Mahalo for your interest in learning more about Hawaiʻi’s medical school, the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. JABSOM’s major purpose is to provide an opportunity for a medical education previously unavailable to residents of Hawaiʻi and other Pacific nations. JABSOM is a critical partner in the effort of the State of Hawaiʻi to address healthcare needs with our outstanding private and public healthcare partners. JABSOM’s strategic mission areas and initiatives intentionally address and strive to improve equity across our institution and the state.
JABSOM is a community-based school and is affiliated with a strong network of clinical training sites throughout the state. We are one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse medical schools in the country, and our problem-based learning curriculum, Learning Communities, community-based medicine programs, and clinical instruction exposes medical students and resident physicians to a diverse range of patients and health systems in our state. We are intent on expanding medical student and residency education to neighbor islands, to have our communities teach our future physicians, and help address our critical physician shortages. Our learners participate in interprofessional education in pre-clinical and clinical settings. Our researchers collaborate with other health professionals and scientists located in other University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa schools and colleges, across the University of Hawaiʻi System, and with colleagues across the state, nationally, and internationally.
We invite you to learn more about our many strengths, including our state-of-the-art research and teaching facilities, our innovative research programs focused on reducing health disparities in our varied populations, excellent faculty and staff, and a multicultural community that is one of the most diverse in the world.
The School strives to build on its historical role in expanding opportunities for women, minorities, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, and the socio-economically disadvantaged. Equity, inclusivity, capacity building, and strong partnerships with key stakeholders committed to achieving health equity remain significant focus areas for our JABSOM ʻohana. We welcome you to join our collective efforts to transform medical and healthcare education, research, and care delivery in Hawaiʻi as part of JABSOM’s kuleana - responsibility and privilege - and vision of ALOHA: Attain Lasting Optimal Health for All. I welcome the opportunity to share and learn from you to strengthen our school and its impacts.
Mahalo nui loa,
Sam Shomaker, MD, JD, MSM
Dean
Barry & Virginia Weinman Endowed Chair
