Clementina Ceria-Ulep
Associate Professor
School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene
University of Hawaii at Manoa
2528 McCarthy Mall, Webster Hall 324
Honolulu, HI 96822
Ph: 808-956-5388, Fax: 808-956-3257
Email: clem@hawaii.edu
BS, University of Hawaii Manoa, 1982; MS, University of Hawaii Manoa, 1988; PhD, Medical-College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1992.
Clinical Area of Focus: adult health, administration
While my teaching focuses on adults, management, and administration, my research and scholarly activities have been on aging. My research philosophy is, “Research is applied,” which is consistent with my role as a researcher at the School of Nursing with a mission of “transmitting knowledge, wisdom and values to promote quality of life and health for present and future generations,” and my personal mission of “making a difference in this world.”
I was always very interested in how one can postpone or prevent institutionalization of the elderly. This quest stems from my experiences as a child. My family was fortunate to immigrate to Hawaii from the Philippines through the kindness of an uncle, a plantation worker in the early 1900’s. In the Philippines, my family and I lived first with my paternal and then later with my maternal grandparents.
Growing up in Hawaii, my first exposure to the issue of long-term or institutional elderly care was through my church’s involvement in providing volunteer services for the residents of a nursing home. Once a week, our youth group visited and worked with the residents on arts and crafts projects. I recall spending five years as a volunteer at that care home where loneliness seemed to be the order of the day. Over time, I got used to the atmosphere. Then one day, I invited a high school friend to accompany me on a visit to Beverly Manor. On our ride back home, my friend cried all the way. She sobbed, “That’s so sad…I would never put my grandparents or parents in a care home!” While studying in Virginia, I befriended an elderly woman who lived alone and was in her early 90’s. One day, she broke one of her hips and became dependent on others. Every day, I would visit and administer her vitamin B injection. When she moved to a care home, she had to sell all her prized possessions and used her lifetime savings to pay for a nursing home.
Thus, my scholarly activities have focused on looking at factors in the care of the elderly–predictors of healthy aging; grandparenting caregiving role and health status; health beliefs, physical activity and physical function; and women’s health as they age.
Recent Awards and Publications: Outstanding Dedication & Service, Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE); December 4, 2004, Honolulu, Hawaii; Pride Award; November 13, 2004, Philippine Nurses Association-Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii; Farrington High School Distinguished Alumni Award; May 24, 2002, Honolulu, Hawaii; Keynote Speaker at the Red Mass. Topic: Long-Term Care in Hawaii, January 17, 2002; Our Lady of Peace Cathedral, Presided by the Most Rev. Francis X. DiLorenzo, Bishop of Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii; Oahu Filipino Community Council, Top Educator Award
+*Curb, J. D., Ceria-Ulep, C. D., Rodriguez, B. L., Grove, J., Guralnik, J., Willcox, B. J., Donlon, T. A., et al. (2006). Performance-based measures of physical function for high-function individuals. Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 54, 737-742.
+*Willgerodt, M. A., Kataoka-Yahiro, M. R., Kim, E., & Ceria, C. D. (2005). Issues of instrument translation in research with Asian immigrant populations. Journal of Professional Nursing, 21, 231-239.
+*Kataoka-Yahiro, M. R., Ceria, C. D., & Yoder, M. (2004). Grandparent caregiving role in Filipino American families. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 11, 110-117.
*Kataoka-Yahiro, M. R., Ceria, C. D., & Caulfield, R. A. (2004). Grandparent role expectations in ethnically diverse families. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 19, 315-328.
*+Ceria, C.D., Masaki, K.H., Rodriguez, B.L., Chen, R. Yano, K., & Curb, J.D. (2001). The relationship between psychosocial factors with total mortality among elderly Japanese American men: The Honolulu Heart Program. Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 49, 725-731.