Pacific Health Gathering 2024

The National Association of Pasifika Organizations will have our annual Pacific Health Gathering from Sunday, September 29 to Tuesday, October 1, 2024 in Anchorage, Alaska. The gathering gives our Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islanders an opportunity to connect, network and gain insights from diverse stakeholders, researchers, officials and community health workers from the United States Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI), continental United States, and Hawai’i.

Get to know our Keynote Speakers

Keynote Speaker and Bio:

Keynote Speaker: J. Keawe‘aimoku Kaholokula, PhD  | Professor and Chair of Native Hawaiian Health John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa

Dr. Keawe‘aimoku Kaholokula is a Professor and Chair of Native Hawaiian Health at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He is a clinical health psychologist and translational behavioral scientist with nearly 20 years of experience leading multiple federally funded, community-engaged research projects aimed at improving Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander health. He has effectively leveraged community and cultural assets to develop, test, and disseminate culturally responsive health promotion and disease prevention programs designed to achieve cardiometabolic health equity for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. He is the lead Principal Investigator for the Center of Pacific Innovations, Knowledge, and Opportunities (PIKO), an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Clinical and Translational Research Center, funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, with a mission to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous Pacific People and other medically underserved populations in Hawai‘i through community engagement. He has served on the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities and previously Chaired the Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (IRINAH), a network of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded investigators whose health research focuses on American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. He currently serves on the data disaggregation subcommittee of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and Co-Chairs the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Interest Group of the NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL). His research and advocacy have led to systemic improvements in healthcare delivery, clinical outcomes, and policy for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Keynote Speaker and Bio:

Keynote Speaker: Tupa’ilevaililigi Ridvan Firestone, PhD | Associate Professor, Senior Researcher, Centre for Public Health Research – Massey University of Wellington, New Zealand

Dr Firestone is a Senior Researcher at CPHR. Her research involves investigations on social-cultural and health inequalities specifically among young Pasifika people with non-communicable diseases in NZ. She also has a wider focus in co-developing community-based interventions with Pasifika and Māori communities to: (i) tailor interventions to ensure the community’s’ needs are met and; (ii) ensure the interventions are relevant, and adaptable for long-term uptake by people within their communities. In August 2020, Riz was appointed Chair of the Lottery Health Research Committee.
Outside of academic life, she has a passion for empowering others in healthier lifestyles through her pro-hobby group fitness career at one of NZ’s largest gyms, teaching Group Power and Ride classes, where she enjoys meeting and establishing new connections with people (retired, professionals, young/mature students). Finally, she has three very active children who also keep her busy with their sports and cultural activities.

Keynote Speaker and Bio:

Keynote Speaker: Taffy Maene-Johnson | CEO UTOPIA- Washington (UTOPIA-WA)

Taffy Maene-Johnson is an unapologetic champion for social justice, proudly identifying as a Fa’afafine and a Trans woman from Sāmoa. Her unwavering commitment to the queer and trans communities serves as an embodiment of strength and resilience. In her role as the visionary founder and Executive Director of the United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance – Washington (UTOPIA WA), Taffy has dedicated over a decade to the relentless pursuit of LGBTQIA+ rights, dismantling systemic barriers, and fostering an inclusive society. Her tireless efforts have not only established a vital sanctuary for countless Fa’afafine, Māhū, Leitī, Vakasalewalewa, and other Pacific Islander and allies, but also exemplify a steadfast commitment to a more equitable future in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.