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At the 2026 Hawaiʻi State of Reform Health Policy Conference, leaders from across the state gathered to examine some of our most pressing public health challenges. Among them was Dr. Maya Maxym, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at JABSOM, who served as a panelist on a discussion titled Improving Population Health in Hawaiʻi: Examining the West Coast Public Health Alliance.
The panel focused on the role of the West Coast Health Alliance, a multi-state collaboration formed last year to strengthen public health coordination among western states. The alliance was created to ensure that health policy and public messaging continue to be guided by data and scientific evidence.
“Until recently, federal policy on essential things like screening for chronic diseases or vaccines was informed by data and science,” Maxym said. “Now we’re seeing that disinformation has made its way into the federal decision-making process, and that’s why the West Coast Health Alliance was formed.”
By pooling resources and expertise, the alliance aims to provide clear, evidence-based guidance to both the public and healthcare professionals. The West Coast Health Alliance has been active in recent weeks, offering opinions that differ from the federal government on topics like Hepatitis B vaccine recommendations.
“According to expert groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the birth dose of Hepatitis B is essential to protect against perinatally acquired infection, especially in a nation where a significant proportion of pregnant people do not have access to regular prenatal care,” Maxym said.
Maxym noted that mobilizing early has allowed the group to respond more effectively as national policy shifts unfold.
“One of the most important roles the alliance can play is being ahead of the game,” she said. “To be well prepared, to have the data, and to back up the recommendations being made with strong, high-quality evidence.”
During her remarks, Maxym highlighted a lesser-known but critical issue affecting vaccine infrastructure: threats to the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines and the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The program provides compensation in extremely rare cases of vaccine-related injury and plays a key role in maintaining public trust in vaccination systems.
“These are one-in-a-million events,” Maxym said, “but there are real threats to that program, and people need to understand what’s at stake. For example, expanding covered conditions to include severe autism, as the HHS secretary has publicly discussed doing, would potentially bankrupt the VICP fund, validate the misperception that there is a causal link between vaccines and autism when multiple large, rigorous studies have failed to show any link whatsoever, and risk disruptions to the vaccine supply for the entire country.”
Beyond her policy work, Maxym emphasized the importance of bringing these conversations back to JABSOM students. As a physician-educator at JABSOM, she regularly connects public health policy to patient care for medical students.
“It helps students understand that as physicians, they are experts, and experts matter to policymaking,” she said. “Policy doesn’t just happen at the federal level. There are real opportunities to make positive change at the state and local level, as well as to help individual patients by leveraging our understanding of federal and state policy that affects the children and families we care for.”