Marife Aczon-Armstrong, PhD, MSN, MSCP, CCM, RN-BC

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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

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