UH Hilo alumna Christina Method receives 2023 Professional Staff Award at her alma mater

Christina Method is noted for her positive impact on pharmacy students, caring deeply about them and doing whatever she can to help them succeed.

Wayne Higaki, Christina Method (in lei and with medal), Bonnie Irwin, and Jarred Prudencio stand for a photo.
From left, UH Regent Wayne Higaki, Professional Staff Award recipient Christina Method, Chancellor Bonnie Irwin, and nominator Associate Professor Jarred Prudencio, stand for photo at the 2023 Awards and Recognition Celebration, May 5, 2023. (Cooper Lund/UH Hilo Stories)

By Susan Enright.

Pharmacy College Logo with volcano and Words: The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo.An alumna from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo won the 2023 Professional Staff Award for her outstanding work at her alma mater.

With the award, Christina Method, a clinical education support specialist of pharmacy practice, is honored for her professional contributions to the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy and to the university as a whole, notably the positive impact she’s had on the welfare of students and colleagues. The award was announced at the annual Awards and Recognition Celebration hosted by Chancellor Bonnie Irwin on May 5.

Method started her work at the pharmacy college’s Office of Experiential Education in 2014. Previously, she attended Hawai‘i Community College where she prepared for a four-year university by earning associate degrees in liberal arts, accounting, and business technology. She went on to UH Hilo to receive a bachelor of business administration, and then as a certified pharmacy technician went to work at KTA Super Stores.

Method was nominated for the UH Hilo 2023 Professional Staff Award by Jarred Prudencio, associate professor of pharmacy practice and director of experiential education at the pharmacy college who works closely with the award recipient.

“Christina exemplifies mastery of her area and has had such positive impacts on the college, including students, faculty, staff and external stakeholders,” says Prudencio.

Prudencio says Method is highly skilled at organizing and logistics. She manages large events such as verbal examinations and interprofessional events both online and in person. Notably, she organizes the experiential learning component of the pharmacy curriculum, where students are learning through hands-on work at local health care facilities. “She makes sure everything is running smoothly, a challenging job.”

“Experiential education represents roughly one-third of the curriculum, where students are learning at various rotation sites throughout the state,” explains Prudencio. While communicating with many external stakeholders from various healthcare settings, “Christina works to ensure that students meet the necessary clearance requirements set forth by all of the external sites, including hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies.

“She is a strong representative for the college and university,” he adds. “Being a certified pharmacy technician herself, she truly understands how healthcare organizations function and is able to network well with these entities.”

College of Pharmacy pictured
Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, UH Hilo.

Prudencio also notes Method’s impact on pharmacy students, that she cares deeply about them and does whatever she can to help them succeed.

“I have heard her many times telling students to remember why they wanted to be a pharmacist, and to keep their end goal in mind when the coursework gets tough.”

-See also, news release at the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy website.


Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.

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