The Children’s Healthy Living (CHL) Center team attended the inaugural 2026 Hawaii Public Health Institute Conference in Waikīkī, Hawaiʻi, where public health professionals from Hawaiʻi and across the Pacific came together to discuss key challenges, successes, and opportunities for improving public health. This year’s conference theme was “Navigating Change. Shaping the Future of Public Health.”
Drs. Jean Butel and Ashley Yamanaka co-presented a Policy & Prevention Roundtable titled “Leveraging Cross-Sector Partnerships to Advance Food Systems and Child Nutrition in Hawaii.” Their discussion highlighted CHL’s longstanding commitment to building community partnerships through the intervention trial and the Hawaiʻi Local Advisory Committee. Participants explored strategies for developing and sustaining meaningful collaborations with state agencies and community organizations, with a shared emphasis on meeting communities where they are. We look forward to expanding our Hawaiʻi Local Advisory Committee with new members in the coming year!
CHL Food Systems trainee Christina Young also presented during a breakout session titled “Got Catfished? Pitfalls of Modern Study Activities and Social Media.” Her presentation explored the real-world challenges researchers face with online participant recruitment, virtual data collection, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in research.
Mahalo to the Hawaii Public Health Institute for hosting a successful inaugural conference and for bringing together partners dedicated to strengthening public health across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.