Jeannette Koijane is this year's honoree of the HPGS Tony Lenzer Scholarship Fundraiser because of her commitment since 1988 to serving those who need serious illness care. Since 2010, Jeannette has been the Executive Director of Kekua Mau, which was established in 1999 as a statewide network to lead the movement to improve care for everyone.
Kekua Mau partners with health plans, health care systems, hospices, government agencies and other organizations statewide. With Jeannette's leadership, they strive to make advance care planning and open communication about care and support for those with serious illnesses and their loved ones, including end-of-life, the cultural norm. The Kekua Mau website is seen as the statewide resource for quality, non-biased information on resources and information on serious illness, including palliative care, hospice care, bereavement and Advance Care Planning, along with Advance Directives and POLST, with information in 13 languages.
Jeannette received her graduate degree in Public Health from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and her undergraduate degree from Cornell University. She has been involved with serious illness care since 1988, beginning in the field of HIV/AIDS, working with the AIDS Memorial Quilt as the Director of International Programs and then a variety of research and educational positions in Berlin, Germany, and San Francisco. Jeannette has also worked in the US Affiliated Pacific Islands helping to develop palliative care programs through a collaboration with the Cancer Council of the Pacific Islands, the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, and the John A. Burns School of Medicine.
Please join us in recognizing and honoring Jeannette at this year's Fundraiser Reception. Proceeds will go to support the HPGS annual Tony Lenzer Scholarship program for students with a serious interest in professional work related to aging, long term care and/or death and dying.