Fall 2019 Highlights: Class of 1960 scrapbook; Research faculty; Manoa Food Drop event

Class of 1960 donates scrapbook to School

On June 11, 1960, 26 students graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Nursing at the Pinning Ceremony held at Hemenway Hall. The class was a tight-knit group and has stayed connected over the 60 years since their graduation. Among those students were Merle Tagami and Beverly Kim.

Merle Tagami unofficially served at the class photographer during their school years and had managed a photo album highlighting their activities in school and after graduation. In the 1990’s she took up scrapbooking as a hobby and created a beautifully detailed book featuring school activities like clinicals, junior-senior banquet, and other personal events such as weddings, baby showers, gatherings as well as their 20th, 25th, 35th, 40th, and 50th class reunions. Their 40th reunion was held in Las Vegas, Nevada!

In late 2019, Beverly Kim contacted the School to donate the Class of 1960’s scrapbook as a keepsake to document some of the School’s history. To this day, about 10-12 of the 1960 class still get together as their friendships continue to flourish beyond their days in nursing school.

Research faculty present at The Queen’s Medical Center

On Friday, October 4, 2019, UH Manoa Nursing was invited to participate in the Nursing Research Council’s Lunch-n-Learn at The Queen’s Medical Center (QMC). The event was titled Nursing Research: Why does it matter?” Two QMC research teams presented and two UH Manoa Nursing faculty presented.

Gary Glauberman, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, NHDP-BC, assistant professor, presented on his research “Community Disaster Preparedness.” His presentation highlighted ways for nurses to become involved in research and disaster preparedness. He also shared findings from his research study that examined factors influencing high-rise residents’ fire safety behaviors, a topic of growing importance for public health and safety in Hawaii.

Deborah Mattheus, PhD, APRN-Rx, CPNP, associate professor, was the keynote speaker and presented on her research “Oral Decay.” Her presentation focused on oral health studies conducted in Hawaii. Mattheus shared with the audience her journey as a nurse researcher and how she has expanded her oral health research beginning in 2013, while completing her PhD until the present day. Mattheus demonstrated the importance of nursing research and the utilization of her research results to improve oral health outcomes for children and families in Hawaii.

There were approximately 50 attendees from QMC with the majority being APRNs and bedside nurses. Kristine Qureshi, PhD, RN, CEN, PHNA-BC, FAAN, associate dean for research and global health, and Katherine Finn Davis, PhD, RN, APRN, CPNP, FAAN, director for community partnerships, attended to represent UHM Nursing. Davis is an active member of the QMC Nursing Research Council as part of the QMC – UHM Nursing Research Partnership.

For more information, contact Katherine Finn Davis, PhD, RN, APRN, CPNP, FAAN, director for community partnerships at (808) 956-5421 or kfdavis@hawaii.edu.

Food Drop at the Campus Center

A November 2019 article titled “College Students and SNAP: The New Face of Food Insecurity in the United States” published in the American Journal of Public Health reports that “over the last decade, multiple studies of food insecurity among college students have found rates from 20% to more than 50%, considerably higher than the 12% rate for the entire US population.” UH Manoa studies conducted last year, demonstrated that students on the Manoa campus went hungry from time to time because of the high cost of food in Honolulu. In response to these findings, the Office of Student Life and Development in collaboration with Food Vault Hawaii, the Hawaii Foodbank, and the Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center created the Food Drop Event at the Campus Center Courtyard to provide basic foods hungry students.

A major problem was that Department of Health regulations only allow non-perishable items to be stocked at the Food Vault. In an effort to provide fresh food, the Campus Center Board worked with the Hawaii Foodbank and the Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center (H3RC) so there could be distribution of fresh food.

Every third Wednesday of each month at the Campus Center Courtyard, UHM students, staff and faculty volunteer alongside H3RC staff to prepare fresh food for distribution. At the November 2019 event, about 250 students came through the line. Students were able to select fresh fruit and vegetables, yogurt, breads, and breakfast meats.

For more information about volunteering at the Food Drop event, held every third Wednesday of the month, please contact John Casken, PhD, MPH, RN, associate specialist at (808) 956-5750 or casken@hawaii.edu.