Pacific Island Health Officers Association

09/03/2026

A historic milestone for maternal health in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands

On August 13, 2026, Palau conducted its first maternal mortality case review through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality (ERASE MM) program, the first ERASE MM case review conducted in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands.

This important milestone reflects the dedication of Palau’s ERASE MM team and their commitment to strengthening systems for identifying, reviewing, and preventing pregnancy-associated deaths.

Special recognition goes to the Palau team, who made this first review possible:
🌺 Irish Tutii, Program Manager
🌺 Anthea Ngirchokebai, ERASE MM Coordinator
🌺 Mindy Sugiyama, Project Epidemiologist
🌺 Biudole Ulutoga, Nurse Abstractor

Technical assistance was provided on-site by Tegan Callahan, Division of Reproductive Health (CDC), and PIHOA's Maternal Mortality Review Technical Consultant, Dr. Haley McGinley.

Conducting a case review is an important step toward turning individual experiences into opportunities for systems improvement. Through careful, multidisciplinary review, Palau can identify contributing factors, develop locally relevant recommendations, and strengthen efforts to prevent future pregnancy-associated deaths.

Congratulations to the Palau ERASE MM team on this groundbreaking achievement and for helping lead the way for maternal mortality review across the Pacific! We are especially proud of Ms. Ngirchokebai's engagement in this work as a recent graduate of PIHOA's Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program (PPHFP) as an Amy St. Pierre Maternal Child Health Fellow. 🌊💙

07/31/2026

🎉 Celebrating the Graduation of the Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program - Cohort 5! 🎓

PIHOA's Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program (PPHFP) proudly recognizes 16 exceptional Fellows as they complete their two-year Fellowship training, marking another milestone in strengthening the local Pacific public health workforce.

Hosted by Ministries and Departments of Health in American Samoa, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Kosrae, Yap, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau, these local Fellows have gained valuable hands-on training while improving health outcomes for their communities. Throughout their PPHFP Fellowship, they have led initiatives that strengthen health systems, improve public health services, and address priority health needs and gaps to strengthen USAPI laboratory services, pharmacy, maternal and child health, communicable and non-communicable diseases, behavioral health, and disease surveillance and epidemiology.

This training would not be possible without the dedication of their host site supervisors, mentors, and host site programs who invested their time, knowledge, and leadership to guide each Fellow.

Congratulations to PPHFP Cohort 5! We celebrate building the next generation of USAPI public health leaders and champions that continue to make a lasting impact throughout island communities. 🌊💙

07/22/2026

The Pacific Vector Network Convenes Fourth Annual Meeting to Strengthen Regional Preparedness Against Vector-Borne Diseases

Nadi, Fiji - Thirty-five (35) vector control professionals from 18 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), 12 allied and regional partners, and 5 Pacific Vector Network (PVN) Secretariat representatives gathered for a joint convening of the 4th Annual PVN Meeting 2026 in Nadi, Fiji, on June 11, 2026. The purpose of the meeting was to review progress, strengthen collaboration, and identify priority actions to enhance vector surveillance, outbreak preparedness, and response across the Pacific Island region.

Email from Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) For Immediate Release May 29, 2026 Strengthening Public Health Resilience: Integrating Dengue Response and Vector Control in Chuuk State T

06/18/2026

On May 4 - 7, 2026, USAPI laboratory representatives participated in the 2026 Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Conference, held in Baltimore.

USAPI laboratory professionals from Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services, American Samoa Department of Health, RMI Ministry of Health and Human services, Ministry of Health & Human Services - Republic of Palau, Pohnpei State Department of Health and Social Services, Yap State Department of Health Services and Department of Health Services, State of Chuuk, connected with global and national laboratory leaders, scientists, and partners. They explored emerging trends, innovative public health data solutions, latest laboratory technologies, and best practices to strengthen our USAPI laboratory and public health systems.

Fellows from PIHOA’s Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program (PPHFP) also presented a poster on USAPI laboratory workforce development, showcasing the impact of building a pipeline of emerging public health laboratory professionals dedicated to serving their island communities throughout the region. 🌺🌏

05/30/2026

When dengue fever cases were confirmed in Chuuk State in December 2025, a scheduled Category 8 Public Health Pest Control training quickly became an opportunity to support real-time public health response. 🚨

Delivered by the PIHOA Secretariat in collaboration with the Department of Health Services, State of Chuuk and Chuuk -Environmental Protection Agency, the training strengthened local capacity in mosquito surveillance, vector control, and rapid response to mosquito-borne disease threats. 🤝🏽

Read more about how Early Warning Systems, field training, and coordinated response efforts supported dengue response and vector control in Chuuk. 🦟

🔗 Read the full e-blast: https://conta.cc/43AREFd

Email from Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) For Immediate Release May 29, 2026 Strengthening Public Health Resilience: Integrating Dengue Response and Vector Control in Chuuk State T

05/27/2026

The RMI Ministry of Health and Human services has reached an important milestone in strengthening laboratory data management and public health infrastructure with the successful deployment of SENAITE, an open-source Laboratory Information Management System. 📊💻

Launched in Majuro on May 4, 2026, and expanded to Ebeye the following week, SENAITE will help improve laboratory efficiency, data accuracy, sample tracking, reporting, and future laboratory data exchange across the RMI. 🔬🧪

This achievement was made possible through strong collaboration between the Majuro and Ebeye laboratory teams, RMI MOHHS’ Data Modernization Initiative team, Global Scientific Solutions for Health (GSSHealth), Beyond Essential Systems, CDC, and regional partners working to strengthen resilient public health systems across the Pacific. 🌏🧑🏽‍🔬

🔗 Read the full e-blast here: https://conta.cc/432pdQp

Email from Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) For Immediate Release May 27, 2026 SENAITE Deployment Marks Key Milestone for the Marshall Islands Ministry of Health and Human Services’

05/22/2026

📣 Registration is now open for the 78th PIHOA Executive Board Meeting!

We look forward to bringing USAPI health leaders and partners together to continue important discussions, strengthen collaboration, and advance shared public health priorities across the Pacific.

➡️ Register today and view the full e-blast for meeting details: https://conta.cc/4eX9Akq

Email from Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA)   Eventbrite – Register Here # # # About the Pacific Islands Health Officers' Association PIHOA's mission is to improve the health and well-

05/16/2026

The PIHOA Secretariat was honored to participate in the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) Annual Conference in New Orleans from April 28–30. More than 450 public health leaders and practitioners gathered around the theme “United for Health,” including representatives from the Palau Ministry of Health and Human Services and the American Samoa Department of Health.

Jean Schneider, PIHOA Secretariatʻs Regional Human Resources for Health Coordinator, delivered a powerful plenary presentation on building a regional workforce development framework and strengthening local talent pipelines across the USAPIs.

The Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program (PPHFP) also led a dynamic one-hour workshop featuring Fellows Eve Joel from the Pohnpei State Department of Health, Cailyn Ponausuia from the American Samoa Department of Health, PPHFP Program Manager Soulmaz Rostami, and PPHFP Program Administrator Jade Chennaux. Together, they showcased the growing impact PPHFP is making across the Islands. 🌊✨

05/15/2026

Childhood lead exposure is preventable, and strengthening early detection, education, and regional collaboration is critical to protecting children across the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands. 🩺👧🏽

PIHOA, in partnership with the CDC, recently convened representatives from across the USAPI region for the Regional Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention (CLPP) Engagement Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. The three-day meeting brought together environmental health, maternal and child health, and laboratory leaders to share experiences, engage in hands-on learning, and identify practical approaches to reduce childhood lead exposure across the region. 👦🏽🏥

Participants also worked together to develop priority action plans focused on expanding blood lead testing, strengthening community education, and integrating CLPP activities into existing health and outreach platforms. 🤝🏾

🔗 Read more in the full PIHOA E-Blast: https://conta.cc/3P7mqCd

Email from Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) For Immediate Release May 14, 2026 USAPI Regional Engagement Meeting Strengthens Collaboration to Address Childhood Lead Exposure Honolul

05/13/2026

Save the Date for the PITCA 2026 Conference!

Pacific Island Health Officers Association Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services National Tuberculosis Coalition of America Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)