The JABSOM Lens 2021-2022 by UHMed JABSOM

2021 - 2022

THE JOHN A. BURNS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I MANOA

CONTENTS 3 4 7 12 20

GIFTS ACCOLADES TRANSITIONS Editor-in-Chief Executive Editors

Deborah Manog Dimaya, Interim Director of Communications Julie Inouye, Senior Executive Director of Development Aaron Mandich, Associate Director of Development

Copy Editors

Christie Leidholm Marybeth Kotrodimos Joanne Ikehara

Main Writers

Deborah Manog Dimaya Paula Bender

Main Photographers

Deborah Manog Dimaya Vina Cristobal Paula Bender

Cover Art

Jennifer Manyu Wong, MD 2024 candidate. “Keeping Ourselves Safe So We Can Keep You Safe” was originally submitted as an art piece to Mauli, the student-initiated and student-run art and literary journal of JABSOM and its greater medical community. Read more about Mauli on page 13.

ALUMNI ALOHA `OE

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN JABSOM STATEWIDE SCIENCE MATTERS STUDENT LIFE RESIDENTS & FELLOWS

23 27 30 31 34

Scan to access the online version of The JABSOM Lens

Message from the Dean ALOHA MAI KĀKOU,

As we enter the beginning of 2022, we should acknowledge the important work that our faculty, staff, students and others have done to mitigate the impact of the COVID pandemic on Hawai‘i and beyond. Our faculty, staff, residents/fellows, students and leaders have provided important community leadership and advocacy regarding preventive measures (masks, hand washing, vaccinations [COVID + booster and influenza], staying home when ill, etc.) that have been shared broadly through scientific and lay publications, media presentations and public service announcements. Enhanced community COVID testing capacity was provided during 2020-early 2021 by our Tropical Medicine team partnering with the University Health Partners of Hawai‘i and the City and County of Honolulu. Studies of early treatment modalities have been conducted by our faculty members from several departments. The Department of Tropical Medicine’s effort to develop a heatstable COVID vaccine for use in the tropics continues to show promise. The Department of Native Hawaiian Health has provided needed counseling support for health care providers plus community guidance to mitigate the increased risk for COVID morbidity experienced by Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. Investigators have been working with these at-risk populations to address factors which may impede early testing, general risk mitigation and vaccination. Further, the faculty and school executives have helped the University of Hawai‘i (UH) System navigate an extremely turbulent campus environment across all educational programs since the beginning of the pandemic. Despite these challenges, the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) has had a stellar year in terms of research funding, introduction of major educational innovations (learning communities, neighbor island education opportunities, longitudinal clerkships), strengthening opportunities supporting a diverse resident/fellow/student/faculty ‘ohana, transformative agreements with our larger health system partners and the recruitment of outstanding residents, fellows, medical students and graduate students. While these are difficult times, such moments bring out the true character of an institution and its worth. We have great reason to take pride in the collective work of the JABSOM ‘Ohana. Mahalo nui loa to all of you for contributing to this success.

Jerris R. Hedges, MD, MS, MMM Professor & Dean Barry & Virginia Weinman - Endowed Chair John A. Burns School of Medicine University of Hawai`i - Ma-noa

JABSOM STATEWIDE

New academic affiliation agreements A

long with the University Health Partners of Hawai‘i (UHP), UH JABSOM entered affiliation agreements with The Queen’s Health Systems (QHS) and Hawai‘i Pacific Health (HPH). These agreements permitted the transfer of the JABSOM affiliated faculty practices embedded within UHP to the two major health systems having educational partnerships with UH JABSOM. Through these transformative affiliation agreements, UH JABSOM and the health systems see a significant strengthening of the practice and clinical learning environment within the health systems.

JABSOM KAKA ‘AKO CAMPUS

Although each health system will work with JABSOM to transform the clinical learning environment in unique ways, there will be significant benefits to learners, the partners, and the community including the following: • Strengthening and enhancing the education of the next generation of medical students, residents, fellows and other health professionals in Hawai’i. • Attracting and retaining talented faculty, physicians and researchers in Hawai‘i. • Expanding clinical and research programs and providing

• •

•

opportunities to create innovative models of care. Enhancing teaching, research and community service missions. Encouraging and creating pathways for the next generation of healthcare professionals to provide care in our state. Improving each organization’s ability to meet the needs of vulnerable communities and to address health inequities. Accelerating processes and programs resulting in improved health of communities served.

JABSOM STATEWIDE

Improving health through a Hawaiian framework F

or decades, Native Hawaiians have been plagued with disproportionately higher rates of chronic diseases and higher mortality rates than the general population in Hawai‘i – a stark contrast from the native population’s origins as a communal society that lived off the land, allowing for a nutritious diet, active lifestyle and holistic wellness. A new report suggests the need for a Hawaiian framework for achieving social and health equity in Hawai‘i.

Because culture is such a significant part of what distinguishes a population, especially indigenous communities, disease prevention, treatment, and management programs must be culturally-responsive at their core and the cornerstone of health promotion, said Kaholokula.

“

Funded by The Queen’s Health Systems, the second edition of the “Assessment & Priorities for the Health and Well-Being in Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders” focuses on the health status of Native Hawaiians. Nā Pou Kihi, developed by Dr. Joseph Keawe‘aimoku Kaholokula, chair of Native Hawaiian Health at JABSOM, proposes systemic changes in political, educational, economic and social systems needed for Native Hawaiian Health to improve. It also provides evidence-based research that further suggests that the health of Native Hawaiians will thrive when their health care is rooted in Native Hawaiian culture. Authors of the report include Dr. Kaholokula, Mele Look and Dr. Shelley Soong of the UH medical school.

PIKO grant A

$15-million, five-year grant awarded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences establishes the Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge and Opportunities (PIKO) to improve the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Pacific People (IPP): Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders and Filipinos. These communities comprise 40% of Hawai‘i’s population and have disproportionately higher rates of physical ailments and mental health conditions, compared to Caucasian and Asian people in Hawai‘i. PIKO will use a team-science approach to transform current research paradigms to accelerate clinical and translational research to improve IPP health. This Institutional Development Award for Clinical and Translational Research is a partnership between UH Mānoa, Hawai‘i Pacific University, Chaminade University of Honolulu and a network of community-based organizations, led by JABSOM faculty Drs. Joseph Keawe‘aimoku Kaholokula, PhD, professor and

DRS. RICHARD YANAGIHARA, NEAL PALAFOX AND JOSEPH KEAWE ‘AIMOKU KAHOLOKULA

chair of Native Hawaiian Health and Neal A. Palafox, MD, MPH, professor of Family Medicine and Community Health. Professor of Pediatrics Dr. Richard Yanagihara serves as the PIKO program director.

JABSOM STATEWIDE

#ThisIsOurShot T he iconic image of a woman with her shirt sleeves rolled up, flexing her biceps above the bold words “We can do it,” circulated throughout the United States during World War II. Rosie the Riveter was an American symbol representing strength in unity and in January 2021, her likeness reappeared on social media to encourage a united front in the battle against COVID-19.

Dr. Chien-Wen Tseng, a family physician, JABSOM professor, and member of the prestigious U.S. Preventive Services Task Force posted a photo of her and her faculty colleagues, Drs. Allen Hixon, Thomas Quattlebaum and Seiji Yamada, showing off the band-aids on their justvaccinated arms, imitating Rosie the Riveter. They joined many healthcare workers in the U.S. who posted vaccination selfies on social media along with the popular hashtag “#thisisourshot.”

decision to become vaccinated is a profoundly personal one that requires a deep sense of trust in science. As both a family physician and new mom, Dr. Baker chose to become vaccinated to keep her patients, colleagues and ‘ohana safe, especially her baby girl Izzy. “Knowing there was a possibility of creating protective antibodies to pass to Izzy through breast milk if I got vaccinated, I saw this as an opportunity to protect her, to protect my body and to protect those around me,” Dr. Baker said. “Let’s kōkua and protect one another.”

DR. NINA (BECKWITH) BAKER

Dr. Tseng looked back at a photo of herself receiving the first vaccine shot while holding in her hands a colorful paper sign that her children made for her. In bold marker, the sign reads: “Our mom is vaccinating for us. We love you mom.” “My kids are so proud of me,” Dr. Tseng says, “They understand that the COVID-19 vaccine is going to be like masks and social distancing – we do it to keep ourselves and those we love safe.” JABSOM Family Medicine resident Dr. Nina (Beckwith) Baker (JABSOM MD 2018) posted a powerful selfie of her own by flexing next to her “I got my COVID-19 vaccine” sticker proudly displayed on the front of an electric breast pump. She understands that the

FAMILY MEDICINE PHYSICIANS SHOW OFF THEIR VACCINE SHOTS

SCIENCE MATTERS

Innovative gene therapy

Scan to watch our video

DR. JESSE OWENS

he youngest full-time faculty member at the UH Institute for Biogenesis Research (IBR), Assistant Professor Dr. Jesse Owens, is developing a newer, safer and more efficient approach to gene therapy. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) just awarded him $2.3 million over the next five years as he leads a team of collaborators at JABSOM, MIT, and UC Davis. His grant, “Directed evolution of a sequence-specific targeting technology for therapeutic gene delivery to the human genome” addresses drawbacks to current genome editing technologies that randomly insert a therapeutic gene that can disrupt important host genes and potentially cause cancer. Methods like CRISPR (clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats), a family of DNA sequences in genomes of organisms, are inefficient in non-dividing cells and delivering large DNA cargos. However, the technology that Owens is developing can direct large pieces of DNA to a safe location in the genome that can be used in all body tissues, both dividing and non-dividing, “which will allow us to cure more types of diseases.” This grant is particularly noteworthy because it was a first-time

submission and received a score in the 1st percentile, scoring more highly than 99% of all grants submitted from institutions across all 50 states in the US. “Not only is he faculty here, he got his PhD here, he was trained here, and he was raised on the Big Island,” said IBR Director Dr. Steven Ward. “It shows that Hawai‘i can do some of the world’s greatest biomedical research.” Born and raised on Hawai‘i island, Owens shares his Hilo High School alma mater with renowned Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, who developed CRISPR gene therapy. At age 17, Owens dedicated his life to gene therapy research and hopes to inspire other children from Hawai‘i. He graduated from UH Mānoa in 2014 with a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology and now runs his own lab with 10 researchers. In addition to the NIH funding, Owens recently signed a sponsored research agreement with a private company specializing in non-viral gene therapies called SalioGen Therapeutics, with the goal of advancing the tools he is developing into clinical-stage gene therapy candidates.

SCIENCE MATTERS

First K99 award for UH D

r. Andrew Kekūpa‘a Knutson has received the Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity– a special group of National Institutes of Health Pathways to Independence, or K99/R00, awards. Faculty who earn NIH K-level funding are among the most promising faculty nationwide in their disciplines, with the K99 being the most prestigious. Knutson is the first UH researcher to earn this award. His award-winning proposal, “Epigenetic Regulation of the Hypoxic Response in the Mouse Heart,” investigates how the beating cells of the heart respond to low oxygen. In the future he hopes to focus on understanding how genomes are interpreted to give rise to the diverse cell types that make up a multicellular organism and how those different cell types respond to stress.

DR. ANDREW KEKUPA ‘A KNUTSON

Tracking the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants A

s a prime tourism destination, combined with its largely multi-racial residents, Hawai‘i presents an unparalleled opportunity to identify and chart the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 variants, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease. Recently, the UH JABSOM study, “Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Hawai‘i,” part of the Hawai‘i IDeA Networks for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program, has been awarded $779,792 for two years from the NIH. The study is based on the prediction that additional variants will be found in Hawai‘i because of its high influx of recreational travelers from COVID-19 hotspots.

TROPICAL MEDICINE CLINICAL LABORATORY. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREN CHING

Dr. Vivek R. Nerurkar, professor and chair of the UH Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, leads the team of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and bioinformaticians, including the INBRE Bioinformatics Core group, in sequencing and analyzing the genetic information of these variants circulating throughout the state. The project represents a collaboration with four CLIA-certified laboratories in Honolulu that perform FDA EUA COVID-19 diagnostic tests. In addition, the study is providing a unique opportunity for participation by undergraduates in our Hawai‘i INBRE student research program.

SCIENCE MATTERS

Teaching the intricacies of the human body virtually

DR. SCOTT LOZANOFF USES THE GREEN SCREEN TO PRESENT A 3D MODEL

ne of the most valuable lessons for a first-year medical student happens within the walls of the anatomy lab. Traditionally, students sit in a lecture before splitting into small groups where they respectfully learn from their first patients – silent teachers in a cadaver lab. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced many schools to provide hybrid and distance learning options in spring 2020, the medical school decided to repurpose green screen equipment to enhance their online anatomy classes. Dr. Scott Lozanoff, anatomy professor, quoted the old proverb “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Previously, the Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology, in collaboration with Lozanoff ’s startup company Rad3D, had been using green screens to produce anatomical structures in “augmented reality” and literally make a 3D image of an organ pop off the pages of a book. This time, they used a technique called chroma keying to superimpose faculty onto media (images, powerpoint presentations, videos, and real-time 3D models) to deliver course content in a more personalized and interactive fashion during virtual learning. Though this process was time-consuming and complex, one of the comments received in a student survey stated that they enjoyed the hybrid learning approach because the online dissection can be used as a visual guide, allowing them to be more efficient with their time and “more focused” when they physically went into the lab. MD 2023 candidate Nicole Nakamatsu sought to use the green screens and a teleprompter to deliver poster presentations online. This method allowed her to maintain eye contact with the camera, preserving the personal, interactive effect of traditional in-person poster presentations. Her research involving this technology won “best poster presentation” at the JABSOM Annual Biosciences and Health Disparities Symposium. The department hopes to install more permanent green screens in the lab with the goal of making this technology more easily available to educators and students and to help them create more compelling education media in addition to live presentations.

New graduate certificate in clinical research P

art of the UH medical school’s Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research Program offers a diverse and challenging field for those interested in advancing new discoveries and improving human life through science. The 15-credit program is flexible, offering students the ability to complete the program in two semesters, if full-time, or to work at their own pace, part-time. The program is ideal for medical school applicants, medical trainees, physicians, nurses and health professionals interested in developing their skills for collaborative clinical research. It also provides students with the opportunity to transition to a higher-level master’s degree program if desired. The inaugural cohort began in Fall 2021.

EDUARDO GAMEZ IN THE BIOSCIENCES BUILDING

SCIENCE MATTERS

NIH funds type-2 diabetes study in NHPI Communities

DR. ALIKA MAUNAKEA ON THE RIGHT ALONGSIDE MEMBERS OF HIS LAB TEAM

he NIH’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities awarded a five-year, $3.3 million R01 grant to the study “Socioecological Determinants of Immunoepigenetic Signatures of Diabetes Risk in Indigenous Communities.” Led by Native Hawaiian biomedical researcher Dr. Alika Maunakea, associate professor in JABSOM’s Department of Anatomy,

Biochemistry & Physiology, this study involves a collaboration with other scientists at JABSOM, UH Economic Research Organizations (UHERO), UH Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco and Rutgers University. Maunakea said this is the first study to examine the relationship between immune cell epigenetics and the gut microbiome, the first to gather cell and molecular data relevant to diabetes in a social network setting, and the first epigenome and microbiome study of a relatively young group of individuals in the NHPI populations. It is hoped that this is the first of many studies to reduce diabetes, establish health equity, and enable prevention in the state’s culturally rich communities. UHERO’s Ruben Juarez, PhD, said, “The interaction between social factors and biological processes will be examined to understand their collective impact on diabetes risk.” While developing preliminary data for the R01 study, Maunakea said they helped with COVID-19 education and testing in NHPI communities. “All those things come into play in a lab that is molecular based; and that would contribute to the community on the research side, the education side and in community building.”

First virtual Biomedical Sciences and Health Disparities Symposium

s the Annual Biomedical Sciences and Health Disparities Symposium went completely virtual in April 2021, first-time faculty co-chairs Drs. Saguna Verma and Peter Hoffmann diligently planned to make sure everything from the registration process to the webinar presentations and breakout poster sessions were hiccup-free. A wide variety of topics were presented, including medical education/remote learning, infectious disease, neuroscience and orthopedics. This year the awards for “2021 Best Poster Presentation” went to two medical students, Shirley Cheng and Nicole Nakamatsu, and three graduate students, Marissa Miyagi, Rachel Sachs and Alexandru Sasuclark.

Poster presentation highlight:

Prior to entering JABSOM, MD 2024 candidate Shirley Cheng conducted research at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, examining circulating tumor cells and metastatic progression, the spread of cancer in the body. She then worked at the UH Cancer Center as the lead coordinator for a national breast cancer screening study and SHIRLEY CHENG contributed to a community outreach project that focused on increasing minority inclusion in research trials. Her poster, “Genomic Landscape of Cell-Free DNA in a Diverse Cohort of Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients,” uses a commercially available and non-invasive liquid biopsy test to analyze mutations in patients with metastatic breast cancer, which can help identify appropriate treatments available in clinical trials. Cheng, an aspiring oncologist, hopes to continue doing research and to help future patients develop a better outlook and quality of life after cancer.

SCIENCE MATTERS

Vaccine development updates C ollaborators at UH Mānoa describe the potent efficacy of vaccine candidates against three life-threatening filoviruses, Zaire ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus and Marburg Marburgvirus, in an article titled “Recombinant Protein Filovirus Vaccines Protect Cynomolgus Macaques from Ebola, Sudan, and Marburg Viruses,” published in Frontiers in Immunology. Axel Lehrer, PhD, associate Professor in JABSOM’s Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, collaborates with Soligenix, Inc., a company that develops and commercializes products to treat rare diseases where there is an unmet medical need. A $1.5 million Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases helps fund the collaborative research. The collaborators’ thermostable single-vial filovirus vaccine of highly purified protein antigens combined with the novel CoVaccine HT™ was shown to protect 75% of vaccinated non-human primates against subsequent Sudan ebolavirus challenges. A single-vial subunit vaccine shipped at room temperature and reconstituted with sterile water immediately prior to use will simplify global storage and distribution efforts. Because of COVID-19, Lehrer and his lab rapidly pivoted research from filoviruses to SARS-CoV-2, resulting in another article, “Protein Vaccine Induces a Durable, More Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Response in Macaques than Natural Infection with SARS-CoV-2 P.1.” The COVID-19 vaccine candidate is called CiVax™ and uses the same heat-stable platform that does not require refrigeration or freezing. The vaccine candidate showed promising neutralizing antibody responses against several variants, including Delta.

DR. AXEL LEHRER

PhD students honored for work in tropical medicine

he American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene presented its Young Investigator Award to two JABSOM doctoral students. The award recognizes the work of outstanding young scientists and encourages them to pursue careers in tropical disease research. There were 1,665 posters presented virtually at the international conference held in November 2020. Kaitlin Driesse won first-tier mention for her work, “Characterization of Serological Response to Dengue and Zika Viruses in Pregnant Women During the Zika Outbreak in Brazil.” Driesse, a PhD student and graduate research assistant, studies with mentor Dr. Wei-Kung Wang. Recently, Driesse conducted research in Salvador, the epicenter of Zika virus outbreak in Brazil. Driesse says the goal is to study the effects of DENV-ZIKV cross-reactive antibodies on disease outcomes in pregnant women and their infants.

KAITLIN DRIESSE

BRIEN HAUN

Brien Haun won honorable mention, discussing, “LAG-3: A Potential Checkpoint of the Humoral Immune Response to Immunization.” Under the mentorship of Dr. Axel Lehrer, Haun presented his team’s work to further understand and improve upon potent antibody responses to immunization.

STUDENT LIFE

Kamu’s story: a gift of scholarship A

s a young father whose infant son was diagnosed with a rare bleeding disorder shortly after birth, Samuel Kamuela Andrade struggled to understand the medical knowledge behind the disorder and wanted to learn more. He and his wife were deeply moved by his son’s pediatrician, Dr. James Raelson, who went above and beyond to care for their son, making home visits and teaching them how to provide lifetime treatment in the form of daily infusions. As a lifeguard turned firefighter, Andrade naturally had a passion for helping people in dire situations, but this experience was truly life-changing for him. “I’ve done a lot of rescues in my life but what he (Dr. Raelson) did for us and my son for those first few months of his life (was remarkable) – he rescued me, he rescued my family, he rescued my son,” Andrade said. “I wanted to experience that. I wanted to do that kind of rescuing.”

SAMUEL “KAMUELA” ANDRADE

Andrade made the ambitious decision to pursue his third career as a doctor but it was not without hesitation due to the financial burden it would put on him and his family. Although he didn’t make it into JABSOM on his first try, he considers it a blessing in disguise because he was accepted into the school’s ‘Imi Ho‘ōla Post-Baccalaureate Program.

“I’m so grateful that I got into ‘Imi instead of getting into medical school first, because they provided me with the foundation that I needed; they taught me how to study. They taught me how to manage my time,” Andrade said. Part of the JABSOM Department of Native Hawaiian Health, ‘Imi Ho‘ōla is a year-long preparatory program that recruits students from historically underprivileged or disadvantaged backgrounds. For years, The Queen’s Health Systems (QHS) has provided the students with monthly stipends, allowing students to commit their full attention to the rigorous premedical program. Upon successful completion, these students matriculate into JABSOM’s newest MD class. In 2019, QHS provided four-year, full-tuition scholarships to three graduates of ‘Imi Ho‘ōla, including Andrade. He says that receiving a fulltuition scholarship was “affirmation for everything that I’ve been through so far – what we were trying to accomplish together as a family, what my son went through and how his pediatrician inspired me to go on this path.” Currently a third-year medical student, Andrade hopes to pursue family medicine and would like to return to Kaua‘i to provide rural community health care. Scan to watch our video

KAMU WITH HIS FAMILY

STUDENT LIFE

First-hand patient experience inspires creation of Mauli I

MAULI COVER ART PROVIDED BY DR. DON PARSA

“

I acknowledged the fear and beauty of life’s unpredictability and how we ultimately have the power to tell our own stories through art and writing and I felt called to help spark a humanities journal to facilitate a platform for self-expression.

“

t would not be an unusual sight to see a first-year medical student in a hospital. But after an acute attack of right lower abdominal pain, medical student Vera Ong found herself hooked up to an IV pole and confined to a hospital bed while worrying about doing well on her final exams that were less than a week away. Being an out-of-state student with her family miles away in California, she found comfort in forming a genuine bond with her hospital roommate, “Mrs. T,” who could not have any visitors due to COVID-19 restrictions (December 2020). This sour-turned-sweet experience inspired Ong to create Mauli, the JABSOM art and literary journal. The publication was truly a studentled effort, with Ong and her classmates collecting writing and visual arts pieces from medical students, faculty, staff, alumni and other JABSOM affiliates. In fact, MD 2024 candidate Jennifer Wong designed the cover of this “JABSOM Lens” issue. Her art was originally featured in the VERA ONG inaugural Mauli, which debuted in July 2021 and can be viewed on the Office of Student Affairs website. Dr. Malia Purdy bestowed the group with the journal’s name, Mauli, which embodies ideas of growth, connection to humanity, and a bridge between the fields of science and humanities.

~ Vera Ong, JABSOM MD 2024 candidate

Virtual angels I

n December 2020, the UH Houseless Outreach and Medical Education (H.O.M.E) Project and the Family Medicine Interest Group went virtual with its Annual Giving Tree. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic having shuttered many businesses and forced many into unemployment, the community responded positively and fulfilled the Christmas wish lists of 380 homeless keiki– the largest endeavor in the history of the giving tree at JABSOM.

VASANT PADWARDHAN, ENZE MA AND MEGAN HORITA LOAD THE VAN WITH GIFTS

Medical and pre-medical student volunteers spent hours wrapping gifts and preparing them to be delivered to keiki across several O‘ahu shelters. They also supplied gifts for some of the kids to give to their parents and made goodie bags for families containing food, hygiene products, and emergency supplies (first-aid kits, flashlights, blankets, etc).

STUDENT LIFE

Twelve new kauka ‘opio

light shower of rain, considered a blessing, came down upon the Annual Kīhei Ceremony, followed by the appearance of a rainbow. Twelve Native Hawaiian medical students were presented with a kīhei, or Hawaiian cloak, which they designed themselves and describes their personal journeys to becoming a doctor.

the embodiment of Kanaloa, god of the sea and all marine life. The reasons are many: the he‘e is intelligent (an essential trait in physicians) and demonstrates resiliency by regrowing limbs after injury. In addition, he says that nearly all 12 students had or will have had the chance to go to Kaho‘olawe as a class (another name for the island of Kaho‘olawe is Kanaloa).

In the program, Dr. Max Pono Castanera (JABSOM MD 2021) wrote that “one of the best symbols for our class of Native Hawaiians is the he‘e (octopus).” The he‘e is

“Much as our class had to navigate both of our clinical years during the COVID-19 pandemic, we all were resilient and thrived in an ever-changing environment

DR. MAX PONO CASTANERA CLOAKED BY HIS FATHER

12 NEW NATIVE HAWAIIAN PHYSICIANS

(virtual clerkships, missing out on patients with fevers/shortness of breath, virtual interviews and no away rotations),” Castanera said. The piko designs on their kīhei also appear to resemble the he‘e with radiating lines that look like tentacles. The fact that Kaho‘olawe is the “piko of Hawai‘i and seen as the origin of navigational training for our kupuna and hopefully our mo‘opuna (descendants),” Castanera wrote, “I think it (he‘e) could not be a more perfect design to represent our class.”

STUDENT LIFE

All-wahine ‘Imi class T his year, the ‘Imi Ho‘ōla Post-Baccalaureate Program began a new cycle and welcomed its first all-wahine cohort. Part of UH JABSOM, ‘Imi Ho‘ōla is one of the most successful programs in the country to recruit aspiring physicians from underserved communities, providing them with the opportunity to matriculate into medical school after successful completion of the rigorous 12-month program. The new students hail from all parts of O‘ahu including Kane‘ohe, Honolulu, Wai‘anae, ‘Aiea; as well as from Kea‘au on Hawai‘i Island. Two are from Sinajana, Guam and Busan, South Korea. Ten received their undergraduate (7) and/or master’s degrees (3) from UH Mānoa.

THE NEW ALL-WAHINE COHORT

Commitment to health equity earns national recognition J

JESTER GALIZA

I have an intimate understanding of the challenges our underserved populations face and a passion for social justice in medicine,” Galiza said. “As a future physician and community leader, it is my life’s calling – my kuleana (deep-seated privilege and responsibility).

“

ester Galiza, MD 2022 candidate and class president, received the 2021 Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), becoming only the fourth JABSOM student in the school’s history to receive its top award for medical students. Galiza follows the ranks of previous USPHS awardees including Kalei Hosaka (2020 award), Elisabeth Young, MD (2018 award) and Brandyn Dunn, MD (2014 award).

The national award is given to medical students who are public health champions advancing the USPHS mission to “protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of our Nation” and who are helping to address public health issues in their community. It serves as affirmation of

Galiza’s engagement in advocacy, health policy and drive to fight for health equity for all, which stems from personal experiences as a firstgeneration Filipinx-American whose parents immigrated to Hawai‘i from the Philippines.

STUDENT LIFE

First on-campus convocation, commencement I

n May 2021, the UH medical school held its first on-campus convocation and commencement ceremonies to celebrate 68 new physicians as well as the completion of eight bachelor’s degrees, 30 master’s degrees, and two PhDs. There were two separate hybrid ceremonies that were both held outdoors under a tent next to the medical school and the UH Cancer Center. The attendees were limited to only the graduates, two guests per graduate, and a few faculty members. Both ceremonies were livestreamed on the JABSOM YouTube channel.

GRADUATES LINE UP OUTSIDE OF THE UH CANCER CENTER

DR. LUCIA AMORE RECEIVES HER MD

MD CLASS OF 2021 WITH FACULTY

“Aunty Fely” welcomes third-year students to Maui P ediatrician Felicitas Livaudais, MD, is Maui’s chief mentor and longitudinal integrated clerkship coordinator for JABSOM, who recruits other faculty physicians on Maui to be volunteer teachers for third-year medical students. Formerly known as 6L, the third-year curriculum of longitudinal training is required for all JABSOM students. The neighbor island training provides each JABSOM student new experiences as part of their required specialty rotations in outpatient settings covering pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, surgery, internal

medicine and psychiatry.

Livaudais said that through the pandemic, more than 20 mentors have been steadfast in their dedication to teach - growing the next generation - and they are eager for the students to return after their residencies. “Some students are lucky enough to have scholarships. Student debt often guides their choice of specialty. We surely need more primary care doctors in the neighbor islands,” Livaudais said. “To our donors, thank you for supporting scholarships and expenses for the

DR. FELICITAS LIVAUDAIS

neighbor island experience. To current and past students who have come to Maui, I am proud of all of you.”

STUDENT LIFE

Snapshot: Neighbor Island Training KAUAI

Up to 24% of students train on

24%

neighbor islands each year

O‘AHU MOLOKA‘I* * ‘Imi students

MAUI LANAI

HAWAI‘I ISLAND

Medical students train across 6 islands,

1 5.5

months

from

Vehicle = 11% Housing = 81%

Airfare = 8%

Physician Need

$207,345:

Statewide Physician Need Fulfilled

85%

Annual cost to train medical students on neighbor islands

60%

74%

85% O‘ahu

60%

60% Kaua‘i

Maui

Hawai‘i Island

Per 2021 AHEC Annual Physician Workforce Report

“

I found this a great opportunity to immerse myself into learning about how rural medicine works. Training in a rural community definitely gave me better perspectives in terms of patient care. ~ Maggie Kwock, JABSOM MD 2022 candidate

“

74%

STUDENT LIFE

MD 2021 Class Specialty Roundup

INTERNAL MEDICINE

FAMILY MEDICINE

ANESTHESIOLOGY

GENERAL SURGERY

PSYCHIATRY

OBSTETRICSGYNECOLOGY

PEDIATRICS

PATHOLOGY

RADIOLOGY

EMERGENCY MEDICINE

NEUROSURGERY

NEUROLOGY

DERMATOLOGY

OPHTHALMOLOGY

RADIOLOGYINTERVENTIONAL

Match Day 2021 was the first hybrid in-person and virtual special event at JABSOM since Hawai ‘i s first stayat-home COVID orders in 2020.

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More than half of the Class of 2021 are doctors who provide first contact for the majority of patients, including specialties with significant shortages.

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STUDENT LIFE

Student musicians produce first JABSOM holiday album

s many pandemic safety restrictions put a damper on holiday celebrations across the world in December 2020, the JABSOM Artists and Musicians (JAM) opted to spread holiday cheer through music! They put out a call for recorded holiday tracks and collected 14 songs to put together the first JAM album. The inaugural album features tracks from students, alumni, staff and the overall JABSOM community, including a blast from the past -- “Da Guava Pickers,” a group from the MD Class of 2007 who wrote, “Mahalo nui fo’ da opportunity fo’ make dis reunion single. Performing virtually from all over and we still got it!” JABSOM Audio Visual Specialist Mike von Platen also lent his talents to the project, helping to record and mix several of the tracks. The JABSOM Holiday Album volumes one and two, debuted online on Christmas Day in both 2020 and 2021, respectively.

SOME OF THE STUDENTS WHO LENT THEIR TALENTS TO THE FIRST JAM HOLIDAY ALBUM

Health care full-circle

ERIN NAPIER SNAPS A RECOVERY SELFIE WITH CLASSMATE KRISTINE VO

he desire to build genuine connections with patients, especially during their most vulnerable times, is what drew Erin NaPier toward a career in medicine. As she entered her third-year clinical rotations, she found out that she needed to get an appendectomy but focused on the bright side: 1) Her appendix was being removed before it would rupture; 2) Napier’s surgeon, Dr. Brian Wong (JABSOM MD 2002), was an alumnus who graduated exactly 20 years before her own expected graduation date. After a successful surgery, NaPier was delighted to see familiar faces in the form of her classmates who came by to check on her during their hospital rotations. “Hospitals can be overwhelming and scary to a patient. It was reassuring to know that my JABSOM ‘ohana was looking out for me, especially because my family wasn’t allowed to visit me due to the COVID protocols (at that time).”

RESIDENTS & FELLOWS

OB-GYN Research Day honors Dr. Thomas Kosasa T he Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health dedicated its 26th Annual Resident and Fellow Research Day to Dr. Thomas Kosasa, professor emeritus and past chief of reproductive endocrinology at JABSOM. Kosasa has been a very active faculty member, has authored more than 60 professional journal articles

and book chapters, and has welcomed more than 10,000 babies into the world as an OB-GYN. He was honored for the extraordinary efforts to elevate the community as a scholar, educator, clinician, mentor, and philanthropist. Dr. Ingrid Chern, third-year MD resident, clinched both the Outstanding Resident

Research Project and the Audience Choice Awards with her study “Racial and ethnic differences in gestational diabetes and the association with maternal and neonatal outcomes among women in Hawai‘i,” which involved reviewing over 10 years of medical records of deliveries at the Hawai‘i Pacific Health Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children. Her findings demonstrated that there are significant racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), with Asian women being more than twice as likely to have GDM compared to white women.

2021 OB-GYN RESIDENT AND FELLOW RESEARCH DAY. COURTESY OF MATTIAS ATTERBOM

Dr. Shandhini Raidoo, resident research director for the department, said, “Our residents and fellows have accomplished some very impressive projects despite the challenges of conducting research during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are very proud of their efforts and their accomplishments.”

JABSOM fellow published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas

r. Melanie Maykin, a maternal-fetal medicine fellow, had an article published on Nov. 10, 2021, in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas: “Discriminatory regulations on postpartum sterilization for Medicaid recipients propagate health inequalities.” “We’re excited to bring awareness to this issue, especially as we reflect on systemic discrimination and inequities within our healthcare system. Still, there is much more work to do.” Maykin said. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas publishes articles that advocate for improved healthcare

access and health outcomes in all regions of the world. Under existing Medicaid insurance regulations, women must complete the mandated Medicaid Title XIX form at least 30 days in advance of the sterilization procedure or risk being denied or personally billed for the quick post-birth option. Publicly insured women would appreciate the convenience, the economy, and the autonomy in planning the size of their family with this procedure performed prior to their discharge from the hospital, but Maykin points out many existing

DR. MELANIE MAYKIN

barriers with the process and timing of this form. Women with commercial insurance can decide on their preferred form of contraception at the time they present for delivery.

RESIDENTS & FELLOWS

Books for keiki at UHP Family Med Clinic D

Together we will extend the gift of reading to Hawai ‘i s keiki and their families, fill their homes with books, and inspire a lifelong love for reading. ~ Dr. Murata

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Academy of Family Physicians. She was inspired by the national Reach Out and Read Program (ROR), where primary care providers provide pediatric patients with age-appropriate books at each well-child visit and use that book as part of their examination of the child and as a segway into a conversation with parents about reading. The Family Medicine Clinic is now an approved ROR site.

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r. Kayla Murata (JABSOM MD 2020), first-year resident at the UH Family Medicine Residency Program received full funding to acquire books for the pediatric patients at the University Health Partners of Hawai‘i Family Medicine Clinic (now University Family Medicine at Pali Momi Medical Center) through a grant from the Hawai‘i Pediatric Association for Research and Education Foundation and the Hawai‘i

DR. KAYLA MURATA

Family medicine residents, faculty tackle pandemic research J

ABSOM’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) faculty and residents participated in the virtual Annual Biomedical Sciences & Health Disparities Symposium in April. JABSOM residents’ participation reflected work the DFMCH is doing in adjusting the provision of healthcare during the pandemic.

FM RESIDENTS AND FELLOWS IN THE SIMTIKI SIMULATION CENTER

Dr. Yoonhwan Roh shared the importance of providing necessary resources during those 14 days of quarantine and isolation during the early days of the pandemic. Dr. Nina Baker’s (JABSOM MD 2018) quality improvement project sought to practice the PDSA (plan-do-study-act) cycle in meeting the needs of Pali Momi clinic’s patients during the pandemic. Meanwhile, Dr. Kayla Murata (JABSOM MD 2020) presented her research on medical educators’ and Zoom attendees’ reflections and feedback on the use of virtual platforms on their learning that have been established due to the pandemic.

DID YOU KNOW? our Graduate Medical Education Program

welcomed 78 new physicians hailing from Hawai‘i and all over the world, including Indiana, New Mexico, Louisiana, New York, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan.

RESIDENTS & FELLOWS

Research adds value to Pediatric and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Programs I n May, the 20th Annual Raul Rudoy Research Day recognized the ongoing commitment to research and scholarly activity of the Pediatric Residency and NeonatalPerinatal Medicine Fellowship programs. The first place award went to Dr. Rachel Palting, DO, for her study, “The Health Impact of Pediatric Diabetes and Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Hawai‘i.” Dr. Rachel Santiago came in second place with her research, “Improving the Rate of Iron Prescribing for Breastfed Infants in a Community Pediatric Clinic in Honolulu.” Dr. Lindsey Heathcock won third place with her study,

“Characteristics of Healthcare Workers with Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Hawaii from March 10, 2020, to May 2, 2020.”

“Our desire is to train tomorrow’s physicians and healthcare leaders by providing opportunities to practice important skills, like how to develop research ideas, establish goals, practice critical thinking, incorporate feedback and effectively communicate findings,” said Prashant Purohit, MBBS, FAAP, pediatric intensivist faculty and resident research director. “Exploring the ideas of today will help advance pediatric medicine, leading to a healthier future for all children.”

DR. RACHEL PALTING

DR. RACHEL SANTIAGO

LIMITED IN-PERSON GUESTS AND PARTICIPANTS AT THE RAUL RUDOY PEDIATRIC RESEARCH DAY

DR. LINDSEY HEATHCOCK

GIFTS

A mother who overcame all odds T he late Dr. Florence Chinn was taught by her parents to value three things: education, family and community service. Accordingly, she excelled in all of her academic endeavors, raised five sons as a single mother and found so much joy in giving back to the community, that her family created a scholarship in memoriam. It was kismet that the gift was presented to the UH medical school on March 29, 2021, which would have been Chinn’s 94th birthday. She was a pioneering Chinese female doctor who overcame humble beginnings, gender prejudice, cultural limitations and racial discrimination.

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This scholarship PORTRAIT OF DR. FLORENCE CHINN in her name is a scholarship of hope. It encourages talented students to believe in themselves, in the difficult journey to be a doctor, ~ Dr. William Loui (JABSOM MD 1989), oncologist and Assistant Clinical Professor, said of the scholarship created in his mother’s name.

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DR. FLORENCE CHINN SURROUNDED BY HER FAMILY

Dollars that make a difference C

ANNA UNG

oming from an immigrant household, a four-year full-tuition scholarship means the world to first-year medical student Anna Minh Tu Ung. She was only seven years old when she and her family left Vietnam. She never considered a career in medicine until her AP chemistry teacher at Mililani High School planted the seed of becoming a doctor in her mind, noting her studious nature and interest in the sciences.

that received a full-tuition scholarship to JABSOM through the generosity of renowned philanthropists Barry and Virginia Weinman. This recent $1.56 million gift to fund these scholarships adds onto the previous gift made by the Weinmans, in partnership with The Queen’s Health Systems and Hawai‘i Pacific Health, which currently supports 23 additional MD student full-tuition scholarships.

To this day, the sting of a less-than-ideal interaction between her mother and her mother’s doctor regarding treatment options for her chronic hand pain continues to linger in the back of Anna’s mind. Despite being strongly recommended to undergo surgery, her mother’s previous experiences in Vietnam made her wary of surgical procedures. Ung now strives to become a physician that recognizes and overcomes patient barriers, whether it be language, culture, or socioeconomic status. Ung is just one out of ten students in the MD Class of 2025

THE WEINMAN SCHOLARS IN THE MD CLASS OF 2025

GIFTS

Gifts to the Willed Body Program by the care and respect that Claire received as a “silent teacher,” that in 2014, he established the Claire M. and Frederick C. Dauer Endowed Fund for Excellence in Clinical Anatomy Instruction to benefit the clinical anatomy instructional program within the JABSOM Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology. The initial gift allowed the department to purchase the first pieces of their augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) lab, which has grown immensely since then. By the time the pandemic had required many institutions to quickly shift their classes, including clinical anatomy, online, JABSOM was more than prepared. FRED DAUER LOOKS AT A WEDDING ALBUM WITH PHOTOS OF HIM AND HIS LATE WIFE, CLAIRE

hen Claire Dauer passed in 2012, she made the selfless decision to donate her body to the Willed Body Program. Her husband, Frederick “Fred” Dauer was so moved

“Because we already had a foundation for some of the AR and VR setups for the students, we were able to transition fairly easily,” said Director of the Willed Body Program Steven Labrash, CFSP. “In 2021, Fred expanded on his initial gift.”

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JABSOM’s first dean honored with endowed scholarship R enowned pharmacologist Dr. Windsor Cutting came to Hawai‘i in the mid-1960s to be the founding dean of the UH medical school. His experience as a former dean of Stanford University’s medical school was instrumental in providing JABSOM with a solid foundation. He oversaw only the first four two-year classes of JABSOM, but his vision and fortitude during the early years made a lasting impact for which we can all be grateful. Unfortunately, Dr. Cutting died in 1972, shortly

after the commencement of the last two-year class. To honor Dr. Cutting and the wonderful legacy he left for all at JABSOM, four grateful members of the class of 1971 established a perpetual scholarship endowment in his name to assist students needing financial aid. Other JABSOM alumni, friends and members from the Cutting ‘Ohana have also made contributions to the new endowed scholarship. In a short time, over $85,000 has been raised.

DR. WINDSOR CUTTING

Former dean of students honored with named scholarship F DR. BEN YOUNG

ormer JABSOM Dean of Students Dr. Ben Young (1972 to 1986) left a tremendous impact on JABSOM’s past and future. In addition, he established the ‘Imi Ho‘ōla Post Baccalaureate Program, was director of the Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence and also served as the physician on the Hōkūle‘a 1976 voyage from Tahiti to Hawai‘i. He continues to be fondly

remembered by many of his former students. JABSOM alumna Dr. Sherry Teefey (JABSOM MD 1981) was so appreciative of Dr. Young’s impact on her career and life that she created an endowed scholarship in honor of Dr. Young. The scholarship has since received contributions from many other JABSOM alumni who share similar sentiments towards Dr. Young.

GIFTS

Pioneering program to improve future docs I n July 2020, JABSOM welcomed 77 first-year medical students into its new curricular initiative, the Learning Communities Program. The anticipated positive impact of this medical education innovation on health care delivery has resulted in the Hawai‘i Medical Service Association Foundation adding to its initial support of the program and donating $5 million to establish the HMSA Learning Innovations Endowment to support innovative medical education.

The Learning Innovations Center within the JABSOM Office of THE CLASS OF 2025 WITH THEIR LEARNING COMMUNITIES Medical Education will continue to evolve medical training to meet the changing needs of the state’s health care system. The center this strategic philanthropic investment, especially during these will be renamed the HMSA Learning Innovations Center in tumultuous times,” said UH President David Lassner. “With this recognition of HMSA’s contribution and commitment. endowment as a resource, JABSOM will now have the long-term funding needed to continue to innovate and evolve our medical HMSA President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Mugiishi education delivery with the needs of our people and our islands.” said, “HMSA supports this initiative because we need our physician workforce to be prepared for new ways of viewing JABSOM Dean Jerris Hedges said, “The solution to the provider health, looking to the community as partners in the health of shortage is not simply to train more physicians, but to train our families. With constant changes in delivery of health care physicians differently and to help them adopt a new skill set better and advances in technology, the HMSA Learning Innovations suited for the future of practice in Hawai‘i. Innovation in curriculum Center will be critically important.” and medical training is essential for staying on the cutting edge of what our community needs for optimal, long-term health. We are “The HMSA Foundation is showing tremendous vision immensely grateful to HMSA for their generous investment in our and commitment to advance the health of Hawai‘i with collective future.”

Starting from the inside out E THE ANNUAL THANKATHON

ach fall for the past 14 years, JABSOM faculty and staff demonstrate their commitment to the school and its mission by participating in an annual internal giving campaign. To date, over $6 million has been raised to invest back into the projects and programs at the medical school. This year’s amazing display of generosity totaled $572,739 benefitting 110 different funds at JABSOM.

GIFTS

Honoring an early proponent of PBL U HA Health Insurance celebrated the 25th Anniversary of its founding with a $1 million donation to support student learning. The UHA Health Insurance and Dr. Max G. Botticelli Medical Innovation Endowment will support JABSOM’s efforts to develop and implement innovative curriculum initiatives, including “learning communities” and problem-based learning. The 3,300 square-foot thirdfloor student learning center in the Medical Education Building, formerly known as the ProblemBased Learning Center, is now the UHA and Dr. Max Botticelli Student Learning Center. It is dedicated to the memory of the late Dr. Max Botticelli, a legendary member of the JABSOM faculty, practicing physician, and co-founder of UHA. He was a strong advocate of problemDR. MAX G. BOTTICELLI based learning (PBL) in which small groups of students discuss clinical cases as part of an educational process, while a faculty member serves as a facilitator. PBL requires that students take an active role in their learning and fosters critical problem-solving and team-building skills.

DR. KALANI BRADY PLACES A MAILE LEI OVER THE PLAQUE AFTER BLESSING THE CENTER

ANN BOTTICELLI, DEAN JERRIS HEDGES, TIM DOLAN, DR. JILL OMORI AND HOWARD LEE

This $1 million gift is only the most recent from UHA to JABSOM. In August 2020, JABSOM announced the donation of $100,000 from UHA to help underwrite the launch of the innovative patient-centered Learning Communities Program designed to help JABSOM graduates develop trusting doctorpatient relationships that have been shown to improve health outcomes. The program was introduced in Fall 2020. Separately, the Botticelli family has long supported JABSOM through the Dr. Max G. Botticelli Memorial Endowment for Innovative Medical Education which was established in 2012.

AUSTIN CORPUZ, HOWARD LEE, ANN BOTTICELLI, TIM DOLAN, DEAN JERRIS HEDGES, LINDA KALAHIKI, DR. JILL OMORI, DR. GEORGE MCPHEETERS, EMILY SANTIAGO AND COLLIN LIANG

ACCOLADES

Dr. Lew recognized for innovation in physiatry education Y

ears before the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Henry Lew already had a vision to streamline online education. He and his team developed an online educational platform via the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) – for which he served as the education committee chair. According to the ISPRM President, Dr. Walter Frontera, “The global impact of Henry’s efforts to promote online dissemination of physiatry education is especially important in this unprecedented time of pandemic and social distancing … the ISPRM members are still enjoying the results of his service.”

are referenced by MEDLINE, through the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. This innovative video publication platform was immediately embraced by the academic community and used globally as a reliable source of education for practicing clinicians. Dr. Lew’s ambition doesn’t fall far from the tree as he draws inspiration from his father,

Dr. William J.F. Lew. His father overcame a hearing impairment that he had since childhood to become a world-renowned scholar in educational and developmental psychology, widely praised for his teaching excellence and innovative research. He also acknowledged his colleagues for their support and his faith for keeping him grounded: “Everything I do is to help others and to honor God.”

As a result of his forward thinking, the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) selected Dr. Lew to receive its National Award for Innovation & Impact in Education. The AAP is an organization of academic physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians (physiatrists) who are dedicated to improving patient care by advancing the specialty through research and education. Dr. Lew also spearheaded the creation of a video publication format, which generated popular online publications that

DR. HENRY LEW

Student awarded prestigious AMA scholarship

S SHANI MA

hani Ma, MD 2022 candidate, nurtured her passion for health care as an emergency department scribe in Las Vegas before entering medical school. In her final year at JABSOM, Ma is confident that she wants to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology, which seamlessly integrates her interests in women’s health and

patient advocacy with primary care, surgery and a rewarding career caring for women of all ages. Ma is a first-generation future physician in her family and the first JABSOM student to be awarded the Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship by the American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation.

ACCOLADES

Operations Specialist of the Year A

t the JABSOM SimTiki Simulation Center, students, residents and other healthcare professionals are trained in critical care situations with no risk of harm to their patients: high fidelity manikins. The manikins breathe, blink and even have pulses but the person who brings the manikins and simulated experiences to life is Operations Director and Chief Simulation Specialist Kris Hara, M.Ed, RRT, CHSOS. The Society of Simulation in Healthcare competitively selected Hara as the recipient of its Operations Specialist of the Year Award for 2020. SimTiki Associate Director Dr. Jannet Lee-Jayaram calls Hara “the beating heart of SimTiki” who comes into work everyday with a joyful energy. She says Hara’s initiative and creativity has improved the work process and systems, and during the pandemic, she innovated a video conferencing platform-based distance learning for remote simulation. Prior to joining JABSOM in 2006, Hara worked as a respiratory therapist and program manager at Tripler Army Medical Center. After 15 years with SimTiki, she still enters JABSOM’s doors brimming with enthusiasm. Scan to watch our video

KRIS HARA WITH MEDICAL STUDENT ARLENE KIYOHARA

“Women who mean business” A

ssociate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Lee BuenconsejoLum (JABSOM MD 1994) was a Women Who Mean Business honoree by Pacific Business News for her extensive leadership at JABSOM as well as throughout the state during the pandemic. Due to her collaborative nature, she has been the JABSOM lead and one of the primary UH liaisons to the Department of Health and the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency on many matters related to the COVID-19 response since March 2020. She was nominated by Lt. Governor Josh Green, JABSOM Dean Jerris Hedges and Nancy Foster, JABSOM associate dean for administration, DR. LEE BUENCONSEJOfinance and operations. LUM RECEIVES THE AWARD FROM BETH WHITEHEAD OF AMERICAN SAVINGS BANK

ACCOLADES

Goldwater scholar U

H Mānoa undergraduate Geetika Patwardhan is a JABSOM researcher focused on Alzheimer’s disease. She, along with 410 other undergraduate students from across the nation, is now a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar. The scholarship is highly competitive and to be considered, a student must be nominated by their college or university. “This was my second time applying for this award, and I really put my all into my application. It is such great validation for the thousands of hours I have spent in the lab,” Patwardhan said. “The first person I told was my boss and mentor, Dr. Ben Fogelgren (JABSOM PhD 2005), who knows how passionate I am about our research and who worked closely with me on my application.” Fogelgren, an associate professor in the

GEETIKA PATWARDHAN WITH MENTOR DR. BEN FOGELGREN

Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology, said that Patwardhan started working in his lab when she was a freshman. Now a junior honors student, Patwardhan is pursuing a cell and molecular biology degree. Her application was based on her research of identifying new functional mechanisms that regulate neuronal secretion of amyloid-beta, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Junji Takeshita begins 6-year leadership role G eriatric Psychiatry Program Director Dr. Junji Takeshita is now president-elect for the American Association of Emergency Psychiatrists. He is also professor and associate chair of clinical services.

“My goal is to collaborate with other organizations to improve the emergency care of psychiatric patients,” said Dr. Takeshita, who has been in the AAEP for about 10 years. “This is a well-deserved honor for Dr. Junji Takeshita, who is also the director of medical education and patient care of the psychiatric consultation-liaison service at The Queen’s Medical Center,” said Psychiatry Department Chair Dr. Anthony Guerrero.

DR. JUNJI TAKESHITA

DRS. SHANE MORITA AND JAIMIE TOM

American Cancer Society leadership includes UH surgery professor

ssociate Professor of Surgery Dr. Shane Morita (JABSOM MD 1998) was named the chair of the Hawai‘i-Guam area board of directors for the American Cancer Society (ACS). Shane Morita, MD, PhD, FACS is vice chief of staff as well as medical director of surgical oncology at The Queen’s Medical Center. The ACS believes all people should have the opportunity to live a longer, healthier life free from cancer and works to remove barriers to care and provide tools and resources to allow all cancer patients the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

TRANSITIONS

Dick Teshima leaves Med Tech Program in top shape DR. SCOTT KUWADA

Internal Medicine

n August 2021, Dr. Scott Kuwada (JABSOM MD 1988) was appointed as the new interim chair of the department. He did his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic and practiced at the University of Utah before returning to JABSOM as a professor and gastroenterology division chief in 2008. Dr. Kuwada’s NIH-funded research has been in the area of gastroenterology oncology and he holds an adjunct appointment with the UH Cancer Center.

ABSOM bid aloha and mahalo to Dick Teshima, MPH, MT (ASCP) who retired as director of the UHM Medical Technology Program after more than 20 years of service and is credited with its success, including graduating topnotch laboratory scientists and earning re-accreditation twice. “Those who become medical laboratory scientists could be called healthcare’s backof-the-house hub where specimens are tested, results are compiled, and feedback is provided to the nurses and physicians who meet their patients, members, and the

general public,” said program instructor Sheri Gon, MPH, MLS. In 2010, state budget cuts threatened to eliminate JABSOM’s med tech training program. But more than $100,000 in donations from Diagnostic Laboratory Services and Clinical Laboratories of Hawai‘i made it possible for JABSOM and Kapi‘olani Community College (KapCC) to form a new partnership and a new program. Students can spend their first two years in KapCC’s medical lab technician program then matriculate into JABSOM’s bachelor of science medical

DICK TESHIMA

technology program. Today the program also offers a second degree option to those with a bachelor’s degree in another field to obtain a medical laboratory scientist degree. Under his watch, the program was accredited by the National Accreditation Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences in 2013 for seven years. The department was reaccredited in 2020 for 10 years.

With planned giving, you can provide long-lasting support for JABSOM and our future healthcare providers, while enjoying financial benefits.

Our team can help you support your area of passion through wills, trusts and life income gifts For a free confidential conversation and to learn more: University of Hawai`i Foundation Office of Estate & Gift Planning 808.376.7874 giftplanning@uhfoundation.org www.UHFLegacyGift.org

ALUMNI

Neighbor island student rotations feature teaching moments, inspiration, patient gratitude students may be inspired to return and practice in the rural areas, while some might prefer O‘ahu’s hospitals. JABSOM requires third year students to complete their outpatient rotations in a longitudinal program where they spend five months in the same settings and learning from volunteer faculty physician preceptors. First and second year MD students also have the opportunity to complete one of their curricular units on a neighbor island. The additional expenses associated with living on the neighbor island while still paying rent on O‘ahu can be challenging for medical students.

DR. WES SUGAI AND HIS WIFE, PATRICIA

p to 70 of JABSOM’s medical students do neighbor island and rural rotations annually. Destinations include Kona, Hilo, North Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i, Maui, and Lāna‘i. Afterwards,

This is why in 2010 the Rural and Neighbor Island Medical Education Support Fund was established by Dr. Wesley Sugai (JABSOM MD 1983) and his wife Patricia, a certified public accountant. The fund is designed to help increase the number of medical students who can study and practice in rural facilities in Hawai‘i. Sugai strongly suggests that students on the neighbor islands be groomed to attend JABSOM and return to their home island to practice.

Growing endowment for first-year Hawai‘i students J ABSOM 1999 alum Bryan Wahl, MD, JD, and the son of Susan and Dr. Wendell Foo, followed his parents’ lead and created an endowed scholarship in 2017. By adding more funds this year, he has extended his commitment to firstyear, Hawai‘i resident medical students with financial needs. Dr. Wahl graduated from ‘Iolani School ahead of time in 1994, and is one of JABSOM’s youngest graduates. He also has a law degree from the University of California, where he received three American Jurisprudence Awards, two Prosser Awards and a Barbee Fellowship. Wahl said his parents instilled important

values and guidance, for which he can’t thank them enough. He is also grateful to his JABSOM mentor Dr. Jinichi Tokeshi (JABSOM MD 1975), who had the foresight to lead a universal masking campaign early in the pandemic before it was a consensus best practice.

Wahl said that JABSOM took a chance on accepting him more than 26 years ago as a young applicant without a college degree. “I learned so much from all of the wonderful faculty, staff, and patients. I’m fortunate to have the ability to add to the endowment fund over time and hopefully help the next generation of medical students in a small way,” Wahl said.

DR. BRYAN WAHL

ALUMNI

Supermom, doctoral student obtains 4th UHM degree A s a recent graduate in the Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, Caitlin Williams found it gratifying to be able to learn more about vaccine development and immunology for highly pathogenic and virulent viruses without having to leave her home state and invaluable support system. At the end of her first year as a PhD graduate student, the single mom was told life-altering news: her child was diagnosed with leukemia.

CAITLIN WILLIAMS HOODED BY DRS. AXEL LEHRER AND MARIANA GERSCHENSON AT THE JABSOM COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

“I had to balance my research, coursework, TA-ship with my daughter’s medical care, oftentimes attending class and meetings from the hospital via Zoom and analyzing data from the hospital while my daughter slept,” said Williams. In June, Williams successfully defended her PhD dissertation. Her research, conducted within the laboratory of Dr. Axel Lehrer, investigates the antibody responses in monkeys and mice given the experimental Ebola vaccines to determine the difference between immune responses that will protect from Ebola infection and those that may not, including whether or not these responses are passed from mother to child. She hopes that her research can contribute to the development of safe and effective vaccines to protect pregnant women and nursing infants from Ebola virus disease. In addition, Williams was named a recipient of the Spring 2021 Career and Leadership Development Grant by the American Association of University Women Honolulu Branch. She also received the Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw Biomedical Research Scholarship. Prior to receiving her doctorate degree, Williams graduated with double bachelor’s degrees in microbiology and spanish and received her master’s degree in microbiology– all from UH Mānoa.

On-flight emergency med I t was thirty minutes into a red-eye flight when Kalani Ruiz realized a passenger was in need of medical attention. He rushed over to his friend for help, Emergency Medicine Resident Dr. Ryan Yee (JABSOM MD 2020). Yee, an MD resident at Crozer Medical Center in Philadelphia, and Ruiz, a third-year medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, rushed to aid the passenger, a man approximately in his fifties who had suddenly fainted. With limited medical equipment, Yee reverted to his knowledge of taking the patient’s history and physical examination and preparing CPR

equipment — a procedure that he is grateful to have picked up from his JABSOM days. After stabilizing the passenger, Yee advised the airline staff to turn the plane around and return to Hawai‘i, where an ambulance took the passenger to the hospital. The following day, when Yee and Ruiz returned to Philadelphia, a flight attendant told them the passenger recovered. The airline thanked Yee with extra mileage points for his service, noting, “without a doubt, you greatly improved a difficult situation… Nevertheless, we wanted to know how much your efforts were appreciated.”

DR. RYAN YEE AND KALANI RUIZ

ALUMNI

Dr. Kasuya presented with the Judge James S. Burns Award R

ecipients of the Judge James S. Burns Award have demonstrated an outstanding and undying dedication to the betterment of the medical school over the course of their lives. This year, the Friends of the Medical School (FOMS) unanimously chose Dr. Richard Kasuya (JABSOM MD 1989), professor and longtime faculty. “He devoted his life to teaching, mentoring and guiding individual students, residents, and physicians. He’s an advocate for JABSOM in academic departments, administration, legislation bodies and national committees. He is a global ambassador for JABSOM,” said FOMS President Dr. Lucy Wong (JABSOM MD 1984), as she presented him with the award at the 2021 White Coat Ceremony.

DR. RICHARD KASUYA

Alumni Association Board 2021 - 2022 Richard Kasuya President

Patricia Blanchette Emeritus Director

Todd Kuwaye Director

Ivy Nip-Asano Emeritus Director

JABSOM MD 1989

JABSOM MD 1979

JABSOM MD 1997

JABSOM MD 1994

Ryon Nakasone Vice President

Elizabeth Char Emeritus Director

Jordan Lee Director

Sada Okumura Emeritus Director

Jayson Takata Director

JABSOM MD 2006

JABSOM MD 1991

JABSOM MD 2010

JABSOM MD 1975

JABSOM MD 1991

Christie Izutsu Treasurer

William Haning Emeritus Director

Kristi Lopez Director

Kenneth Ortiz Director

Mike Tom Director

JABSOM MD 2011

JABSOM MD 1975

JABSOM MD 2008

JABSOM MD 2014

JABSOM MD 2013

Gina Fujikami Secretary

David Horio Director

Janice Matsunaga Emeritus Director

Stefanie Park Director

Michael Yim Director

JABSOM MD 2008

JABSOM MD 1969

JABSOM MD 1980

JABSOM MD 2004

JABSOM MD 2013

Kheng See Ang Emeritus Director

Chuck Kelley Director

Kenric Murayama Director

Kenn Saruwatari Emeritus Director

Geri Young Director

JABSOM MD 1982

JABSOM MD 1986

JABSOM MD 1985

JABSOM MD 1981

JABSOM MD 1978

ALOHA ‘ OE

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) K. Tam E arly on Oct. 8, 2021, Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Tam, professor and former chair of the JABSOM Department of Medicine for the past 15 years, passed away. She had retired from JABSOM late July 2021. Part of the JABSOM faculty since 1992, Dr. Tam was double-boarded (internal medicine and pulmonary medicine) and recognized as a caring mentor who contributed much to undergraduate medical education and to JABSOM’s residency program. She was also the American Lung Association (ALA) of Hawai‘i and Leahi Fund Endowed Chair in Respiratory Health, the 2016 recipient of ALA Hawai‘i’s Breathe Easy Champion Mauli Ola (Breathe of Life) award, and a board member of ‘Ahahui o na Kauka, the Association of Native Hawaiian Physicians. Days before she passed, the ALA sought permission to present an award in honor of Dr. Tam’s influential lung research and support of tobacco control and vog research at the Miss Hawaii Volunteer Pageant: The Elizabeth Tam Breath of Hope Award.

In a statement to the JABSOM ‘Ohana, Dean Jerris Hedges wrote: “Dr. Tam was the quintessential academic quadruple threat. She cared for many through her pulmonary practice. She did research on the pulmonary impact of vog exposure to those living on Hawai‘i Island, and helped oversee health disparities research programs for the school. She oversaw a large clinical department which housed the school’s largest graduate medical education program. She was that department’s second Native Hawaiian chairperson and served in that position for over 15 years.” “She was an exemplary educator who taught in the classroom, – DR. ELIZABETH TAM AT THE 2019 KIHEI at the bedside, and in the CEREMONY larger community as a tireless spokesperson for lung health. Our thoughts are also with her family and important parts of her life,” Dean Hedges her departmental ‘ohana who were such concluded.

Professor Emerita Dr. Marita Lee Nelson A fter an illustrious academic career on the US mainland, Dr. Marita Lee Nelson joined the UH Mānoa faculty in 1974 as professor of clinical anatomy in the JABSOM Department of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology and served as the long-time director of the UH medical school’s Willed Body Program. She taught at JABSOM until her retirement in 2002. During the early 1990s, she was instrumental in the transition of the traditional curriculum to the problem based learning system JABSOM uses to teach its medical students.

DR. MARITA NELSON

“She worked tirelessly as an advocate for education both within JABSOM and throughout the UH system and greatly expanded enrollments in undergraduate

anatomy and physiology at the UH Mānoa,” said Scott Lozanoff, PhD, professor and former chair of the Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology. “Marita was committed to faculty governance and she served on many JABSOM and UH Mānoa committees, most notably UH Faculty Senate,” Lozanoff said. Marita was part of the Honolulu Symphony Chorus and the Hawai‘i Opera Theater for which she sang and performed in 17 different operas. As a member of the Waiokeola Congregational Church and also at the Church of the Crossroads, Nelson served as moderator. A world traveler, she enjoyed exploring new people and places. Dr. Nelson passed August 8, 2021.

ALOHA ‘ OE

Professor Emerita Dr. Alayne Yates N oted youth psychiatrist Dr. Alayne Yates passed January 12, 2021. She joined JABSOM in 1993 and served five years as professor and director of the child and adolescent psychiatry division, and then as psychiatry professor until her retirement in 2005.

According to Anthony P.S. Guerrero, MD, professor and chair of the JABSOM Department of Psychiatry, and chief of psychiatry at The Queen’s Medical Center (QMC), Yates “lived a long, diverse, and celebrated life as a mother, artist, pediatrician, and child and adolescent psychiatrist, researcher, and scholar. She additionally served as director for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program and

the Combined Pediatric, Psychiatric, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Residency Program, which is a program that she was instrumental in initiating at JABSOM.” Yates helped expand JABSOM’s collaboration with the DOH’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division to establish rural and neighbor island training in youth psychiatry. She helped establish the current child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit (Family Treatment Center) at QMC. Guerrero said Yates helped in developing programs and workforce initiatives key in the state’s FelixCayetano Consent Decree (1994-2005), resulting in improved services for students with disabilities and with mental health needs.

DR. ALAYNE YATES

Dr. Andrew A. Knight (JABSOM MD 1983) Dr. Clifford Y.C. Chock D

DR. ANDREW A. KNIGHT

r. Andrew A. Knight passed away unexpectedly at his home in Walnut Creek, California, on July 21, 2021, at the age of 66. Born and raised in Honolulu, Knight graduated from Punahou School, earned his BS degree from the University of Puget Sound and his MD from JABSOM in 1983. He completed his internship, residency in anesthesiology, and fellowship in cardiothoracic anesthesiology at the University of California San Francisco. He worked at Medical Anesthesia Consultants in the East Bay for the entirety of his 38-year career in anesthesiology.

(JABSOM MD 1978)

Dr. John L. Rausch (JABSOM MD 1983)

ABSOM expressed its sincerest condolences to the family of Dr. John L. Rausch, an anesthesiologist who passed suddenly on March 19, 2021. He was 73. Rausch was an anesthesiologist affiliated with several hospitals, including QMC and Straub Medical Center. He had been in practice for more than 20 years. A service was held for Rausch in July at Lanikai Beach.

DR. CLIFFORD Y.C. CHOCK

D DR. JOHN L. RAUSCH

r. Clifford Y.C. Chock graduated from JABSOM in 1978 and practiced at the Kuakini Medical Plaza. He passed away on November 9, 2021.

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