SONDH Faculty Member Selected as Fellow to Two Prestigious Nursing Organizations
Donna-Marie Palakiko, PhD, Director of Cultural Innovation and Strategy and Associate Professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing (ADLN).
Selection as a Fellow of AAN carries significant prominence, as fellows are recognized by colleagues both within and outside of the profession. Dr. Palakiko was selected in part due to her lasting contributions to improving health and health care, paired with her leadership and impact in policy, research, practice and education. The 2025 Fellows were inducted in October 2025 during the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.
“I am honored to be inducted into the 2025 Class of New Fellows for the American Academy of Nursing,” said Dr. Palakiko. “This recognition is shared with those who volunteered to be a part of my program of research, supported my learning and growth, and, most of all, my ʻohana. I am excited to continue the work to improve health among Indigenous communities.”
As a Distinguished Fellow of the ADLN, Dr. Palakiko joins a national network of leaders recognized for advancing justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) in nursing education, research, policy, and practice. According to the ADLN, “The 2025 Fellows represent a powerful collective dedicated to shaping the future of nursing and healthcare by ensuring all voices are heard and valued.”
Distinguished JEDI leaders consist “of individuals who have created innovative JEDI initiatives in nursing and transformed nursing education, research, practice, policy or administration.”
Dr. Palakiko’s research addresses asthma inequities among Native Hawaiians and builds a culturally responsive health workforce. The AAN and ADLN fellowships add to an already impressive list of accolades for Dr. Palakiko. Earlier this year, she joined the American Public Health Association leadership team, and she also serves on the boards of the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Association, and the Asian American Pacific Islander Nurses Association.
Dr. Palakiko earned her bachelor’s of science from the University of San Francisco, master’s of science from the University of California, San Francisco, and doctorate from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is also a 2022 Fulbright Post-Doctoral Fellow, a 2023 Fellow of the LEADS program, and was also awarded the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators.
A Native Hawaiian nurse leader, health strategist and researcher, Dr. Palakiko has spent more than 25 years advancing health equity for Native Hawaiians and other underserved communities. Her work centers on developing culturally safe health programs, strengthening the nursing workforce, and addressing the social and cultural factors that influence health.