Leader in health care and champion for Guam’s most vulnerable

Dr. Margaret Perez Hattori-Uchima (1965-2022), PhD, RN, FAAN (Familian Titang) was a nurse, a teacher, a scholar, and a staunch advocate for health care rights for Guam’s most vulnerable populations, particularly those experiencing homelessness. She was the daughter of Paul and Fermina LG Perez Hattori. Married to Guam Community College instructor Katsuyoshi “Kat” Uchima, she was mother to Marijana and Angelina Hattori Uchima. Hattori-Uchima came from a family of nine children and was twin to her sister Mary, alongside Anne, Yvonne, Paul, Stephen, Thomas, Barbara, and Robert.

Dr. Hattori-Uchima graduated in 1983 from Academy of Our Lady of Guam high school, after completing elementary and middle school at Santa Barbara Catholic School in Dededo. She then obtained associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, a master of science degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix, and her PhD in nursing from Villanova University, receiving a Distinguished Dissertation Award.

Since childhood, Hattori-Uchima was an adventurer, a cheerleader, and a problem solver. She was not one to avoid difficult situations or conflict, and frequently spoke out in support of Guam’s disadvantaged communities. Hattori-Uchima also loved paddle boarding, a hobby that provided both physical exertion and peaceful breaks from the demands of work.

School of Health Dean

After becoming a registered nurse (even before receiving her bachelor’s of science in nursing), Hattori-Uchima worked for 15 years as a nurse in Hawai’i and California before returning home to Guam in 2000. She became a faculty member at the University of Guam (UOG) in 2001, and served as the Dean of UOG’s School of Health from 2014-2023. During her time at the School of Health, Hattori-Uchima was especially proud of the high pass rate on the nursing board exam among graduating students. In 2019, all 31 UOG nursing graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) on their first attempt taking the test. The class’s 100% first-time pass rate, including both spring and fall graduates, exceeds the US national pass rate for baccalaureate graduates of 91.2% and the international rate of 45.5%. The previous four graduating classes, from 2016 to 2019, had a 99% first-time pass rate or higher, resulting in nearly 100 registered nurses entering the workforce.

For her work as a scholar, researcher, and social rights advocate, Hattori-Uchima received numerous awards. In 2016, she received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Hawai’i in and was recognized by the 28th Hawaii State Legislature for this award. In 2019, she was recognized as Guam Nurse of the Year by the Guam Nurses Association. Further recognition of her achievements came in 2020 when she became Guam’s first fellow to be inducted into the American Academy of Nursing. This prestigious fellowship recognized Hattori-Uchima for her contributions in advancing healthcare and public health.

In 2023, the UOG Board of Regents voted to rename the college Margaret Perez Hattori-Uchima School of Health, in honor of Hattori-Uchima’s work and legacy.

Advocate for Guam’s homeless community

Hattori-Uchima provided leadership in the study and alleviation of health disparities. One important aspect of her work involved working with Guam’s homeless population. She developed a partnership with and, for more than a decade, consistently engaged her students in the work of the Guam Homeless Coalition (GHC). Hattori-Uchima had been an active participant in GHC outreaches since 2009, served on the GHC Board and was its chairperson from May 2013 to May 2016. She co-chaired their Committee on Healthcare for the Homeless and was instrumental in planning the annual Homeless Point-In-Time Count, creating its reports and advocating for wrap-around services for the homeless.

Hattori-Uchima served on the Governor’s Guam Homeless Taskforce in 2014 and helped establish the Guma San Jose Expansion Project, the only shelter on the island for families. In this area of work, she wrote briefings and presented data on homelessness on Guam, including the status of homeless veterans, for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She served as an appointed member of Governor Lou Leon Guerrero’s Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Program where she secured grants to serve the community and build capacity in healthcare.

Worked to develop a regional health labor force

She fostered regional health labor force development both as a professor and later as an administrator at UOG. Hattori-Uchima was active as a Board Member in the American Pacific Nursing Leaders Council. She also secured significant funding for the Guam/Micronesia Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program. This grant program filled gaps in care for the elderly and those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias through workforce development, family and caregiver training, and enhancement of practice environments in community based and institutional settings. It also featured enhancement of the UOG Certified Nursing Assistant Program.

Among her grants, Hattori-Uchima was the contact Principal Investigator for the Pacific Islands Cohort on Cardiometabolic Health (PICCAH). This National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities grant involved studying people on Guam, Pohnpei, and Palau for a longitudinal study of multiple health outcomes and cardiometabolic diseases.

Her professional and academic collaborations worked to increase career research pathways for underrepresented students in biomedical fields. One significant effort was the National Institutes of Health Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity, Enhancing Cross Disciplinary Infrastructure and Training at Oregon (BUILD EXITO) grant program. This grant forged a partnership with Portland State University to engage underrepresented students in hands-on research experiences.

Beyond Guam, Hattori-Uchima was an advocate for improving the quality of care in the Micronesian region. She obtained funding for the biomedical training of underrepresented students in Micronesia. Hattori-Uchima also worked extensively with disadvantaged communities in Guam, including migrants from the Freely Associated States (FAS) who suffer inequities in health, education, and socioeconomic status.

Pandemic hero

Hattori-Uchima’s energies emerged in full force during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of the year 2020, before words like pandemic and comorbidity had entered our everyday vocabulary, panic surrounding the disease intensified. Covid victims faced isolation and quarantine, finger pointing, and trolling. Non-essential workers went home, and many others couldn’t work at all. UOG, like all the schools, went online. Most of the island’s community turned to sheltering as safely as we could in the comfort of our homes.

In the midst of Guam’s cautious lockdown behavior, Hattori-Uchima didn’t stay home. Instead, she courageously sought out and spoke out for the homeless and other disadvantaged persons.

Hattori-Uchima courageously organized and connected with these vulnerable communities to provide additional services. Her courage inspired others to join her. Nursing students, instead of retreating home, accelerated their program so they could graduate early and infuse Guam with a much-needed cohort of nurses. These students, alongside retired nurses and social workers who were already elderly and themselves scared of Covid, volunteered in droves. They manned the Covid-19 call centers, walked to homeless encampments to deliver masks, hand sanitizers, and eventually, vaccinations. Hattori-Uchima was proud to see the sheer courage of Guam’s nurses, social workers, and the entire healthcare community in the darkest days of the pandemic.She went on to secure large grants to provide outreach to others disproportionately impacted by the pandemic—such as families managing dementia and families with elders whose normal daily care rituals had been sidelined, and still more.

For her tremendous work during the pandemic, Hattori-Uchima was recognized by KUAM as a 2021 COVID Hero and by the Guam Army National Guard for her contributions to Operation Liberate Guam. In 2022, she received the 2022 National Association of Social Workers Guam Chapter Public Citizen Award for her professional and personal dedication to the health and well-being of our communities in Guåhan and throughout Micronesia during the pandemic. Even after her death in 2022, she continued to be commended for her long-term impact on Guam’s public health. In 2025, Dr. Hattori-Uchima was recognized as among the Pacific Daily News (PDN) and Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce Top 25 Most Influential Women in Guam.

Hattori-Uchima passed away on 26 December 2022. Her energy and her courage in the face of Covid-19 became contagious and inspired hundreds to face the fears of the pandemic head on, to act bravely and generously with compassion and kindness. This is how she will be remembered.

By Anne Perez Hattori, PhD, Mary Therese Perez Hattori, and Christopher Justin Hattori

For further reading:

Hattori-Uchima, Margaret. “Chuukese migrant women in Guam: Perceptions of barriers to health care.” Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal 2(1), (2017): 19-28. https://doi.org/10.9741/23736658.1049

Hattori-Uchima, Margaret, Maosheng Ren, and Ana Joy Mendez. “Guam Homeless Point-in-Time Count.” The Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority (2013).

Hattori-Uchima, Margaret, Wood, Kathryn. “Nursing Leadership in Guam.” Nursing Administration Quarterly 43:1, (2019): 19-25.

Hernandez, Julianne. “Margaret Hattori-Uchima: University dean, health care advocate, ‘great’ mom.” Pacific Daily News, 27 December 2022.

KUAM News. “UOG Charter Month 2022: School of Health Dean Dr. Margaret Hattori-Uchima.” 23 March 2022.

Pacific Daily News & Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce. “Top 25 Most Influential Women on Guam 2025: Dr. Margaret Hattori-Uchima.” Pacific Daily News, 7 March 2025. 

Paulino, Yvette, C., Margaret Hattori-Uchima, Laura E. Buback, Teofila P. Cruz, Annette L. Aguon, Carlos R. Taitano, Michael J.A. Reid. “Guest essay: Guam experience and lessons for responding to epidemic threats—Academic institution fosters collaborations/multisectoral approach for COVID outbreak and vaccine preparedness.” In Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Health Security: COVID-19 and Ensuring Future Pandemic Preparedness in Ireland and the World. By Sebastian Kevany and Aoife Kirk. Cambridge: Elsevier Academic Press, 2022.