Malnutrition Awareness Week in Hawaiʻi
Malnutrition is a clinical issue, a patient-care issue, and a systems issue. Hospital RDNs are often at the center of identifying malnutrition early, documenting it appropriately, and helping ensure patients receive timely nutrition intervention. That work improves care while also supporting accurate clinical documentation and appropriate reimbursement within health systems.
Tonya Callicoat’s leadership at The Queen’s Health Systems helped bring that clinical perspective forward, while the Hawaiʻi Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provided a professional network for amplifying the message across the state.
Several HAND leaders were directly involved in the collaboration, including Tonya Callicoat HAND Treasurer Elect and Clinical Manager at Queen’s; Michelle Y. Lewis HAND State Regulatory Specialist, Dr. Pamela Smith, HAND fundraising chair and Vice Dean of Chaminade University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions; and Dr. Melissa Cline, HAND President-Elect and Director of Nutrition Programs at Chaminade.
Together with The Queen’s Health Systems and Chaminade University, HAND helped support the statewide effort that culminated in Governor Josh Green proclaiming September 14–18, 2026, as Malnutrition Awareness Week in Hawaiʻi.
“One of HAND’s strengths is that our members bring expertise from so many different settings. Hospital RDNs see the consequences of malnutrition every day, while educators, community practitioners, and other nutrition professionals help address the factors that contribute to it upstream. Bringing those perspectives together allows us to advocate more effectively for nutrition across the continuum of care.”
— Dr. Melissa Cline, President-Elect, Hawaiʻi Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
We are especially proud to see so many HAND members represented in this collaboration. Across hospitals, universities, community programs, and other settings, RDNs throughout Hawaiʻi are working every day to improve nutrition care, strengthen prevention, and advocate for the health of our communities.