For Emman Parian, Strong Partnerships Are at the Heart of Public Health

September 17, 2025 | Anya Groner

As immunization program manager for the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation (CHCC) in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Emman Parian and his team work closely with a range of organizations: school systems, government agencies, private businesses, other Pacific Island jurisdictions, and national partners including ASTHO and the Association of Immunization Managers. Maintaining relationships through effective and regular communication sustains those networks and the communities they serve. Thus, the immunization program meets with partners regularly, basing the meeting frequency on partner’s roles and preferences. They also encourage off-island partners to visit in person so they can better understand the CNMI context. According to Parian, they rely on each other for their successes — a lesson he has learned throughout his public health career.

Developing a Knack for Community Engagement

In less than a decade, Parian has built an impressive career in public health. His journey began in 2018 as a student intern in public health at CHCC. Though he initially planned to become a nurse, his role offering support to community members with hypertension identification and control changed his trajectory. He was able to support people trying to navigate which services they could utilize to improve their health. When his internship ended, participants reported that his calls helped them manage their blood pressure and inspired them to make changes in their nutrition, medication compliance, and regular clinical visits — demonstrating Parian’s impact and providing him with fulfillment.

 

 

Discovering the Power of Collaboration

The power of personal interactions inspired Parian to pursue a bachelor’s degree in health care management and a master’s degree in public health. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, he was shadowing CHCC’s CEO, Esther Muña, and corporate quality and performance manager, Halina Palacios, getting a front row seat as the organization’s leadership team developed their initial response to the pandemic. From this position, he learned effective strategies for addressing public health crises, like leveraging partnerships and building community trust, as well as approaches for successful workforce development.

Eventually, he landed a permanent position as a vaccine specialist, managing storage, handling, and distribution of vaccines for the jurisdiction, then becoming the vaccine program coordinator overseeing the COVID-19 vaccination program for several years. Parian attributes his success to the supportive culture at CHCC where program managers and leadership regularly collaborate to align their missions for the benefit of the community.

Making Advancements Through Outreach

These days, Parian is a leader at CHCC, working as the immunization program manager for CNMI. Post-pandemic, vaccine hesitancy is on the rise. Parian’s team is responding by building trust through relationship-building activities and education.

The team regularly visits villages, schools, health programs, and community centers, and even runs Saturday clinics/outreach events to ensure that all community members have the opportunity to get vaccinated. Efforts like these are particularly important given CNMI’s geography, which includes 14 islands, with three populated islands (Saipan, Tinian, and Rota). Even so, CNMI is in a better position to respond to future public health emergencies post-pandemic due to their expanded and improved partnerships and collaboration.

 

 

Leading with Open Communication

As a manager, Parian emulates the leadership models that he encountered early in his career. Open communication enabled Parian’s rise in the field, and he encourages discussion among his team. Whether feedback is positive or negative, Parian takes it into consideration. For him, leadership doesn’t mean dictating what your team does but instead working alongside them and being open-minded. That approach resonates.

Building a leadership approach that works is important, as turnover can hinder programs due to lost institutional knowledge and a constant need to retrain employees. But lately, there’s less turnover. Parian notes that young people are increasingly invested in health care careers, a shift he attributes to recent health crises. Like him, they have a drive for outreach work and find fulfillment in it.

Positioned for Future Public Health Success

Strong collaboration builds the sustainability and infrastructure necessary for CHCC to succeed in their public health efforts. Should a new health crisis emerge, CHCC will be able to coordinate with partners to quickly identify resources, technical assistance, and subject matter experts. With strong teams and partnerships in place, Parian believes CHCC is ready for the future.