AGENDA

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

Closing Ceremony

Location: HALE AKOAKOA