OCTOBER 1, 2026
DAY 1
Location: HALE AKOAKOA
Breakfast
8:30-9AM
Enjoy a locally sourced breakfast prepared by KTer4U
Opening Protocol, Welcome, & Opening Remarks
9-9:30AM
Short description
Keynote Speaker #1: Puni Jackson
9:30-10:15am
This keynote explores pule and ʻoihana as an ancestral ʻāina accountability system, where each person’s purpose and kuleana were woven into a balanced and interconnected system of food, health, and community wellbeing. Beginning with pule that called babies forth from Pō and named their ʻoihana, ancestral understandings can teach us today about restoring relationships among ʻāina, food, and healing.
Mai Ka Pō
Keynote Speaker #2: Kaina Makua
10:15-11am
PRESENTATION TITLE TBD
Short description
Keynote Speaker #3: Steven Chen
11:10-11:55am
PRESENTATION TITLE TBD
Short description
Lunch
Noon-1PM
Enjoy a locally sourced lunch prepared by Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe
Breakout Sessions #1
1-2PM
Location: HALE AKOAKOA
Community-Based Workforce Development: Opportunities in Food is Medicine Interventions
Cherese Kwan, Alicia Higa, Monica Esquivel, Chassidy Watson
Dr. Esquivel alongside Alicia Higa, Chassidy Watson (Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and Elepaio Social Services) and Dr. Cherese Kwan (UH Mānoa) will share their professional growth pathways, facilitated through Produce Prescriptions and other Food is Medicine interventions. The presentation will highlight potential opportunities and challenges to workforce development through Food is Medicine initiatives in Hawai’i’s communities. Attendees will hear key insights on how to support successful workforce development to support Food is Medicine efforts.
Breakout Sessions #2
2:10-3:10PM
Location: HALE AKOAKOA
Location: HALE AKOAKOA
3:15-4PM
Closing Panel & Remarks
Short description
Pīlina Pūpū Pau Hana
4-6PM
Location: GREAT LAWN
Description
OCTOBER 2, 2026
DAY 2
Location: HALE AKOAKOA
Breakfast
8:30-9AM
Enjoy a locally sourced breakfast prepared by KTer4U
Opening Protocol, Welcome, & Opening Remarks
9-9:30AM
Short description
Keynote Speaker #1: Keawe‘aimoku Kaholokula
9:30-10:15am
The Relational Prescription: ʻĀina, Pilina, and Mauli Ola
True health promotion begins when we recognize ‘Āina not merely as a physical resource, but as all things “that nourish us” physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually; that is, connecting with ‘Āina as an ancestral relative, source of cultural strength, and a vital force of connection (pilina) to ourselves and others. This keynote explores how community-driven interventions grounded in ‘Āina (i.e., those things that holistically nourish us) can transform nutrition-related chronic disease prevention. By restoring our reciprocal bond with those people, places, and practices that feed and connect us, we unlock a powerful, culturally rooted framework for realizing Mauli Ola.
Keynote Speaker #2: Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan
10:25-11:10am
Implications of the US Dietary Guidelines on Food is Medicine Programs with Indigenous People
Dr. Jernigan will share her experience as a member of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee in addition to her work focused on improving Indigenous food systems through policy and environmental interventions. The presentation will highlight potential opportunities and challenges that the current dietary guidelines have on Food is Medicine initiatives on Turtle Island. Attendees will hear key insights on the restoration of Indigenous peoples’ foods and food practices to promote healthy diets and reduce chronic diseases.
Lunch
Noon-1PM
Enjoy a locally sourced lunch prepared by Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe
BREAKOUT SESSIONS #1
1-2PM
Multiple Locations
Community-Based Workforce Development: Opportunities in Food is Medicine Interventions
Location: Name of Room
Cherese Kwan, Alicia Higa, Monica Esquivel, Chassidy Watson
Dr. Esquivel alongside Alicia Higa, Chassidy Watson (Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and Elepaio Social Services) and Dr. Cherese Kwan (UH Mānoa) will share their professional growth pathways, facilitated through Produce Prescriptions and other Food is Medicine interventions. The presentation will highlight potential opportunities and challenges to workforce development through Food is Medicine initiatives in Hawai’i’s communities. Attendees will hear key insights on how to support successful workforce development to support Food is Medicine efforts.
2:10-3:10PM
BREAKOUT SESSIONS #2
Multiple Locations
3:30-4PM