5 Asian American & Pacific Islander Nurses You Should Know About

Asian American and Pacific I slander Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month) is an annual celebration that recognizes the historical and cultural contributions of individuals and groups of Asian and Pacific Islander descent to the United States.

The AAPI umbrella term includes cultures from the entire Asian continent - including East, Southeast, and South Asia - and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and more.

Rose Lim Luey

Rose Lim Luey is a child of Chinese immigrants. She graduated from the Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing in 1951 as one of the first Chinese American students. She was passionate about public health nursing and used her bilingual skills to help care for Chinese Americans.

She prioritized her volunteer efforts throughout her career, helping Vietnamese immigrants relocate and providing them healthcare services. She was a founding member of Asian Health Services and volunteered for 20 years with the American Red Cross.

Li Hong

Li Hong graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with her MSN in nursing informatics. In 2019 she was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal, the only Chinese recipient out of 29 nurses worldwide to receive the award that year. This award highlights nurses in public health or nursing education that represent exemplary service and innovation.

Li Hong is also an American Academy of Nursing fellow and a current manager of clinical research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Mary Frances Oneha

Mary Frances Oneha spent 20 years serving Native Hawaiian communities focused on understanding Native Hawaiian health issues. She attended the University of Washington where she earned an MSN and was the first Native Hawaiian to earn a Ph.D. In 2012, she joined the Waimānalo Health Center as the chief executive officer.

Additionally, she serves on the Institutional Review Board of the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations. In 2013, Oneha was recognized by the White House as an AAPI Woman Champion of Change and was an American Academy of Nursing fellow.

Anastacia Giron-Tupas

Anastacia Giron-Tupas was born in Laoag, Ilocos Norte on August 24, 1890. She dedicated her career to advancing nursing in the Philippines and globally. She believed nurses were a powerful tool to improve the general welfare of the population. She advocated for the nursing profession and supported interdisciplinary education.

She is known as the "Dean of Philippine Nursing." Through her tireless efforts, the University of Pennsylvania School of Public Health Nursing became a premier nursing school. She was responsible for developing the first bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) curriculum.

Mooie Eng

Born in 1916 in China, Mooie Eng came to the U.S. and later graduated from Ohio State University in 1941. She then became the first Chinese RN to work for New York City’s Community Service Society – founded in 1843 to improve conditions for residents living in poverty.

While working as a nurse, Mooie increased access for Chinese Americans to health services. After World War II, she was instrumental in helping many “war brides” gain access to healthcare in the U.S.

This AAPI Heritage month, we acknowledge and thank the Asian American and Native Pacific Islander nurses who helped pave the way for a better, more accessible, and more diverse healthcare system.