Hawaiʻi Liver Summit: Dr. Christina Wang Receives the Naoky Tsai Wayfinder Award

Hep Free Hawaiʻi and partners hosted the annual Hawaiʻi Liver Summit this month, bringing together over a hundred participants including medical providers, public health leaders, researchers, and community advocates who are working to eliminate viral hepatitis in Hawaiʻi. The summit has quickly become an important space for learning, collaboration, and strengthening access to care for communities that face the highest barriers.

This year, H3RC was proud to celebrate a significant moment for our team. Dr. Christina Wang, H3RC’s Medical Director, received the Naoky Tsai Wayfinder Award, which honors a local healthcare provider whose work reflects excellence in care, leadership in education, and a commitment to harm reduction. The award is named for Dr. Naoky Tsai, a trailblazer in hepatology whose decades of service continue to shape the way hepatitis care is delivered in Hawaiʻi.

Dr. Wang was recognized for her dedication to improving health outcomes for people who often experience stigma, chronic disease, and limited access to care. Her leadership has strengthened screening and treatment pathways across the state, and her compassion and humility continue to inspire providers and community partners alike.

This year’s summit brought together clinicians, researchers, and community health workers to share tools and best practices, explore strategies for culturally grounded outreach, and discuss the policy changes needed to move Hawaiʻi closer to hepatitis elimination. The gathering highlighted the power of collaboration and the importance of centering communities who are most impacted.

H3RC congratulates Dr. Wang on this well-deserved honor and expresses appreciation to Hep Free Hawaiʻi and partners for hosting another impactful event focused on liver health equity.