
School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene
BA, University of Pennsylvania, 1973; MS, Pace University, 1977; PhD, University of Hawaii, Manoa, 2003.
Clinical Area of Focus: family nurse practitioner
My research focus is self-management of diabetes for Filipinos. I became interested in this topic after years of practice at Kalihi-Palama Health Center where I witnessed first hand not only the barriers to self-management for recent immigrants, but also the cultural differences that should be addressed to facilitate self-management with this population. My dissertation was an ethnography that gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in local Filipino culture and course work in the Indo-Pacific languages department. I now have a terno gown and wonderful memories of fun times. I continue to practice in a weekly diabetes clinic to stay current with new approaches.
I came to UH in 1993 to teach community health as part of a multiprofessional faculty team at Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. I met my anthropologist husband at UH and our son was born at Kapiolani in 1994. My step daughter is majoring in civil engineering. Prior to coming to Hawaii, I was a nurse practitioner at a large HMO in Boston with 10 years of management experience. When I left I was the Administrator of medical specialties with a $20 million budget, supplying medical specialists to 12 health centers in greater Boston.
Teaching Topics: Management of chronic disease, physical assessment, pharmacology, primary care clinical
Recent Awards and Publications: Sigma Theta Tau Practice Award, 2004