6th Annual AAPINA Conference
More than one hundred nurses, researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders convened on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu, which means the “gathering place,” for the 6th Annual Conference of the Asian American Pacific Islander Nurses Association , Inc. (AAPINA) Conference, March 19 – 22, 2009 at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.
“State of the Art and Science: Nursing Care of Asians and Pacific Islanders” was the conference theme; its program objectives sought to explore current evidence-based care of Asians and Pacific Islanders and identify strategies that incorporate cultural beliefs and behaviors into nursing education and practice.
M. Puakea Nogelmeir, PhD opened the conference with a chant followed by welcoming greetings from the AAPINA President, Jillian Inouye, PhD, APRN, who is also an MFP Alumna and Advisory Committee member, and Mary G. Boland, DrPH, FAAN, Dean, University of Hawaii School of Nursing & Dental Hygiene. The Opening keynote address was presented by Marjorie Kagawa-Singes, PhD, MA, MN, RN, professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Department of Asian American Studies. Her research focus has been in health disparities in cancer control among diverse ethnic populations.
Other conference highlights included presentations from Jenny Hsin-Chun Tsai, PhD, ARNP, PMH, CNS-BC on “A Theoretical Model for Determinants of Asian Immigrants Mental Health and Work Performance” and a podium presentation on “Leading in a Changing Environment” by Marilyn Chow, DNSc, RN, FAAN, Vice President, Patient Care Services at Kaiser Permanente, in Oakland, CA. Dr. Chow is also an MFP Alumna.
More than a dozen poster presentations were presented on topics ranging from “Culturally Appropriate Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing for Asian Americans” to “Public Health Nursing Interventions with Pacific Island Women.” Several exhibitors were on hand including the MFP Program Manager, Janet Jackson, who networked and disseminated approximately seventy-five packages of program literature and provided additional packages for dissemination at the University of Hawaii School of Nursing and the Kapi’olani Community College.
The AAPINA, founded in 1992, is a non-profit organization with a growing membership from a variety of ethnic backgrounds such as Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Hawaiians, Koreans, Taiwanese, Vietnamese and other Southeast Asians, East Indian, Samoans, and others of multicultural identities. The members are employed in academic institutions, major medical centers, and community based health centers serving a diverse range of patients and families. For more information, visit APPINA online at www.aapina.org.
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