Meet the Team: Mililani Leui, Program Manager, Pacific Islander Diabetes Prevention Program

Welcome to our blog series, “Meet the AAPCHO Team,” where you’ll have a chance to get to know our staff! Meet Mililani Leui, Program Manager, Pacific Islander Diabetes Prevention Program, as she answers some questions.

What’s your role at AAPCHO?

I am the Program Manager of the Pacific Islander Diabetes Prevention Program (PI-DPP).

Who is an Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander health champion that you think people should know about?

A health champion I would like people to know about is Dr Kamana’opono M. Crabbe. Dr. Crabbe advises the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander strategy and is also a well-renowned spokesperson representing the Native Hawaiian community. He stands up for Native Hawaiian rights and discusses the social inequities and economic/political issues that Native Hawaiians face on a global stage. He also has earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and served many families and communities as a licensed psychologist for 12 years. Dr. Crabbe has served on many high-level policy and governing boards around the world, advocating for the rights of Native Hawaiians.

How would you describe what community health centers do and why they should support them to someone who may not be familiar with them?

The way I would describe community health centers (CHCs) would be: patient-centered care provided by those who are hard-working and compassionate. For many people who are unable to receive the care that privileged communities might have, a community health center might be their only choice. However, that does not take away from the overall quality of care provided to patients because CHCs are staffed with professionals that really care about patient health outcomes and consumer satisfaction. It is important to support CHCs because they do so much for underserved communities, which goes beyond the limited scope of medical practices. Also, they provide culturally competent care and aim to improve the patient experience with every visit.

What are you most looking forward to in your new position at AAPCHO?

I am looking forward to handling the management and coordination of PI-DPP to develop and strengthen activities that improve the health and wellness of Pacific Islander communities through lifestyle change programs. I am also really excited to work alongside the affiliate sites and learn from my team and the rest of the AAPCHO staff.

What is your favorite or go-to childhood comfort food?

My favorite childhood meal is my grandma’s curry shrimp. As a child, my grandma only made this meal for the adults but she always let me have a bowl. It’s still my favorite to this day!