Navigating Change Together: HIPHI’s 2026 Community Health Conference

Last week, more than 400 public health professionals, students, and community partners gathered at the ‘Alohilani Resort for HIPHI’s 2026 Community Health Conference, Navigating Change: Shaping the Future of Public Health. Over three days, the conference brought together voices from across the islands, the Pacific, and the continent, to confront a moment of real uncertainty in our field and to remind one another why this work matters.

Our keynote speaker, Dr. Katelyn Jetelina of Your Local Epidemiologist, discussed how to rebuild trust in public health through communications with a call to action: find the public health “potholes.” Not the sprawling systemic overhauls, but the everyday, fixable issues that people notice and care about. By listening, meeting people where they’re at, and executing so people can feel and see public health at work, we can reimagine public health for better outcomes. 

Dr. Jetelina’s call to action, to center the people public health serves, echoed across the conference. The program opened with a panel on reimagining healthcare, featuring leaders from Hawai’i’s largest health systems, and built across five breakout sessions in four tracks: Environmental Health, Workforce Development, Research, Data & AI, and Policy & Prevention. Attendees dug into the issues shaping public health in Hawai‘i, from climate and food systems to AI, community health workers, and maternal health. Session after session returned to the idea that public health works best when it’s grounded in community, from the community health workers bridging gaps in care to the community-driven research shaping local solutions. The conference closed with a panel of young leaders sharing their vision for the future of public health, a fitting reminder of who we’re building for.

Away from the sessions, the evening reception and student poster session gave attendees space to connect and celebrate. We were proud to honor five public health champions through our Haku, Kia‘i, and ‘A‘ali‘i awards, recognizing Hawai‘i Island Community Health Center, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, Hawai‘i HOME Project, Travis Purdy, and Blake Kekoa Ramelb, whose work embodies care, vigilance, and commitment to community.

Mahalo to everyone who made this possible, especially our speakers, sponsors, and the staff and volunteers who showed up with aloha across all three days. If this first conference is any indication of what’s to come, we can’t wait to see where we go from here.