Read this article in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
By Mālia Purdy, Ph.D., Executive Director, Hui No Ke Ola Pono
Kahaili Tovey, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC joins Hui No Ke Ola Pono as our new family nurse practitioner bringing with her a deep aloha for health, ʻohana, and the lāhui.
Born and raised in Wailuku, Maui, Kahaili’s educational journey took her across the continental United States before returning home – because Maui nō ka ʻoi. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is thrilled to serve the Hui ʻohana and her lāhui.
Kahaili provides primary care across the lifespan, with a focus on health prevention and chronic disease management. Her practice is grounded in the values of mālama, kuleana, and pilina. These principles guide how she builds trust, honors patients’ moʻolelo, and provides excellent care.
From a young age, Kahaili has been energetic, curious, and eager to learn. She fell in love with science because it answered her many questions and challenged her to keep growing.
At the same time, she was deeply shaped by her Hawaiian culture. She understood that the body is not just physical – it is a vessel for moʻolelo and a way stories and ʻike are shared and kept alive. Olakino, therefore, became a priority for her and she was inspired to study the body more deeply, down to the cellular level.
Her path became clear during an early internship at Hui No Ke Ola Pono where she learned about traditional practices and traveled across Maui working alongside Hawaiian practitioners. Seeing physicians care for island families and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in places like Hāna showed her that medicine could be a place where culture, olakino, and her love of science live together.
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and service to the lāhui are central to who she is, and her work today reflects that commitment. She also shares this aloha with her ʻohana as a proud makua of six keiki and an active member in Hawaiian immersion schools.
