OCTOBER 1-3, 2026
ʻAiaola
Food is Medicine
Summit
WINDWARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE, OʻAHU
Plus four huakaʻi destinations on October 3
Hosted by:
As Hawaiʻi deepens its commitment to Food is Medicine and works toward a future where locally sourced nutrition is integrated into care, this summit represents a pivotal moment to align partnerships, policy, and community action.
Join leaders from healthcare, agriculture, and community organizations to advance Food is Medicine as both a practice and a longstanding cultural movement in Hawaiʻi. Together, we will explore how locally sourced, culturally grounded nutrition can strengthen community health while leveraging unique opportunities like the Medicaid 1115 Waiver to build a more resilient and equitable food and healthcare system.
Learn About All Our Presenters
The ʻAiaola summit features more than 60 presenters over the course of three days — from keynote speakers to breakout session teams to cooking demo alakaʻi — bringing compelling, experienced perspectives of Food is Medicine.
Learn About Our Summit Agenda
Over the main two days at Windward Community College, hear from five keynote speakers, choose from more than 20 breakout sessions, and build pilina while being nourished by good locally sourced food and cultural connections.
Keynote Speakers
Puni Jackson is a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner, traditional healer, artist, and Director of Hoʻoulu ʻĀina at Kōkua Kalihi Valley, where she has spent more than two decades advancing ʻāina-based approaches to health, healing, and community wellbeing. Her work draws upon ʻike kūpuna and the understanding that the health of people and the health of ʻāina are inseparable, creating spaces where food, culture, spirituality, and healing come together to strengthen ʻohana and community.
Puni Jackson, Director of Hoʻoulu ʻĀina, Kōkua Kalihi Valley
Presentation | Mai ka Pō
Dr. Steven Chen, Chief Medical Officer, Recipe4Health Alameda County Public Health Department
“I am grateful to my wise grandfather farmer from Taiwan, my parents who were first generation immigrants to the US to build the foundation on which I can be of service as a healer and systems integrator working on the long arc of justice and love.”
Presentation | Recipe4Health: A Food as Medicine Health Multiplier
Kaina Makua is the Executive Director of Kumano I Ke Ala and head coach of Kilohana Hoe Waʻa. Through ʻāina-based education, paddling, and cultural leadership, he works to empower youth and strengthen Hawaiʻi’s future.
Kaina Makua, Founder, Kumano I Ke Ala
Presentation | He aha Ka I'a A Kakou
Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokula, Professor and Chair, Native Hawaiian Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), University of Hawai'i at Mānoa | Lead Co-Principal Investigator, Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge, and Opportunities (PIKO)
“Rooted in my ancestral lineage from Hawaiʻi Island and Maui, grounded by my cultural connections to Hale Mua o Kūaili‘i, and nourished by my community partnerships, I humbly serve as a health equity researcher and advocate dedicated to transforming community wellness and chronic disease prevention. This collaborative work bridges rigorous, community-based intervention research with the living wisdom of my Kanaka ‘Ōiwi culture and community partners.”
Presentation | The Relational Prescription: ʻĀina, Pilina, and Mauli Ola
Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, Director of the Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy, Oklahoma State University
“I am an enrolled citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Professor of Medicine, and Director of the Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy at Oklahoma State University. I’ve been the Principal Investigator for more than a dozen trials examining nutrition, food systems, and health with Indigenous communities. I serve as a member of the Advisory Council for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the Canadian Institute of Health Research.”
Presentation | Implications of the US Dietary Guidelines on Food is Medicine Programs with Indigenous People
Summit Themes
ʻĀina & Community
Grounding Food is Medicine in place, food systems, and the people and communities that sustain them.
Care & Lived Experience
How Food is Medicine shows up in healthcare and communities, with equity and lived experience at the center.
Policy, Funding, & Access
The public systems, benefits, and policy and funding mechanisms that can support Food is Medicine at scale.
Food is Medicine Programs in Practice
The programs and delivery models putting Food is Medicine into action.
Evidence & Impact
How we know what works, what we measure, and what we're learning.
Cooking Demonstrations By:
Chris Fujimoto
ʻElepaio Services, Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center
Jessie Lipman
Kōkua Kalihi Valley, Roots Program
Tammy Smith
KTER4U
Meakala Wilhelm
Hoʻokuaʻāina
Pilina Pūpū Pau Hana
October 1, 4-6pm in the Atrium
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Live Music by Uluwale
Kaipo Kukahiko, Joe Napeahi, Kīhei Nahale-a
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Ono Pūpū
Tammy Smith, KTER4U
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Medicinal Mocktails
Crafted by HGFA ʻOhana and Eileithyia Eyes Apothecary
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Hula
Audience participation
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Cooking Demo
Meakala Wilhelm
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ʻAwa Maikaʻi
Kekupuloa Iaea Kim
Jesse Mikasobe-Kealiʻinohomoku
Huakaʻi Destinations
Learn how traditional plants, fermented foods, and ʻike kūpuna can be woven together to support wellness, deepen connections to ʻāina, and celebrate the healing gifts of our local food systems.
Roots Program, Kōkua Kalihi Valley
Visit the Roots Cafe and Food Hub to learn about their food is medicine work through practicing ʻai pono, preparing seasonal and cultural dishes, and how they heal community through - grow, prepare, share. Each participant will engage in meaningful conversations that will connect how the ‘Aiaola Summit can guide future work in their communities.
Cultural Cooking Class with
Chris Fujimoto
'Ai Pono: Together, create easy dishes that are nutritious, culturally grounded, and delicious that hopefully expand views on indigenous crops and their potential to change not just the world but also your health and wellness.
Waianu Farm, Waiāhole
Huakaʻi to Waianu Farm and join the ʻOhana Reppun on a farm tour through loʻi, orchard, and their off-grid, value-added processing facilities. Participants will enjoy a mālama ʻāina activity in the loʻi and harvest ingredients that will be prepared in a farm-made lunch.
To inquire about sponsoring or being part of the summit:
To connect about a press pass:
Mahalo to Our Sponsors
