UH Board of Regents Establish Department of Native Hawaiian Health in the UH Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine
Date: October 17, 2003

The University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents (BOR) at its monthly meeting held today at UH Hilo has authorized the establishment of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health as part of the UH Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM).

The Department of Native Hawaiian Health was conceived based on a growing recognition at the federal level that a serious health care problem exists in the United States relative to the disparity in health care status of minority groups. This has led to specific legislation providing new federal agencies and extensive new federal funding designed to investigate and ameliorate the problem of disparities in health care status. A number of Hawai'i’s population groups, notably Native Hawaiians, are known to suffer disproportionately from many diseases and conditions. In addition to issues of disparate healthcare status, Hawai'i has a unique cultural heritage and tradition of healing practices.

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