It is my pleasure to welcome all of you back to Hawai`i for the 4th Biennial Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress (PRIDoC 2008). This year, we will hold our conference in Waimea on the island of Kauai from June 10-15, 2008.

Our Ohana (family)-style conference will be based at the beautiful Waimea Plantation Cottages. The cottages that you will stay at are the original homes of plantation workers over the past hundred years. There is much history to be shared with you about this island, the oldest of the 8 major Hawaiian Islands. Waialeale is the wettest spot on earth, Waimea Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and one of our excursions would show off our magnificent cliffs of the Na Pali Coast.

Our conference highlights workshops in research and medical education, As before, we will have opportunities to share information and programs to combat our indigenous peoples’ health disparities around the Pacific. We will be discussing chronic disease management, public health and health policy, workforce development, traditional healing, sovereignty as well as other topics.

We look forward to coming together again with you, to kūkākūkā, have Oceanside chats and kanikapila.

DeeAnn Carpenter-Yoshino, M.D

President, `Ahahui o na Kauka

Co-Chair, PRIDoC 2008

Associate Chair, Clinical Core and Patient Services

Department of Native Hawaiian Health

John A. Burns School of Medicine