Malia lives in Bellingham, WA and was raised on the island of O’ahu in Hawai’i where she attended Kamehameha Schools. Her Native Hawaiian (kānaka maoli), Chinese, and Croatian ancestry each influenced different aspects of her upbringing, while uniquely framing her lens on the world and the importance of embracing intersectionality. She studied Integrated Social Sciences at the University of Washington and has worked in healthcare for 25 years with a diverse background of experience in critical patient care, clinical research, philanthropy, government relations, public health advocacy, community engagement, and advancing health equity.
She is the Co-President, Executive Board Member & Tribal Liaison for the Pacific Islander Health Board for Washington State (PIHB), serving on the Tribal Working Body led by the University of Washington Center for Disaster Resilient Communities (CDRC) and CDC to help develop a Region 10 Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Center that will serve Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Malia is the Manager for Workforce Community & Connection at Seattle Children’s, serving as their Community Engagement Advisor on the national Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN) and participating on the Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM). She also co-founded the Pasifika Connection Group at Seattle Children’s.