JABSOM Wins AAMC Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement:
Dr. Jill Omori and Dean Sam Shomaker react to receiving the Spencer Foreman Award:
JABSOM is honored to be the 2026 recipient of the Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, one of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ highest honors recognizing an institution’s commitment to the community it serves.
Named after former AAMC chair Spencer “Spike” Foreman, MD, the award is presented annually to an AAMC-member medical school or health system that demonstrates a long-standing institutional commitment to partnering with its community to identify and address local needs. Watch AAMC's official announcement here.
At JABSOM, that commitment is woven into everything we do and this video captures that work. From the H.O.M.E. Project and rural health initiatives to pathway programs and community outreach across the state, our faculty, students and partners work alongside communities to improve health and expand opportunities throughout Hawaiʻi. We are proud to serve Hawaiʻi and are honored that our work is being recognized on this national level.
