
Marife Aczon-Armstrong, PhD, MSN, MSCP, CCM, RN-BC
Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Health Professions
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (808) 739-8387
Dr. Aczon-Armstrong was born and raised in Binangonan, Rizal, Philippines and grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. A retired Peace Corp nurse mentored and encouraged her to pursue nursing while she was working as a billing clerk at a nephrology clinic in Honolulu. She has been a nurse for 30 years, a nationally board certified nurse case manager for 25 years, nurse educator for 17 years, and a Fulbright Senior Specialist for 10 years.
Academic Degrees
- Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing with focus on research and education, University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Master of Science in Nursing: Nursing Administration and Clinical System Management, University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Master of Science in Counseling Psychology: Community and Mental Health Counseling, Chaminade University of Honolulu
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Hawaii Pacific University
- License Practical Nursing, Kapiolani Community College
Awards and Honors
- Fulbright Senior Specialist appointment (2014-2018); (2021-2025)
- Alumni Doctoral Scholar Nurse Fellow Class of 2010, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration’s Minority Fellowship Program (SAMHSA MFP) at American Nurses Association (ANA)
- Service Awardee (2021-2022) Certificate of Appreciation for service to the Inaugural National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, American Nurses Association
Licensures and Certifications
- Registered Nurse, Hawaii and Nevada
- National Board Certified Nurse Case Manager
- Quality Matters Certificate of Completion, Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR)
- Peer Reviewer Course (PRC) Certificate, Quality Matters (Global Quality Assurance on-line and innovative digital teaching and learning.
Selected Grants/Publications/Presentations
- Project Director/Principal Investigator (2022-2023), Registered Nurses in Primary Care (RNPC) Program, role for the one-year no cost extension to complete HRSA 2.8 million grant award. Roseman University College of Nursing, Henderson, NV.
- Aczon-Armstrong, M. (2023). “Emerging from Service Learning to Servant Leadership: Fulbright Journey” at Philippine Nurses Association of Hawaii 2023 Educational Conference, “EMERGE with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: Healthcare Strategies for Nursing and our Communities”. Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, HI.
- Aczon-Armstrong, M. (2023). “Resiliency & Innovation: Bridging Gaps in Vital Healthcare Disparities” at the From I Nurse II Another’s 1st Annual Nurse Empowerment Brunch, August 2023, Nevada State College, Las Vegas, NV.
- Aczon-Armstrong, M. (2023). “Cultivating and Nurturing Civility in Healthcare”. “Civility in the Classroom: Nurse Educators” at the Philippine Nurses Association of Nevada’s Summer Educational Seminar, Chairman’s Auditorium at Optum, Las Vegas, NV.
- Aczon-Armstrong, M. & Mandal, M. (2023). “What it means to be a Fulbright Scholar: Life-changing Experience” at the 59th Annual Western in Nursing (WIN) National Conference, Tucson, AZ.
- Aczon-Armstrong, M., Hurlbut, J., Bermundo, R. & Morone, J. (2022). “Vulnerability during a Pandemic” at 59th WIN Annual National Conference, Tucson, AZ.
- Chunyk, M. & Aczon-Armstrong, M. (2023). “Nurse Educator Transition into Academia: Lived Experience” at the 59th WIN Annual National Conference.
- Aczon-Armstrong, M. (2022). Subject Matter Expert (SME) Panel Expert member for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Series #2. Presentation: Racism in Clinical Practice. Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKbG_85CjIw
- Aczon-Armstrong, M. & Sorrell, T. (2021). “Boosting Vaccine Confidence in Minority Populations”. ANA COVID19 video education series.
Service to the Profession
- Visiting Professor, Fulbright Scholar at Uganda Christian University in Mukono, Uganda, Africa. Master of Nursing Science Nurse Education Track
- Lead Faculty and Coordinator, International Medical Mission Trips: 2019 Uganda, Africa and 2023 Rizal, Philippines
- National Advisory Committee Member and Mentor, SAMHSA MFP at ANA
- Editorial Board Member/Reviewer, Journal of Chronic Diseases International, Austin Publishers. ISSN:2379-7983
- Committee Member, Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
- Membership Assembly Representative for Nevada Nurses Association represented nurses of NV during “Hill Day” at Washington D.C.
- Director-At Large (2023-2025), Nevada Nurses Association
- Founding President, Asian American Pacific Islander Nurses Association of Hawaii (AAPINA Hawaii) and AAPINA of Nevada.
- Director-At Large (2025-2027), Hawaii American Nurses Association
Assigned Nursing Courses:
NUR 407 – Evidence Based Practice
NUR 816 – Epidemiology for Advanced Practice Nursing
NUR 852 – DNP Scholarly Project I: Design & Ethical Consideration of Practice Application
NUR 854 – DNP Scholarly Project II: Applying Practice Knowledge: Implementation/Outcomes
NUR 856 – DNP Scholarly Project III: Dissemination