Ku‘upua “Pua” Akana, PharmD, BC-ACP

Dr. Ku‘upua “Pua” Akana serves as the Chief Operations Officer and Director of Pharmacy at Wahiawā Health, providing strategic leadership and operational oversight to ensure quality, compliance, and performance excellence across all service lines. She drives innovation and organizational advancement to fulfill Wahiawā Health’s mission and vision, aligning operations with regulatory standards, quality benchmarks, and community health priorities. Her role includes oversight of pharmacy operations, compliance monitoring, risk management, and grant development and oversight.

Dr. Akana is a Board-Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist (BC-ACP) with more than a decade of experience in integrated primary care and chronic disease management. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene with a minor in Business Management from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy.

Since joining Wahiawā Health in 2021, she has played a pivotal role in grant writing, program development, and grant oversight, securing new funding to expand pharmacy services, school-based health care, and the growth of clinical, social, preventive, and nutrition care programs. Her leadership has advanced chronic disease management and integrated care initiatives, helping establish Wahiawā Health’s pharmacy and clinical services department, which improved medication adherence and chronic care outcomes through team-based interventions. Her work helped the organization earn the 2022 BD Helping Build Healthy Communities Innovations in Care Award and national recognition in the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy for linking comprehensive medication management to social determinants of health.

A passionate advocate for equity in healthcare, Dr. Akana continues to lead grant strategy and quality initiatives that strengthen Wahiawā Health’s mission to deliver accessible, culturally responsive, and high-quality care for Central Oʻahu’s most vulnerable residents.