Hawai’i Nurse Internship

Hawaii State Center for Nursing

1960 East-West Road

Biomedical Sciences C105

Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 - Map -

Ph: (808) 956-5211
Fax: (808) 956-0547
www.HINursing.org

HSCFN Organization

Advisory Board | Staff | Organizational Structure

Advisory Board Members

The Hawai'i State Center for Nursing Advisory Board is Governor appointed and consists of 15 members from 4 different community groups.

*Advisory Board meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month from
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Business and Labor Community (5)

Catherine Adams, Joan White (Business)

Kevin Mulligan, Amy Yasunaga, Joan Craft (Labor)

Nursing Profession (5)

Agnes Cadiz, Ana Silva, Vicky Poland (HNA)

Gary Kienbaum (AONE), Rose Ann Poyzer (HAH)

Nurse Educator/Researcher (2)

Dale Allison, PhD, Neil McNaughton, PhD

Community Agencies/Consumer Groups (3)

Sally Ishikawa, Jane Kadohiro, Pennylynn Ontai

HSCFN Staff

Gail P. Tiwanak, MBA, RN
Executive Director
Ph: 956-7916
Fax: 956-0547
E-mail: hscfn@hawaii.edu

Ms. Tiwanak began her position as the second Executive Director for the Hawaii State Center for Nursing on April 1, 2009. Ms Tiwanak is an experienced administrative health care professional with over 30 years in nursing, systems management, corporate communication, and executive level planning.  She has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Chaminade University, a BSN from the University of San Francisco, and experience as a Vice President at the Queen’s Medical Center, healthcare consultant, and various director level positions in nursing, information systems, and operations.  She also held the position of Director of Operations at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene.

The Director, Hawai'i State Center for Nursing established in the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, provides executive leadership in the overall direction and administration of the planning, programmatic implementation, fiscal, and personnel functions of the Hawai'i State Center for Nursing.

The Director is charged to achieve the legislatively mandated Hawai'i State Center for Nursing functions including to: (1) collect and analyze date and prepare and disseminate written reports and recommendations regarding the current and future status and trends of the nursing workforce; (2) conduct research on best practices and quality outcomes; (3) develop a plan for implementing strategies to recruit and retain nurses; and (4) research, analyze, and report data related to the retention of the nursing workforce as set forth in Chapter 304D, Hawai'i Revised Statutes. 

Sandy LeVasseur, PhD, RN
Associate Director, Research
Ph: 956-0894
E-mail: sandraal@hawaii.edu

Dr. LeVasseur is responsible for the research and grant writing activities of the Center.  She received her PhD in Health Services Research from the Monash Institute of Health Services Research, Monash University, Australia. She also has a Master of Gerontology from La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.

Sandra has extensive research and program evaluation experience spanning over nineteen years. Her research background includes basic clinical research in the areas of subjective and physiological responses to pain and pain management. She has conducted clinical nursing research in areas such as graduate nurses perceived clinical competencies, patient care outcomes, and quality of life in post acute stroke patients. Health services research includes piloting an advanced practice role for nurses in emergency departments, evaluating hospital in the home services for cardiac patients, evaluating the consistency of triage in emergency departments in the state of Victoria Australia, evaluating the use of patient dependency information systems by nurses in a large healthcare organization. She has numerous research papers published in peer reviewed journals.

Debra D. Mark, RN, PhD
Nurse Researcher
Ph: 956-5324
E-mail: debramar@hawaii.edu

Dr. Mark is responsible for the research and grant writing activities of the Center as they relate to retention of the nursing workforce and the effect of best practices on patient outcomes.  She received her PhD in Nursing from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia and a Master’s degree in Nursing Administration from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI.   
 
With over 35 years of nursing experience, Debra has held a variety of positions. Her clinical experience has been primarily in critical care, inclusive of staff positions in Neonatal Intensive Care, Coronary Care, Surgical Intensive Care, and Post-Anesthesia Care Units. She has also held middle management positions as a Charge Nurse, Head Nurse, and Section Supervisor. Dr. Mark taught Licensed Practical/Vocational Nursing for two years and has been a frequent presenter at national conferences. Her most recent positions have been research-focused and she has developed research skills in evidence-based practice, qualitative methodology, and quantitative methods such as correlational research designs and psychometrics. Debra’s program of research generally examines the value of nurses’ contribution to improved patient outcomes.

Erin C. Matsuda
Administrative Assistant
Ph: 956-3262
Fax: 956-0547
E-mail: matsudae@hawaii.edu

Erin received her B.A. in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Public Administration both from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  She had eight years of healthcare administration experience before returning to the University of Hawaii as the administrative officer for the College of Tropical Agriculture fiscal’s office.  She came to the Hawaii State Center for Nursing in October of 2009 and is responsible for coordinating activities and initiatives, public relations, publications, and fiscal management for the Center.

Organizational Structure