OCTOBER 1, 2026
DAY 1
Location: HALE ʻĀKOAKOA
Breakfast
8-9am
Enjoy a locally sourced breakfast prepared by KTER4U
Get aligned for the day with opening protocol and welcoming remarks from Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance Executive Director Kaʻiulani Odom.
Opening Protocol & Remarks
9-9:30am
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
He aha Ka Iʻa A Kakou
Health is finding your place. Everybody search for a place, their own place where they fit in.
Keynote Speaker #3: Steven Chen
11:10-11:55am
Recipe4Health: A Food as Medicine Health Multiplier
Steven Chen, MD is the Chief Medical Officer of Alameda County’s Recipe4Health, a nationally recognized “Food as Medicine” program embedded in Federally Qualified Health Centers that prescribes regenerative and/or organic produce paired with health coaching to treat, prevent, and reverse chronic conditions and food/nutrition insecurity. By intentionally sourcing food from local regenerative/organic farms, Recipe4Health creates a health multiplier effect that generates co-benefits to human health, economic health, ecological (soil, water, climate) health, and health equity. While leading the scale and spread of R4H, Dr. Chen and his team successfully implemented one of California’s first Medically Supportive Food and Nutrition services as a covered Medi-Cal (Medicaid) service.
Lunch
Noon-1pm
Enjoy a locally sourced lunch prepared by KTER4U
Breakout Sessions #1
1-2pm
Multiple Locations
Medicaid Nutrition Supports in Hawaii
Location: Hale ʻĀkoakoa
Marvin Malohi (Hawaii Med-QUEST Division, Department of Human Services)
This presentation provides an overview of Hawaii’s Medicaid Nutrition Supports program under the Section 1115 Demonstration, including the benefits, implementation timeline, program guidance, and proposed rates.
Cultural Cooking Demonstration
Location: Atrium
Chef Chris Fujimoto (ʻElepaio Social Services)
‘Ulu season is here, let’s get cooking! Learn about it, its background, tips and tricks to cooking with it, varietals, etc! Come hungry leave happy!
Community-Based Workforce Development: Opportunities in Food is Medicine Interventions
Location: Room 113
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 Hawaiʻi’s communities. Attendees will hear key insights on how to support successful workforce development to support Food is Medicine efforts.
Cherese Kwan & Monica Esquivel (UH Mānoa), Alicia Higa & Chassidy Watson (Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and ʻElepaio Social Services)
Talking Circle: ʻĀina Accountability
Location: Tent 1
Puni Jackson (Hoʻoulu ʻĀina) & Kaina Makua (Kumano I Ke Ala)
Participate in a discussion on the importance of ʻāina in Food as Medicine and how to incorporate into your own programming.
Growing Justice: Building Pilina Through Centering Island & Community Leadership for Food is Medicine
Location: Tent 2
Christen Oliveira Reppun and Jordan Smith (Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance), Mahealani Carbonell (Maui Food Bank), Dr. Stacy Haumea (Hawai’i Island Community Health Care Clinic) , Sierra Stone (SBH Taro Farms), Jane Adams (Farm Link Hawaiʻi)
Join a talking circle with Food Is Medicine implementers to share how local knowledge, relationships, and community trust are shaping their work, learnings, and needs.
Breakout Sessions #2
2:10-3:10pm
Multiple Locations
Mālama Honua PCS 'Ai Pono Programs
Location: Hale ʻĀkoakoa
Kumu and students from Malama Honua PCS will share about our school programs that center 'ai pono practices. Kumu will share how these concepts are integrated into our school's daily practice and curriculum. Students will share their experiences and learning.
Jaz Cockett and students Zoey Bozina, Zoë Rietfors, Nora Jay Smith (Mālama Honua PCS)
Nicole Mahealani Lum (Ke Ola Mamo), Landon Opunui (Nā Puʻuwai Native Hawaiian Health Care System), Sharon Dela Pena (Hōʻola Lāhui Hawaiʻi)
ʻAi Pono in Practice: Lessons from the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems
Location: Atrium
Panelists will share ʻai pono and Food Is Medicine initiatives, impact, and future plans across the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems.
Investing in Food is Medicine: Funding, Sustainability, and Scale
Location: Room 113
Lisa Kimura (Kaiser Permanente), Funke Ajenikoko (The Rockefeller Foundation), Ian Simoy (Weinberg Foundation)
Explore how FIM is funded, sustained, and scaled economically while discussing current investments and future plans to advance FIM.
Talking Circle: Medicaid Nutrition Supports in Hawaii
Location: Tent 1
Marvin Malohi (Hawaii Med-QUEST Division, Department of Human Services)
Continue the conversation around nutrition supports and Medicaid in Hawai‘i.
Talking Circle: Moʻolelo, Evaluation & Data
Location: Tent 2
Megan Inada, Kuʻulei Freed, and Keliʻiolalo Ishiki Kalahele (Kōkua Kalihi Valley, Hoʻoulu ʻĀina)
This session will offer an interactive, story-based approach to reflection and evaluation centered on ʻai pono. Participants will begin with Moʻolelo Cards, using images and prompts to share stories of food, community, and their connections to ʻai pono. From there, we will guide participants through a series of reflection prompts exploring what they are proud of, what they are ready to let go of, and what they want to grow. If time allows, participants will then use their own stories to explore elements of ʻĀina Accountability, recognizing wholeness, disruption, sovereignty, and ceremony within their work, organizations, and communities. The session is designed to help participants see the patterns and possibilities already present within their own stories and practice.
Closing Plenary
3:15-4pm
Location: HALE ʻĀKOAKOA
Haley McKinnon (Ahiki Acres), Nicholas Reppun (Waianu Farm), Lehia Apana (Polipoli Farms)
Farmers as Healthcare Providers
Farmers are the foundation of our food system and vital to community health and wellbeing. In this session, we will hear directly from local farmers who embody this fact: 'āina stewardship is a form of healthcare, healing, and deeply connected to human and environmental health.
Pīlina Pūpū Pau Hana
4-6pm
Location: ATRIUM
Connect with one another through live Hawaiian music, hula, ʻono pūpū, hand-crafted medicinal mocktails, fresh ʻawa, and a cooking demonstration with Meakala Wilhelm!
OCTOBER 2, 2026
DAY 2
Location: HALE ʻĀKOAKOA
Breakfast
8-9am
Enjoy a locally sourced breakfast prepared by Kahumana Organic Farms & Cafe.
Get aligned for the day with opening protocol and welcoming remarks from Waimānalo Health Center CEO Mary Frances Oneha.
Opening Protocol & Remarks
9-9:30am
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
10:20-11:05am
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.
Cooking Demonstration
11:15-11:45am
Jesse Lipman, Roots Kōkua Kalihi Valley
Learn to make ʻono salad dressings highlighting local ingredients with Jesse Lipman, Roots Program Director at Kōkua Kalihi Valley.
Lunch
11:45-12:30pm
Enjoy a locally sourced lunch prepared by Kahumana Organic Farms & Cafe
BREAKOUT SESSIONS #1
12:45-1:45pm
Multiple Locations
Creating Community Infrastructure through Food Is Medicine
Location: Hale ʻĀkoakoa
In conversation with Hawaii’s Medicaid health plans, insights and experiences will be shared related to how health plans intend to use the Medicaid 1115 Waiver for Nutrition Supports to build evidence, address health related social needs, change healthcare delivery, create community infrastructure, and build beyond 2029.
Jen Awakuni (AVP Medicaid, HMSA), Michele Nishimoto-Souza (Kaiser Permanente), Annabelle Stone, MPH (AlohaCare)
ʻAi Pono Cooking Demonstration
Location: Atrium
Tammy Smith (KTER4U)
Learn and sample simple healthy recipes with kupuna crops (kalo, ʻulu, ʻuala).
The Changing Food & Health Safety Net: Where Does Food Is Medicine Fit?
Location: Room 103
Jordan Smith (Hawai‘i Good Food Alliance), Daniela Spoto, Genevieve Mumma, and Josh Osegueda (Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice)
Explore how federal funding changes and Hawaiʻi’s evolving policy landscape are shaping Food Is Medicine, and identify opportunities to strengthen the state’s food and health systems.
Bridging Clinical Care, Culture, and Community
Location: Room 104
Ulu Ana, Hope Woltz, Nani Morgan, Tasia Yamamura (Queen Emma Clinic, Queens Health System)
Highlights Queen Emma Clinics’ Kilolani Program’s culturally grounded, team-based approach to improving Native Hawaiian health through clinical care, wellness services, and community connections.
Nourishing Health: Lanakila Pacific’s Journey Toward Medically Tailored Meals
Location: Room 105
Rona Fukumoto & Melissa Gibo (Lanakila Pacific)
This presentation will share how Lanakila Pacific’s interest in medically tailored meals (MTM) began, what we have learned through our preparation and participation in the FIMC Accelerator Program, and where we are headed as we work toward launching this important service in Hawaiʻi.
Healing Together: The Waimānalo Way Bringing Food Is Medicine to Life Through Community, Culture, and Connection, Part I
Location: Room 113
Aaron Akau, Jennifer Conway (Waimānalo Health Center), Fran Makaneʻole (Childcare provider), Christian “Maka” Makaneʻole (Heavy Equipment Operator), Kapi'olei Smythe and Malia Smith (We the Well Beings)
Healing Together: The Waimānalo Way shares how nutrition, education, and community support can help people along their wellness journeys. Through the Food Is Medicine program, we are able to share real experiences and show how healthy choices, encouragement, and connection can make a positive difference for individuals and their families.
FIM Focused Tech: Connecting Healthcare with Food Hubs
Location: Room 125
Matt Haffenreffer and Josiah Baker-Connick (Process First)
Our talk will focus on how non-technical organizations can prepare for and implement specific integrations and tools that are required for community based organizations to participate in health care funded FIM. Enabling effective and equitable programming.
Talking Circle: Investing in Food is Medicine
Location: Tent 1
Funke Ajenikoko (The Rockefeller Foundation)
Come talk story about ideas and opportunities for investment in sustainable FIM programming nationally and locally.
Location: Tent 2
Calling all mahiʻai to come and share your success and challenges when contributing to Hawaiʻiʻs Food Is Medicine opportunities.
Talking Circle: Moʻolelo Mahiʻai
BREAKOUT SESSIONS #2
2-3pm
Multiple Locations
Amy Miller, Marielle Terbio, & Laura Zysman (Hawaiʻi Foodbank), Crystal Theel (Hawaii Pacific Health), Keawe Kaholokula (UH Mānoa JABSOM, PIKO)
One Community, Many Pathways to Health
Location: Hale ʻĀkoakoa
Join us for a discussion on building nutrition interventions that reflect the realities of diverse communities.
Cultivating Health: Reimagining Our Food and Healthcare Ecosystems
Location: Atrium
David Derauf and Allyson Ijima (Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services), Vanessa Wong (UH Mānoa JABSOM & Kōkua Kalihi Valley), Anthea Wang, MD (Kaiser Permanente)
Health is cultivated through collective wisdom and shared care. This session begins with a conversation across the Food Is Medicine ecosystem, including farmers, clinicians, cultural practitioners, and community members each sharing how they contribute to creating health. Following the panel, attendees will join mixed small groups for an interactive design-thinking activity to share experiences, listen deeply, and co-design a connected, holistic Food Is Medicine model together.
Location: Room 103
Kupu ka Niu, Kupu ke Kanaka
Jesse Mikasobe-Kealiʻinohomoku (Elepaio Social Services) and Christen Oliveira Reppun (Hawai‘i Good Food Alliance)
Explore the moʻolelo of uluniu through mālama and ʻike Hawaiʻi.
ʻAi Pono: Wholeness into Practice
Location: Room 104
Kerstyn Afuso and Elarie Ranido (Kōkua Kalihi Valley, Roots), Program Farmer
KKV’s Roots program will share how their full circle ʻAi Pono, Food is Medicine programming operates and is integrated within the health center. Their experience plays an important role in informing new and emerging FIM models for community based health systems across the paeʻāina.
WIC, The First Food Is Medicine Program - Past, Present & Future
Location: Room 105
This session will explore WIC through the lens of past, present, and future. Beginning with WIC’s history and evolution in Hawaiʻi, presenters will then share examples of how WIC is being used today as a platform for innovation, education, and connection, including a gestational diabetes nutrition curriculum and peer-to-peer breastfeeding support grounded in the lived experiences of families. Looking toward the future, the session will elevate participant voice and explore how families themselves are reshaping the way WIC information, resources, and experiences are shared within their communities.
Meghan Martin, Amber Granite, Stefany Baker and Dr. Amy Robertson Nielsen (WIC, Waimanalo Health Center)
Healing Together: The Waimanalo Way Bringing Food Is Medicine To Life Through Community, Culture and Connection (Part II)
Location: Room 113
Kari Shintaku (Ohana Health Plan/Centene Corporation), Malia Smith (We the Well Beings
Sharing of our member experiences and outcomes (video) reflecting the impact of the FIM pilot program partnership with Waimanalo Health Center and We The Wellbeings, LLC.
Kerri Okamura, RPH and Kristin Frost Albrecht (The Food Basket), Dr. Stacy Haumea (Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Care Clinic), Featured Video Storytellers: Local Agricultural Producer & Program Participant / Patient Advocate
The Collective Continuum of Care: From Seed to Prescription in Rural Hawaiʻi
Location: Room 125
True health equity on Hawaiʻi Island requires expanding the traditional definition of healthcare. Healthcare provision is not an isolated clinical event; it is an unbroken, collective continuum of care that begins with the person planting the seed and extends through harvesting, processing, distribution, clinical prescription, and the home kitchen. When any link in this chain is missing, community health suffers.
Talking Circle: Incorporating Cooking Demonstrations into FIM
Location: Tent 1
Chris Fujimoto (ʻElepaio Social Sevices), Tammy Smith (KTR4U)
Talk story with native chefs about how to create interactive demonstrations into your programming that promote cultural foods and stories.
Location: Tent 2
Matt Haffenreffer and Josiah Baker-Connick (Process First)
Talking Circle: FIM Focused Tech
Explore how community based organizations can build the tools and capacity needed to participate in healthcare funded Food Is Medicine programs.
3:15-4pm
Closing & Mele Hawaiʻi
Location: HALE ʻĀKOAKOA
Holomua: Moving Forward
Jordan Smith (Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance)
As we close, we reflect on our time together to guide us in the future of Food Is Medicine for Hawaiʻi and the well-being of our people.
Mele Hawaiʻi
Kaipo Kukahiko & Wahinepōʻaimoku Nahaleʻa
Join us in mele that celebrates community, food, ʻāina, and unity.