Community Invited to Welcome Hawai‘i Primary Care Association CEO Emily Chung

The Hawai‘i Primary Care Association invited Big Island residents and partners to welcome its new chief executive officer, Emily Chung, at a community event held Jan. 19. The gathering underscored the association’s role in supporting community health centers and advancing accessible, equitable primary care statewide.

Chung officially assumed the role Jan. 5, succeeding Robert Hirokawa, who retired at the end of 2025. Her appointment places a leader with more than two decades of public health experience at the helm of an organization that has worked for more than 30 years on behalf of vulnerable island populations. The association’s mission includes strengthening member services, policy advocacy, and support for local health centers that serve kamaʻāina across urban and rural communities.

Chung comes to Hawai‘i from California, where she most recently served as public health director for Santa Cruz County. Her resume includes experience in nonprofit and local government settings, as well as formal public health training: a bachelor of arts from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master of public health from the University of California, Los Angeles, Fielding School of Public Health. She also holds credentials as a master certified health education specialist and Lean Six Sigma - green belt certified.

“We are delighted to welcome Emily as our new [chief executive officer],” said Ko‘olauloa Health Center chief executive officer and chairman of the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association’s board Terrence Aratani in an announcement about Chung’s appointment. “Her proven expertise in strategic and policy leadership in public health - along with a demonstrated history of working across governmental, community-based and healthcare sectors - aligns perfectly with [Hawai‘i Primary Care Association’s] strategic priorities.” Aratani added that her leadership will be instrumental in driving innovation and advancing the association’s commitment to ensuring high-quality, accessible primary care for all communities throughout Hawai‘i.

Chung expressed enthusiasm for partnering with the statewide network of health centers. “I am excited to join [Hawai‘i Primary Care Association] and work alongside our dedicated staff, health centers and partners,” she said in the release. “My career began in a community health center, and I am honored to lead [Hawai‘i Primary Care Association] at a time of unprecedented challenges and opportunities in health care. Together, we will champion innovation and wellness to ensure every community in Hawai‘i receives the care they deserve.”

For Big Island County, Chung’s leadership could shape how primary care clinics address workforce shortages, behavioral health integration, chronic disease management, and access barriers in rural and remote communities. The CEO’s responsibilities include guiding strategic direction, statewide advocacy, and coordination of member services - all levers that can influence state policy, Medicaid partnerships, and funding priorities that matter to patients and clinic workers here at home.

As Chung settles into the role, Big Island clinics, community groups, and public officials will be watching how the association translates strategic priorities into practical support for frontline clinics. For residents, the transition signals a continued opportunity to strengthen community-based care and advance health equity across the islands.