Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence |
| Introduction |
The mission of the Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence (NHCOE), which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is to improve the health of indigenous Hawaiians through research, education, service and training of Native Hawaiians in medicine. NHCOE, a unit of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health, has five main areas of focus: recruitment, retention, student training, faculty development, and research.
To increase the number of Native Hawaiian students attending medical school, NHCOE works in collaboration with other programs such as the Hawaii/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center to offer recruitment activities at the high school and college levels. These activities are designed to increase interest in the medical field and to offer support services as students prepare for entry into medical school. NHCOE efforts toward retention include the provision of support through resources such as USMLE Board Preparation courses for Native Hawaiian students.
NHCOE also facilitates student training in rural communities. Although most placements are handled through the JABSOM Office of Medical Education, the center is able to provide assistance through their network of Native Hawaiian physicians.
As a means of increasing the number of Native Hawaiian medical school faculty, NHCOE offers a faculty development program that provides a one- to two-year fellowship designed to introduce physicians to scholarly activities such as teaching, research, and grant writing. One component of the faculty development program includes training in the area of cultural competence.
In an effort to increase the number of Native Hawaiians conducting research and to help facilitate and support research and education regarding Native Hawaiian health issues, NHCOE developed a year-long course for first year medical students and NHCOE research fellows. The course, which is part of JABSOM’s Community Health Program, introduces students to basic research methodology and design, current Native Hawaiian health issues, and lapa‘au (traditional Native Hawaiian healing practices). In addition to coursework, students work with a research mentor to gain research experience and complete a research project pertaining to Native Hawaiian health.
To further support research on Native Hawaiian health, NHCOE has developed the Native Hawaiian health database—a comprehensive bibliographic resource covering all aspects of Native Hawaiian health. The database includes abstracts of articles, papers, books, audiovisual materials, government documents, conference proceedings, Web sites, and other sources of related information.
| | Email: deeanne@hawaii.edu | Address:
Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence
John A. Burns School of Medicine
University of Hawaii - Manoa
651 Ilalo Street
Honolulu, HI 96813-5534 |
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