The Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey will celebrate its 50th anniversary Sept. 18-20 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, honoring five decades of professional leadership, mentorship, advocacy and community service by Filipino nurses.
Founded Aug. 8, 1976, by a small group of nurses from the Philippines, the Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey, or PNANJ, was established to promote the intellectual, cultural, social, economic and personal well-being of Filipino nurses. Fifty years later, the organization’s leaders say that mission continues to guide its work across the state and beyond.
The three-day Golden Anniversary Celebration will bring together members, alumni, nurses, health care leaders, families, community partners and supporters. The milestone gathering will recognize PNANJ’s early pioneers, celebrate the organization’s growth and encourage a new generation of Filipino American nurses to lead with skill, compassion and purpose.
Legacy of leadership
PNANJ’s history reflects the work of generations of Filipino nurses who built careers, cared for patients, mentored colleagues and helped strengthen the nursing profession in New Jersey.
A key moment in the organization’s expansion came in 1987, when Filipino nurses at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center established PNANJ’s first subchapter. From those early beginnings, PNANJ expanded its reach while continuing to emphasize professional development, education, service, cultural pride, advocacy and fellowship.
“As we celebrate 50 remarkable years, we honor the vision and sacrifices of our founders and every nurse who helped build PNANJ into the organization it is today,” PNANJ President Maria Victoria Roque said in a statement. “Their legacy lives on in every patient we serve, every nurse we mentor and every community we strengthen.”
Roque said the anniversary is both a recognition of the organization’s history and a renewed commitment to advancing nursing excellence in the years ahead.
Looking forward
The celebration will take place against the backdrop of Atlantic City, offering PNANJ members and supporters an opportunity to reconnect while reflecting on the lasting impact Filipino nurses have made in health care.
Filipino nurses have contributed to patient care at the bedside, in education, administration, research, advanced practice, public health and community leadership. Their work has shaped hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and health care systems across New Jersey and the country.
“Fifty years of PNANJ represents a powerful story of service, resilience, professional excellence and unity,” Executive Director Dr. Jonathan Gapilango said in a statement. “What began with a small group of visionary nurses has become a legacy that continues to inspire and empower future leaders.”
Gapilango said the organization’s responsibility for the next 50 years is not only to preserve that legacy but to expand it through education, mentorship, advocacy, innovation and service.
For PNANJ, the anniversary is both a homecoming and a call to the future: an opportunity to honor the nurses who laid the foundation, recognize those carrying the mission today and inspire those who will lead the organization forward.
The Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey’s 50th Golden Anniversary Celebration will be held Sept. 18-20 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. Additional information is available at PNANJ.org.
PNANJ was a TOFA awardee in 2012. Executive Director Dr. Jonathan A. Gapilango was named among the 2025 TOFA100 Most Influential Filipinos in the World in Las Vegas for his leadership in nursing, mentorship and health advocacy.
