Andrea Hermosura
Name ANDREA HERMOSURA
Age 42
Town/Moku EWA
Island Oʻahu
Leadership Category MAOLI OLA
Nominated by Keawe'aimoku Kaholokula, PhD
Share with us a little about yourself and what you do. I was born in Honolulu and raised in Heʻeia. Now, I live in Honouliuli, 'Ewa. I am a wife and mother of 2 children, ages 2 and 9. I also hold multiple roles that all support the health and well-being of Native Hawaiians and all the people of Hawaiʻi. Specifically, I am an ʻōiwi licensed clinical psychologist at the Queen's Medical Center. I have been supporting and leading efforts to foster an ecosystem, aligned with our mission and grounded in Native Hawaiian values and culture, that optimizes the health and well-being of our caregivers, the system, and our patients. Our vision is to realize a culture where safety, equity, and well-being are deeply embedded and will transcend generations. I am also an Assistant Professor at the Department of Native Hawaiian Health. There, I have the opportunity to improve the health and well-being of Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders through research and the implementation of culturally-safe approaches and culturally-grounded interventions. For example, my research has focused on how factors, like perceived racism and implicit racial bias, or approaches like community-based participatory research, can impact the health inequities experienced by Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders. Another kuleana I hold is as a practitioner at Paradigm Hawaii Counseling where I provide therapy to individuals with different emotional and physical health concerns.
Why is the work that you do important to you? The community? I am passionate about the work that I do because I get to work with and support other ʻōiwi leaders to move our communities and lāhui forward, dismantle systems of racism, and eliminate health inequities that disproportionately impact our Pacific Islander communities and lāhui.
In the organizations that I am a part of: 1) I have the privilege of continuing the legacy of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma through our work; 2) I am able to contribute to a bigger body of research that is done with, by, and for our lāhui and other communities; 3) I have the opportunity to coach and mentor colleagues and provide therapy to patients in various situations. This work reminds me to be proud of my kanaka ʻōiwi identity. Being proud of who I am has also impacted the decisions we make as a family.
Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life. Willingness to learn: I am someone who is always growing, learning and seeking knowledge both personally and professionally.
Lifting up others to empower the collective: Western ways teach us to focus on the individual, but in our indigenous communities, we value reciprocity and collective success. We know that nothing we do can be accomplished alone, so we need to identify ways to work with and support one another.
Humility: When looking at our aliʻi, I have noticed that humility is one of the qualities that has defined them and continues to make a lasting impact on me. Our aliʻi worked among the people and not above the people, and that is why many of their legacies continue to this day, centuries later. For example, our King and Queen went door to door to ask for money to start our healthcare system and to improve the health well-being of Native Hawaiians and all the people of Hawaiʻi.
Determination to change the definition of leadership to be more collective versus individualistic: I believe it is more important to do something bigger than yourself that has a lasting positive impact than to do something that will get you accolades. I want to have influence beyond my career and life and impact generations to come.
Inclusive: I try to make sure that those who are often marginalized have a seat at the table and that their voices are heard. I try to provide opportunities for others on my teams to add to and enhance our collective vision of those who we are working with.
ʻAuomo kuleana: I understand my role(s) and work toward carrying out my kuleana.
Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing? Mentors (e.g., Keawe Kaholokula, Robin Miyamoto, Todd Seto, Alan Suyama, Liana Honda, Stephen Haynes), my kūpuna, my husband, children, siblings, and parents, my extended ʻohana and friends, my patients, students, and colleagues
What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui? Empowerment
What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui? Self-Determination