiian Affairs
• Vicky Hanes (UH Hilo – ), COO, Legal Aid Society of �鶹��ý
• Shawn Kanaʻiaupuni (UH Mānoa – ), President and CEO, Partners in Development Foundation
• David Kopper (UH Mānoa), Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of �鶹��ý
• Kaulana Mossman (UH Mānoa), Community Planning Liaison Officer, Department of Defense Pacific Missile Range Facility
• Laura Reichhardt (UH Mānoa – ) Director, �鶹��ý State Center for Nursing

For the full list of the ninth cohort, see the website. The program has a history of selecting UH alumni and employees.

The University of �鶹��ý’s three 4-year universities were highly ranked in the U.S. News and World Report 2024 Best Colleges rankings released on September 18, including a pair of top 5 regional rankings for and a top 20 national ranking for the Shidler College of Business’ international business program.

UH ����ԴDz�, and UH West Oʻahu ranked among the top 1,500 four-year institutions by U.S. News out of nationwide and were graded on 13–19 measures (depending on ranking category) of academic quality, including graduation and retention rates, peer assessments, financial resources and student excellence.

“These rankings are one more affirmation of the stature of our three UH universities as public higher education institutions that all of �鶹��ý can proudly support,” UH President David Lassner said. “This recognition is a reflection of our outstanding faculty, staff and administrators and the remarkable student bodies we attract from �鶹��ý and beyond.”

UH ����ԴDz�

UH ����ԴDz�, the flagship campus of the UH System, ranked No. 91 as a top U.S. public university; No. 170 overall in the country; No. 114 in social mobility, which measures how well schools graduated students who were federal Pell Grant recipients; and No. 118 for best colleges for veterans.

The came in at No. 20 for international business programs and No. 118 among the best undergraduate business programs out of 523 ranked undergraduate business programs. The is the No. 86 best undergraduate nursing program among 656 ranked undergraduate nursing programs.

The placed No. 150 among the best undergraduate engineering programs in the U.S. The ranked as the No. 167 best undergraduate computer science program out of 554 ranked programs.

The ranked No. 181 for best undergraduate economics programs in the country and the placed No. 203 out of 542 of the top undergraduate psychology programs. Both are housed in the .

UH Hilo

UH Hilo ranked No. 93 for social mobility out of the top 434 universities, No. 188 as a top U.S. public university and No. 352 overall in the nation.

In addition, UH �ᾱ����’s is the No. 154 best undergraduate nursing program in the country. The placed No. 276 among the 523 best undergraduate business programs, and the ranked No. 316 of the best 542 undergraduate psychology programs.

UH West Oʻahu

UH West Oʻahu ranked No. 3 for best public colleges in the West, No. 4 for best colleges for veterans among regional colleges in the West, No. 15 overall among regional colleges in the West and No. 26 for social mobility for regional colleges in the West.

Ranking categories

UH ����ԴDz� and UH Hilo were included in the national universities category, which featured institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s and doctoral programs, and emphasize faculty research or award professional practice doctorates. UH West Oʻahu is in the regional colleges in the West category, which includes schools that focus on undergraduate education and grant fewer than 50% of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines.

The University of �鶹��ý is requesting proposals from qualified developers to redevelop 2.49 acres of UH-owned land next to . The goal of the project is to provide students with experiential learning opportunities through the development of an alternative revenue stream for UH other than through tuition and state funding.

The proposed project objectives includes a use that partners or collaborates with one or more UH programs listed in the “”:

The project must also fit in the context of the surrounding community, and the developer must have an on-property physical presence and manage the project after it is built.

The deadline for submissions is December 7, 2022, and the selection is scheduled to be announced January 31, 2023. The selected developer will be required to enter into a development agreement and long-term ground lease with UH. Ownership would revert back to UH when the ground lease expires. The agreement and lease must receive final approval from the UH Board of Regents before the project can begin.

The property is located at 550 Makapuʻu Avenue across from Kapiʻolani CC and Lēʻahi Hospital, on the same block as the recently redeveloped Diamond Head Theatre. There are no structures on the property, and a portion of it is currently being used as a temporary parking lot by the hospital.

The has selected University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� and UH Hilo alumna Kealohakuʻualohakuʻupokiʻi Balaz for its prestigious scholars program. Balaz is the first person from �鶹��ý to be selected for the program since its inception in 2018.

Balaz earned her doctor of nursing practice from UH �ᾱ����’s , executive master’s of business administration from UH ����ԴDz�’s and bachelor’s in nursing from UH ����ԴDz�’s . She also holds a master’s in nursing education from the University of Oklahoma.

The Wahiawā native and Leilehua High School graduate is currently the chief policy and compliance officer for Lunalilo Home, a facility that provides a variety of services for kūpuna, and a clinician (nurse practitioner) in the memory care clinic within geriatrics at Kōkua Kalihi Valley Health Center. Balaz previously served as the interim executive director of Lunalilo Home.

“UH has played an important role in my professional and individual growth. That’s really where it started,” Balaz said. “Being at UH, you really get to learn about yourself as an undergrad, as a grad student. I think going to UH really helped me enhance my passion or identify spaces where I want to connect.”

I think going to UH really helped me enhance my passion or identify spaces where I want to connect.
—Kealohakuʻualohakuʻupokiʻi Balaz

Balaz added, “What I love the most is that there was never a glass ceiling. All of these experiences, with UH being at the foundation, have helped me to create a career that I never saw coming or that I never thought would lead me to become a scholar in this program.”

Balaz also recalled taking courses at the UH ����ԴDz� on ����ʻ���� lapaʻau (using herbs to heal).

“That really helped me as a clinician and culturally as a Native Hawaiian to really bridge the gap between cultural practices in health care and Western medicine, and look at a lot of the similarities,” Balaz said.

Passion for �鶹��ý’s kūpuna

About a decade ago, Balaz returned home to care for her father who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This is what shifted her passion in healthcare to focus specifically on addressing issues involving �鶹��ý’s kūpuna, with a focus on Alzheimer’s and dementia. Balaz sought assistance from the �鶹��ý chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, became active in advocating for these issues and most recently served as the board chair.

Caring for her father and reflecting on the support she has received from her family growing up were some of the driving forces that inspired her to apply for the Obama Scholars program and continue the work she is doing for the community.

“When I found out, I started thinking about my parents and everything they have gone through to give me what I have, and my grandmother who was pivotal in my childhood. It all came together. When I was informed that I am the first scholar from �鶹��ý, that made me feel so honored to represent �鶹��ý,” Balaz said. “The fact that I am a woman and Native Hawaiian, it just really felt surreal. …It changed my life.”

Balaz is a member of the Native Hawaiian Health Advisory Board and the Policy Advisory Board for Elderly Affairs, holds numerous other board appointments and volunteers for various organizations, including Special Olympics �鶹��ý. She is a recipient of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Aloha Chapter Advocate of the Year Award, the Pacific Business News 40 Under 40 award and �鶹��ý Business Magazine 20 for the next 20 award.

Building new leadership skills

As part of the Obama Scholars program, Balaz will participate in a year-long robust curriculum for leadership by the Obama Foundation in conjunction with Columbia World Projects at Columbia University. Balaz said the program will help her to reflect on her work, refine her leadership approach and build her personal resilience as she creates action plans to bring home to her current roles in �鶹��ý. She will also receive mentorship, an executive coach and networking opportunities.

“I hope to take everything that I learn and hopefully be able to create something that can better our communities and our future,” Balaz said.

—By Marc Arakaki

Nearly 40 University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� programs have been recognized among the nation’s best, according to the , released on March 29. This is the highest number of UH ����ԴDz� grad programs on the list since at least 2013.

The 2023 edition evaluates graduate schools on a variety of factors, including research activity, expert assessment scores, doctoral degrees awarded, acceptance rates, placement success, standardized test scores and grade-point averages of incoming students.

“We are gratified that many of our graduate programs continue to receive national recognition for their excellence. �鶹��ý residents should take pride in knowing that one of the top universities in the world is located right here, educating future innovators, educators and leaders,” UH ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno said.

Note: not all programs are ranked every year. See these UH News stories on previous years’ rankings: 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Jump to program rankings:
John A. Burns School of Medicine  |  Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing  |  William S. Richardson School of Law  |  Shidler College of Business  |  College of Education  |  College of Engineering  |  College of Natural Sciences  |  Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health  |  College of Social Sciences  |  School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

John A. Burns School of Medicine

The state’s only medical school, (JABSOM), ranked No. 24 in primary care and No. 74 in research out of 124 of the best medical schools in the nation. This is the third time in six years that JABSOM made the top 25 for primary care (No. 19 in 2016 and No. 24 in 2021). JABSOM also placed No. 31 for percentage of 2013–15 graduates practicing in primary care specialties. .

Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing

’s doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program was ranked No. 85 among 158 schools considered in U.S. News’s Best Nursing Schools. UH ����ԴDz� Nursing is the only �鶹��ý DNP program ranked by U.S. News since 2018. UH ����ԴDz� Nursing also placed No. 80 out of 199 schools for best master’s nursing programs.

William S. Richardson School of Law

The was ranked in 15 categories by U.S. News. UH ����ԴDz�’s law school placed No. 91 out of 192 law schools considered in the full-time law category, and No. 21 out of 69 in the part-time law category for the school’s evening part-time law program.

Other rankings include:

• Environmental law: No. 26 out of 180
• Dispute resolution: No. 56 out of 109
• International law: No. 67 out of 185
• Legal writing: No. 74 out of 186
• Criminal law: No. 90 out of 187
• Constitutional law: No. 93 out of 187
• Tax law: No. 95 out of 186
• Contracts/commercial law: No. 97 out of 187
• Business/corporate law: No. 103 out of 187
• Health care law: No. 108 out of 184
• Clinical training: No. 132 out of 173
• Intellectual property law: No. 141 out of 187
• Trial advocacy: No. 174 out of 187

Read more on the .

Shidler College of Business

The ranked No. 89 out of 134 schools considered in the full-time master of business administration category. Shidler’s part-time master of business administration program (global MBA, 36-month plan) placed No. 114, up from No. 152 in the previous year, among 278 part-time MBA programs that qualified for this ranking. Shidler’s MBA programs are the only Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International accredited MBA programs in �鶹��ý and among the few MBA programs in the U.S. with a true Asia-Pacific focus.

College of Education

The (COE) ranked No. 67 of 274 schools considered, the 17th straight year the college has been listed as one of the nation’s top 100 education programs. Nationally accredited since 2000, COE continues to be recognized for its award-winning programs and people.

College of Engineering

Four graduate programs were ranked among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News. ranked No. 98; placed No. 99; is No. 122; and , a joint program in the College of Engineering and , ranked No. 135. The College of Engineering ranked in the No. 152–200 tier among top engineering schools in the U.S. that grant doctoral degrees.

College of Natural Sciences

Graduate programs in the were ranked by U.S. News, including (No. 95), (No. 100), (No. 132), (No. 135) and (No. 140).

Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health

The ’s ranked in the top 17% nationally of social work graduate programs, No. 51 out of 298. The department offers a (BSW) and (MSW), with specializations in child and family, behavioral mental health, gerontology, and health. The MSW and BSW degrees are offered through campus-based and , serving students on the neighbor islands of �鶹��ý and Guam. The department also offers a .

The (OPHS) ranked No. 89 out of 195 public health schools and programs in the U.S. accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. OPHS offers a ; a , with specializations in , , and , and a , as well as PhD program in , specializing in community-based and translational research and a PhD in . OPHS is also home to a recently launched online master of public health program to meet workforce demands.

College of Social Sciences

The in the ranked No. 88, up nine spots from the previous year, out of 270 graduate programs considered. The ranking puts the program in the top third of all master’s of public administration programs in the country. The master’s of public administration program is the state’s only Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration accredited program, offering an 18-month accelerated, two-year full-time and three-year part-time plan.

In addition, the ranked No. 120 in the nation and the is No. 122.

School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

The in the placed No. 46 out of 162 earth sciences doctoral programs considered. Students in the PhD program gain advanced knowledge, develop professional skills and learn cutting-edge methodologies through specialized coursework and by conducting research.

For a full list of rankings, visit the .

These rankings serve as examples of UH ����ԴDz�’s goal of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

—By Marc Arakaki

Ken and Donna Hayashida’s first meeting was straight out of a romantic comedy—in an elevator while moving into the Hale Aloha Lokelani student housing tower on move-in day at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�, with Donna’s father standing between them.

“Ken jumped in the elevator with Dad and me, he said ‘Hi, I’m Ken,’” Donna recalled. “My dad was not too happy because he wanted me to focus on studying.”

The two became fast friends, with Ken knocking at Donna’s door each night to invite her to join him at the student housing snack bar to talk about their days. They eventually went their own ways and, now, 41 years, two kids and one business after that first encounter, Ken and Donna Hayashida are making a substantial personal investment in their alma mater, with gifts totaling $250,000 to the and the , to ensure other students can get the same quality education they received and to invest in �鶹��ý’s future.

In addition to a $250,000 gift to the College of Engineering from KAI Hawaii Inc., the structural engineering company founded by Ken in 1995, the couple has committed a total of $500,000 to UH.

“We’ve been very blessed and fortunate in our lives and lots of it has to do with the University of �鶹��ý,” said Ken, a 1983 College of Engineering alumnus. “The University of �鶹��ý has provided a great education.”

While the couple had always planned to make a gift to UH as part of their estate planning, the COVID-19 pandemic put such planning in sharp relief and they decided to move up their timetable.

“The last few years have changed how we see life and the world as a couple,” Donna said. “The university needs our help now more than ever, so why wait? The time to give back is now. We’re thinking about the future of �鶹��ý. Our community is our ʻohana.”

Giving back to UH

The will support nursing students by helping to pay for costs associated with attendance such as tuition, books and fees. The at the College of Engineering will support student leadership activities, specifically the college’s Leadership Seminar Series and other events linking students with community leaders. A separate $250,000 gift from KAI Hawaii will endow a new related to sustainability and resilience.

“Ken and Donna’s gift is a special reminder of how nurses make a difference in so many lives every single day. Their endowment will ensure generations of nursing students receive needed scholarships to stay in school and focus on their studies,” said Clementina D. Ceria-Ulep, interim dean of the UH ����ԴDz� Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing. “We are forever grateful for their gift and for their dedication to educating our future nurses.”

“Ken and Donna have been longtime supporters of the university as a whole, but especially the College of Engineering and School of Nursing. Having alumni like the Hayashidas giving back to their alma mater the way they have is truly humbling to us because our success as a university really lies with our alums,” said Brennon Morioka, dean of the College of Engineering. “So our work is cut out for us to ensure we are continuing to uphold the quality of education we provide our students while also developing new and creative opportunities for them to succeed.”

Value of education

Both Ken’s and Donna’s grandparents and great grandparents immigrated to �鶹��ý to work on plantations. Both of their fathers were the first in their families to graduate from college and both graduated from UH—Kenʻs father, Kazu Hayashida, was an engineer who served as director of the State Department of Transportation, and Donna’s father, William Lau, was a pathology medical technologist at Kuakini Medical Center. Donna and two of her six sisters were in college at the same time so the two scholarships she received were essential to helping her graduate with her nursing degree.

“I’ve been eager to pay it forward ever since, which is why we decided to create a School of Nursing scholarship and an education development fund for the College of Engineering,” Donna said. “We’ve seen firsthand how nurses and engineers touch everyone’s lives, from birth to death, so we made a decision to support future generations of nurses and engineers through these two new endowments.”

Ken has also been passionate about supporting his alma mater, serving on the College of Engineering Dean’s Council and as president and director on the board of the UH Alumni Association.

“The University of �鶹��ý is key to providing us young people who are committed to change our community for the better,” Ken said. “And that’s going to require all of us to invest in our university so that we have young people that can lead and innovate and provide us a safe, sustainable and resilient community.”

For more on the Hayashida family, visit the .

This effort is an example of UH ����ԴDz�’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

The University of �鶹��ý is providing up to 1,000 volunteers, facilities and resources from Kauaʻi to �鶹��ý Island to support the implementation of the State of �鶹��ý COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. The state’s 10-campus public higher education system and the �鶹��ý Department of Health (DOH) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement that formalizes the significant contribution UH faculty, staff, and students will make in providing the COVID-19 vaccines to the people of �鶹��ý.

“The University of �鶹��ý is honored to be a part of this important effort, which builds on the longstanding and strong relationship we have had with the �鶹��ý Department of Health,” said UH President David Lassner. “We all need to work together to bring this devastating pandemic under control.”

“Our goal is to safely vaccinate the people of �鶹��ý as quickly and safely as possible,” said DOH Director Elizabeth Char. “This partnership will help us realize this goal. UH has long been an important partner in providing for the health and wellbeing of our community and our state.”

1,000 health professionals and students able to serve

UH and the DOH have identified university health professionals, along with their students, who may be able and qualified to assist with the State’s vaccination effort. These volunteers are needed to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of �鶹��ý residents over the months to come. At this time, only students enrolled in health care programs can volunteer, with initial assistance coming from the John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy and the nursing programs at UH ����ԴDz�, UH Hilo, UH Maui College, Kapiʻolani Community College, Kauaʻi CC and �鶹��ý CC. UH students and faculty from these health programs will serve as vaccine preparers, vaccinators, monitors for immediate side effects, or in other support roles. Several UH faculty have played leadership roles within the State’s response and are assisting in the development of the state vaccination plan.

“The work of the student volunteers will not only contribute to the stateʻs effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, it will also provide valuable and unique pandemic response and public health training and education,” said Kristine Qureshi, associate dean for research and global health at the UH ����ԴDz� School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene.

UH faculty have already been volunteering since March 2020 to assist the State’s COVID-19 response. Many UH faculty and staff who are licensed healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses and pharmacists, have been frontline health care providers. Other UH faculty have been sharing research, public health, policy, and clinical expertise.

UH campuses also providing equipment, resources and facilities

Upon request by the State or Counties, the university will help provide facilities or equipment to supplement vaccination activities that are being coordinated among numerous agencies including the hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Some UH campuses will serve as closed Point of Distribution (POD) sites where vaccines will be given to persons identified by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and State in priority order for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Operational plans are being developed and refined as the State receives notification about weekly vaccine shipments.

Vaccines for UH employees, vaccine education initiatives

UH volunteers may also have the option to be vaccinated at the POD sites. Many UH direct health care providers have already started to receive the vaccine at their affiliated hospitals. Other members of the UH community will fall into priority populations and may have opportunities to be vaccinated as early as February.

At the request of DOH, the UH ����ԴDz� School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene is developing and conducting training for those involved in �鶹��ý’s vaccination program. UH programs in the health professions will also be providing educational sessions for other university units, the state’s nursing and pharmacy communities and the general public.

“Playing a major part in the state’s vaccination efforts is just the latest example of UH assisting in this time of crisis,” said Lassner. “I am proud of our UH vaccination team co-leads, Dr. Lee Buenconsejo-Lum and Dr. Kristine Qureshi from UH Manoa, as well as Dr. Carolyn Ma from UH Hilo. Members of our UH community have done everything from working alongside government officials on the COVID-19 frontlines, to researching every aspect of the pandemic and our response to engaging in community service across the state to help those in need. This holiday season provides a lasting reminder of how strong we can be when we come together to care for one another.”

Students in the ’s College of Education (COE) and (KRS) recently teamed up with students from in a simulated interprofessional educational (IPE) experience to collaborate on a student-athlete’s “return to learn” plan.

The goal of this Sports Concussion Injury Management IPE experience was to provide students with an opportunity to work together, learn each other’s roles and responsibilities, and collaborate to achieve a common goal. The activity focused on students from each program working together on a concussion case study in order to gain experience with the core principles of IPE using Response to Intervention.

“Communication and collaboration amongst different professions is essential for our students, patients and community member’s health, well-being and education needs,” according to the �鶹��ý IPE planning team, which includes COE faculty members Stephanie Furuta, Kaori Tamura, Bret Freemyer, Troy Furutani, Yukiya Oba, as well as UH ����ԴDz� Nursing’s Lorrie Wong, Sarah Pirani, Kal Peterman and Kimm Teruya.

Athletic training, nursing and (MEdT) students worked together to devise a plan for a student-athlete with a head concussion. The plan entailed considerations of returning to the school environment, as well as athletics with a focus on the medical condition. The students applied their collaborative skills and their discipline-specific knowledge in a simulated telehealth setting with a live actor from the UH ����ԴDz� via the UH HealthCAST program housed within the (THSSC).

“IPE is a hot topic within the healthcare profession, and Lorrie Wong really is the pioneer within the state of �鶹��ý for not only IPE, but also simulation education which provides real-life clinical experience,” said Tamura, director of the KRS Professional Athletic Training Program. “We are so grateful that she kindly responded to our request to collaborate and led the team to develop our first IPE event.”

Faculty members from MEdT, KRS and Nursing planned the collaborative simulation activity with the following core IPE goals in mind: the values and ethics for IPE, roles and responsibilities of each profession, interprofessional communication and teamwork.

“Interprofessional team collaboration is essential to providing safe quality care for the people of �鶹��ý,” said Wong, an associate professor and director of THSSC. “This IPE simulation session expanded interprofessional education to include professions outside of the traditional groups of health professionals. This opens a new arena for our UH students to learn to work in teams with the goal to improve health outcomes for our patients.”

The number of nurses at public schools will increase by almost 70 percent under a partnership between the and the �鶹��ý State Department of Education (HIDOE). The (HK) program is expanding to provide additional nurses to serve as COVID-19 health resources and school health providers in public schools statewide. The HK program will add 15 new registered nurses (RNs) and one advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to the current team of 23 nurses, for a total of 38 nurses to be available to work with HIDOE in collaboration with the �鶹��ý Department of Health.

HIDOE is using Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to address the impact of COVID-19 on students and learning in public schools. Recruitment is underway, and HK anticipates the nurses will be onboard by mid-September.

Health hotline and telehealth visits

�鶹��ý Keiki will also continue to provide no-cost health hotline and telehealth APRN visits as an extension of services provided to students in the school health room. Over the past year, a $25,000 contribution from the Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) gave students continued access to the health hotline and telehealth services during the summer. At the start of the new academic year, HMSA contributed an additional $150,000 for new technology that will allow the telehealth program to provide virtual medical examinations. The upgrade gives HK providers the ability to reach more students across the state, while focusing on both their physical and mental health care needs.

Students and families can call (844) 436-3888 (toll free) to speak to an RN or APRN about health-related concerns, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding holidays. If a student needs a visit with a health provider or does not have a care provider, a telehealth appointment with a HK APRN can be scheduled.

UH ����ԴDz� Nursing and HIDOE are committed to maintaining academic progression for all students in the time of COVID-19. As the number of COVID-19 cases in �鶹��ý rises, the addition of RNs as a trusted health resource will benefit students, faculty and staff. RNs will provide safety protocol training, advice for COVID-19 exposed and COVID-19 positive families, rapid response to clusters or reported cases, and support for student and teacher coping and resilience behaviors.

The additional health resources at the schools will allow administrators and teachers to focus on education, while HK RNs and APRNs will focus on health concerns related to infection, transmission and state public health regulations. The HK nurses are available to teachers, principals and parents through a telephone hotline. In addition, the APRNs are providing telehealth services for families as needed.

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Track 2 of the University of �鶹��ý-Department of Health (UH-DOH) COVID-19 Contact Tracing Training Program started this Monday, June 15. The first cohort for Track 2: Community Contact Tracer Training consists of 31 individuals participating in the six-week intensive program, co-led by UH West Oʻahu Associate Professor of Health Science Ricardo Custodio and Assistant Professor Camonia Graham-Tutt.

“This is an innovative and unprecedented training opportunity and our overall goal is to train participants to be competent, effective and caring community contact tracers who are empathetic communicators,” said Custodio.

“The expectation is that when called upon, they will serve their communities, especially if they are from a Neighbor Island or underserved Native Hawaiian, Filipino or Pacific Islander community.”

• Read more UH News stories about the UH-DOH Contact Tracing Training Program

Track 2 participants require an undergraduate degree and can also earn college credits.

The two courses that are part of the Track 2 curriculum integrate the national contact tracing plan from Johns Hopkins University with emphasis on training that is community- and team-based, focused on underserved populations.

“Students enrolled in the Track 2, Cohort 1 group come from extremely diverse backgrounds,” said Graham-Tutt. “They all want to be of service to the community as a solution.”

The cohort includes retired professionals from health-related fields, those interested in public health with no previous background, graduate students, small business owners, as well as individuals who have been furloughed due to the pandemic.

Over the next year, the Track 2 program will have seven cohorts of students, ultimately training a workforce of 250.

Training for Clinical Healthcare Professionals

The overall UH-DOH program launched June 8 with Track 1: Contact Tracing Training for Clinical Healthcare Professionals, administered by UH ����ԴDz�’s School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene.

More than 100 health professionals with clinical backgrounds in nursing, medicine, social work and pharmacy will have completed the program by Saturday, June 20. These individuals are prepared to be called into service should DOH need to activate them.

The highly interactive, one-and-a-half day program includes a series of short lectures, group activities, simulation with live actors and ongoing knowledge check in sessions. Applications for participation in the program far exceeded the number of available seats.

Track 1 program lead Kristine Qureshi said, “The success of this program has been made possible due to the close partnership, support and collaboration with staff of the �鶹��ý Dept. of Health Disease Outbreak Control Division; the vision and support of UH senior leadership; and the program support team and faculty. All groups have come together to support the health of our community.”

Augmented training for Community Health Workers

The third part of the UH-DOH partnership is augmented Community Health Worker (CHW) training, which begins in fall 2020. CHWs reach and support high-risk communities and work closely with contact tracers to manage disease outbreaks in those communities. The program aims to train 100 individuals to become CHWs over the next year. It is a 16-credit �鶹��ýcertificate program for candidates who have earned a high school diploma or GED. The CHW program is being spearheaded by Kapiʻolani Community College in partnership with the UH System’s other community colleges.

The UH-DOH COVID-19 Contact Tracing Training Program is part of the state’s response to the pandemic. If there is a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in �鶹��ý beyond the contact tracing capacity of the DOH, those who complete the program may be called to serve as contact tracers for the state. Completing this training program does not guarantee employment. However, an expectation of the program is that all completers will join the DOH’s (volunteer pool).

Interested candidates for Track 2 or CHW training can get more information and or email oshi@hawaii.edu specific questions. Neighbor island residents are especially encouraged to sign up.

The (UROP) at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� provides more than $400,000 annually to support faculty-mentored undergraduate student projects and presentations. This included $250,000 distributed in spring 2020.

However, because the applications were submitted prior to COVID-19 restrictions and funding decisions were made after these restrictions were put in place, all projects were asked to write contingency plans outlining their ability to move forward and what changes would need to happen to proceed safely to meet the new reality of research during a pandemic.

“UROP fully anticipated that many projects selected for funding would not be able move forward with pandemic-related restrictions on everything from travel to the ability to be in enclosed laboratory environments or in contact with the community,” UROP Director Creighton Litton said. “To our surprise and delight, not a single student or faculty member elected to return their funding, but rather they all developed contingency plans in line with state and university policies that allowed them to carry forward despite substantial challenges.”

Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds

members spent months preparing to take their performance to Washington state. However, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, their trip was canceled.

“Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds is meant to entertain, educate and inform about the importance of protecting endemic species and the importance of communicating sustainable efforts to protect and conserve the endangered animals,” UH Wind Ensemble member and music major Johnathan De Soto, Jr. said.

It was the main event for De Soto, Jr. and 11 other students, under the mentorship of Associate Professor Jeffrey Boeckman, who had turned the Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds into a spring 2020 UROP project by leading the project and providing an educational curriculum to audiences ahead of their performances. The UH Wind Ensemble already performed on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, and due to social media, the group was able to showcase the piece and its education, science and art components online to potential concert attendees in Washington state.

“I was lucky enough to interview all of the major collaborators in the original project and have gained valuable insight into Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds,” De Soto, Jr. said. “We found a correlation in the distinct environments in �鶹��ý and the Pacific Northwest that made it easier to translate our findings to our target audience so that they could understand the relevance between the two states on endemic animals.”

Restructuring a theatre and dance project

COVID-19 travel restrictions forced a student to make drastic research project changes. Marley Aiu was set for an internship at Hollins University in Virginia. Instead, Aiu will conduct a majority of the research online, which begins in June. Aiu’s project, under the guidance of Assistant Professor Peiling Kao, investigates how queerness and contemporary dance coexist, relate and influence one another. Aiu planned to conduct interviews with professional choreographers by asking questions they would “answer” by dancing. While Aiu has adjusted to virtual interviewing, it comes with its challenges.

“Like many people are experiencing in this strange time, the choreographer and I lose the in-person, three-dimensional exchange of energy when dancing is seen from a laptop screen,” Aiu said. “That said, I see this as a unique challenge to use technology to help me understand what the body offers and how, potentially, cyberspace allows us to see even more layers in the complex, multidimensional, queer, dancing body.”

Environmentally sustainable practices

students Meghan Dorosy and Noelani Kawakami’s project, mentored by Professor Alice Tse, is to study the public’s behavioral intentions on the implementation of environmentally sustainable practices. Originally designed as an in-person survey, due to COVID-19, Dorosy and Kawakami will distribute the survey online via snowball sampling to approximately 200 Oʻahu residents over the age of 18.

Along with providing insights into environmental sustainability behaviors, results are expected to identify barriers that prevent people from implementing environmentally sustainable practices.

“As nursing students, we hope that the findings of our study will help nurses develop individual-level approaches tailored towards selected demographic groups that can be used to implement community-responsive educational programs to promote environmentally sustainable practices, thus, improving quality of life for Oʻahu residents,” Dorosy and Kawakami said.

Studying Chinese history

Shana Brown, associate professor and chair, is working on a summer 2020 project with Justin Yee, a UH ����ԴDz� undergraduate student, to mark the centennial of Chinese studies at UH ����ԴDz�. “The Establishment of Chinese Studies at UH ����ԴDz�, 1920–1970” involved conducting in-person research at , the State of �鶹��ý archives and several other locations.

However, since many facilities closed due to COVID-19, Brown has shifted to finding materials through digitized sources. Many resources are offered at no cost to UH ����ԴDz� faculty, staff and students through Hamilton Library’s database subscriptions. Despite some online resources having mistakes in digitalization or the loss of fidelity in images, Brown welcomes them.

“The biggest lesson is one I keep re-learning: how important our library is for humanities research,” Brown said. “Digitization of historical materials has been ongoing for several decades. When travel or in-person contact is limited, the ability to access materials online is very precious.”

Safe neighborhoods in Spain

Despite current COVID-19 travel restrictions, Katrina Shuping still hopes to be able to travel to Europe later this summer to complete her UROP project. However, the major is ready to create a multimedia study of safe neighborhoods in Seville, Spain whether she is able to travel or not.

Under the mentorship of Assistant Professor Jennifer Darrah, Shuping plans to conduct research in the planning and sociology fields in the future. Shuping created her current interdisciplinary studies plan which allows her to complete classes related to sustainable urban development across different departments. Shuping said the entire COVID-19 pandemic has tested her ability to be flexible.

“My dad always says put yourself in the position to be lucky and fortune favors the prepared, and I have taken this advice by trying to be more flexible and adaptable so that if I am lucky enough to be able to do something this summer I am ready and prepared to do it,” Shuping said.

—By Marc Arakaki

The University of �鶹��ý at Hilo (SON) scrambled to move its 16th annual Transcultural Nursing Symposium to a virtual format in March in the midst of the pandemic. The event showcased the foundational framework SON instills in its students to have a broad understanding of the various cultures in healthcare environments.

According to SON, communication barriers that encompass everything from language to religious practices can lead to decreased care quality and even patient harm.

“It is crucial to train students in transcultural nursing so that they may provide culturally competent care,” said SON Professor Katharyn Daub. “Understanding many different cultures increases the nurses’ awareness of caring for others of diverse cultures.”

During the symposium, students were shown short video skits highlighting strategies nurses utilize when they encounter a number of barriers. One of the skits featured steps a nurse took to find a way to communicate with a patient that spoke primarily in Japanese.

SON students were also shown videos about and . The skits were put together by senior nursing students Gregory Zukeran and Shantel Bolosan and featured student actors from the .

Following the symposium, SON students completed evaluation questions and 84 percent indicated feeling better prepared to serve diverse populations and implement culturally congruent communication.

—By Moanikeʻala Nabarro

The recently reaccredited the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program through 2029, the maximum 10-year term following a rigorous process that included a self-study, site visit and a review of the DNP nursing curriculum.

“The UH Hilo is dedicated to our community and committed to providing high-quality education to prepare advanced practice nurses equipped with the skills to ensure the delivery of safe, quality nursing care in �鶹��ý,” said School of Nursing Director Joan Thompson Pagan. “We are very excited to share this news and look forward to continuing to help meet the health care needs of our community.”

The UH Hilo DNP program currently has 28 students, and has graduated 39 students since 2015.

“This achievement brings our School of Nursing closer to realizing its mission of elevating healthcare throughout �鶹��ý and the world,” noted Interim Dean Jim Beets, .

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education is officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency, contributing to the improvement of the public’s health.