DOH Director Honored with Mauli Ola Award

The current director of the Hawai’i State Department of Health, Dr. Virginia Pressler, was honored by the American Lung Association Tuesday with the 2015 Breathe Easy Champion Mauli Ola Award.

“Dr. Pressler is truly a champion for public health issues and the state is so fortunate to have a leader with such dedication and passion for improving the health of our people,” Governor David Ige said.

Honored for her significant efforts to improve the health and lives of the people in Hawai’i, Dr. Pressler received the award for her strong commitment to community, innovative thinking, compassion for those in need and commitment to the American Lung Association’s mission of saving lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.

Governor Ige continued, “I congratulate Dr. Pressler on being honored today for her years of work serving in both public and private sectors for more than 35 years to improve lung health and prevent lung disease. This includes her work to establish tobacco settlement funding for public health purposes; initiate the Tobacco Trust Fund; establish the Healthy Hawai‘i Initiative, Hawai‘i Outcomes Institute and Hawai‘i Uninsured Project; and lead the Hawai‘i Comprehensive Cancer Control Program as its chair from 2003-2005. I’m proud to recognize Dr. Pressler as an innovative leader with a strong vision of prevention, who is a valued member of this administration.”