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HPU senior nursing students gather during the Spring 2026 Evidence-Based Practice Showcase at Aloha Tower Marketplace. Pictured front row center is Hazel Downing; front row left is HPU Dean Edna Magpantay-Monroe; and standing second row right in stripes is keynote speaker Robin Kalohelani.
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HPU nursing student Janice Bimbo, second from right, received the Dean's Award during the Spring 2026 Evidence-Based Practice Showcase alongside classmates and HPU Dean Edna Magpantay-Monroe, far right.
Fifty-nine senior HPU Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students gathered on April 23 at Aloha Tower Marketplace, Multipurpose Room 3, to present their individual evidence-based practice projects. These projects are the culmination of months of research, critical thinking, and clinical inquiry.
The annual event, hosted as part of HPU’s comprehensive nursing course requirement, drew judges from some of Oahu's leading medical institutions, including Pali Momi Medical Center, Kuakini Medical Center, The Queen's Medical Center, Straub Medical Center, and Castle Medical Center, alongside HPU nursing faculty. The event was emceed by Simone Blankenfeld-Freitas.
HPU nursing students (left to right) Kasandra Barerra, Rosely Carlos, and Caleb Simeon pose with Hazel Dowing, during the Spring 2026 Evidence-Based Practice Showcase at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
This year's keynote address was delivered by Robin Kalohelani, RN, MSN/Ed, CCM, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer of The Queen's Medical Center and Senior Vice President of The Queen's Health Systems.
Top honors this year went to Caleb Simeon, whose presentation, "Reducing Door-to-Balloon Time to Improve Outcomes for Patients Experiencing STEMI," earned first place. Rosely Carlos took second place for "Nurse-Driven Protocols to Reduce Medication Errors," and Kasandra Barerra placed third for her work on "Impact of Opioid-Sparing General Anesthesia on Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Ambulatory Laparoscopic Surgery."
Janice Bimbo received the Dean's Award for "Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Cardiovascular Disease Disparities: Evidence-Based Nursing Interventions to Improve Hypertension Outcomes."
Steven Felix earned an Honorable Mention for "Syncope Risk Stratification: Assessing the Effectiveness of the San Francisco Syncope Rule in Predicting 30-Day Serious Outcomes for Patients Held for Observation." Joana Chang also earned Honorable Mention for her topic “Food Insecurity and its Impact on Chronic Disease in Hawaiʻi.”
HPU Associate Professor Hazel Downing, RN, Ed.D., praised both the breadth and the quality of the work on display.
"I appreciate the dedication, positive attitude, and hard work put into the evidence-based project by every student," she said. "Fifty-nine students individually worked on different topics. Their work was exceptional, and their creativity, critical thinking, and attention to detail were clearly evident. The guidance and support provided by several adjunct nursing faculty is appreciated. I am pleased to share that the Dean Monroe has expressed full support for this initiative, emphasizing its importance to our academic and healthcare community. Every student demonstrated a clear understanding of the chosen topic in nursing and presented their findings in a compelling and informative way. I am extremely proud of all our seniors for their individual commitment and efforts to work on this project."
HPU Dean of the School of Nursing Edna Magpantay-Monroe, Ed.D, APRN, CMDCP, reflected on what the presentations signaled about the students' readiness for the profession. "These students are definitely representing themselves well and ready to practice," she said. "It was heartwarming to hear from the judges and non-judges saying the projects are well thought out and well put together."
Selected projects will be exhibited in the School of Nursing, a fitting reminder, as the class of 2026 steps into practice, of the rigor and care they brought to the work.
To learn more about the HPU School of Nursing, go to: www.hpu.edu/nursing.
