What’s to Come for the Hawaiʻi Public Health Training Hui

2023 is off to an electric start for the Hawaiʻi Public Health Training Hui (Hui). The Hui continues to bring you informative, credited trainings to build the public health workforce and provide continuing education credits for social work, substance abuse counseling, registered dieticians, community health education specialists, and nurses. 

This year, in partnership with American Lung Association, the Hui hosted an informative training with experts and advocates on the dangerous combination of menthol and vaping. It’s fitting for Hawaiʻi, as we see our youth highly addicted to vaping and nicotine use. Over 70 participants heard from our keynote speaker, Dr. Yi Zuo of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, about electronic cigarettes, its harmful impacts on the respiratory system, and how damaging long-term e-cigarette use is on the lungs. Next, we were joined by panelists Sun Choi, Health Promotions Manager of the American Lung Association; Valerie Saiki, Coalition for Tobacco-Free Hawaiʻi Kauaʻi Community Coordinator of Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute; and Joshua Ching, member of the Coalition for Tobacco-Free Hawaiʻi Youth Council. They shared strategies and lessons learned while out in the field advocating for a tobacco-free generation. 

As we look toward spring, the Hui is hosting more free webinars that provide continuing education credit hours to our public health workforce. On March 31, 2023, we are honored to have Dr. Kimo Alameda of Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center present on the fentanyl poisoning epidemic and how addictions impact the brain. Please register today to join us in this critical conversation. Additional topics, such as food security & resiliency and LGBTQ+ humility, are being finalized. If you wish to stay informed and receive updates about future opportunities, please email Makamae Namahoe at publichealthhui@hiphi.org to join the listserv.