{"id":235399,"date":"2026-06-02T14:55:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T00:55:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=235399"},"modified":"2026-06-02T16:12:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T02:12:33","slug":"apha-awards-mapuana-antonio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/02\/apha-awards-mapuana-antonio\/","title":{"rendered":"National awards honor professor\u2019s Native Hawaiian health, climate justice impact"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Mapuana Antonio with her Emerging Leaders Award (third from left) with Caleb Rivera, Olivia Wallace and Camille McComas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa Associate Professor Mapuana Antonio of the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health<\/a> received two national awards from the American Public Health Association<\/a> (APHA<\/abbr>) for her impact on Native Hawaiian health and climate justice.<\/p>\n

Antonio\u2019s leadership reflects her commitment to integrating Indigenous knowledge into public health education, research and practice. She mentors students in ethical Indigenous research and ensures her work connects ʻ\u0101ina<\/span> (land) and culture to Native Hawaiian health, fully integrating Indigenous perspectives into the field.<\/p>\n

“Receiving these awards from APHA<\/abbr> is truly an honor and reflects the collective work of our students and communities,” said Antonio, who serves as associate chair in the Department of Public Health Sciences<\/a>. “Indigenous knowledge continues to guide solutions for health, wellbeing, and climate justice, and I\u2019m inspired by our students who carry this work forward intentionally with cultural grounding and with a deep sense of responsibility to our communities.”<\/p>\n

Honoring ancestral knowledge, health equity<\/h2>\n

As the Queen Liliʻuokalani<\/span> Endowed Professor in Native Hawaiian Culture, Antonio earned the APHA<\/abbr>\u2019s Emerging Leaders Award from the Integrative, Complementary and Traditional Health Practices<\/a> (ICTHP<\/abbr>) section for her dedication to health equity.<\/p>\n

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Antonio with colleagues at the Climate Justice Symposium in October 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“She exemplifies the heart of Native Hawaiian Indigenous health,” nominators said. “Her commitment to health equity has made a lasting impact with, for, and by Native Hawaiian communities and Indigenous peoples worldwide, and her work embodies the holistic approach that is at the core of ICTHP<\/abbr>, by honoring ancestral knowledge with contemporary scientific research to restore health, resilience and wellbeing.”<\/p>\n

Antonio also received the Student Champions for Climate Justice Award for guiding a multidisciplinary student team, including Melissa Kahili-Heede, Caleb Rivera, Camille McComas, Kiʻilaweau<\/span> Aweau and M\u0101koa Miura, in organizing the Climate Justice Through Indigenous Knowledge Symposium in October 2025. The event served as a platform for scholars to address environmental sustainability through traditional practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mapuana Antonio champions ancestral knowledge, restoring community health, resilience and wellbeing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":235414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[93,598,242,241,449,73,596,9],"class_list":["post-235399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-climate-change","tag-faculty-recognition","tag-native-hawaiian-health","tag-public-health","tag-public-health-sciences","tag-sustainability","tag-myron-b-thompson-school-of-social-work","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t