Native Hawaiian Health
Welcome to Dr. Kanoho Hosoda as our new Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence (NHCOE) Director. Dr. Hosoda has over a decade of experience as a Native Hawaiian educator, researcher, and grants administrator. Dr. Hosoda serves as Principal Investigator for a 2-year National Institutes of Health K99 Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) grant that examines the Role of Multicultural Identity Integration on Well-Being and Biomedical Career Pathway Persistence. Dr. Hosoda has also worked with UHM STEMM diversity programs within the UHM College of Engineering and the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology and has taught Kindergarten through 8th grade at Mālama Honua Public Charter School, a Title 1 school in Waimānalo that serves families from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Dr. Hosoda will oversee all NHCOE program operations and manage institutional and extramural funding for NHCOE including, HRSA, UHF, and QHS collaborations.
Congratulations to Ms. Kimberly Yamauchi on her promotion to Assistant Director of ʻImi Hoʻōla and new leadership role as the Interim Director of the ʻImi Hoʻōla Post-Baccalaureate Program. Ms. Yamauchi began her career at DNHH in 2010 as our NHCOE Administrative Associate and went on to complete her Master in Public Health Administration (MPA) degree. In 2015, she was selected as our Program Assistant and lead faculty for ʻImi Hoʻōla recruitment and student outreach. Ms. Yamauchi continues to lead recruitment and also serves as the lead instructor for the phase 3 curricula and faculty Advisor for the ʻImi Hoʻōla Student Research Summer Program in collaboration with NHCOE. Ms. Yamauchi will oversee ʻImi Hoʻōla program operations as well as our collaborative partnerships, funding, student scholarships, and community outreach efforts.
Welcome back to Dr. Nanette Judd, Professor Emerita and Immediate Past Director of ʻImi Hoʻōla. Dr. Judd is the Interim Director of the Medical Education Division. Dr. Judd will serve as a mentor and consultant to the Directors and will also represent the Medical Education division at the DNHH Chair's Executive Council meetings and JABSOM Executive meetings as we prepare to welcome JABSOM Dean Samuel T. Shomaker on July 1 and the upcoming JABSOM LCME accreditation in January 2025. Under Dr. Judd’s visionary leadership, the ʻImi Hoʻōla Post-Baccalaureate Program has proven to be a successful educational model that has helped more than 300 aspiring students from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their MD from JABSOM. During Dr. Judd's tenure at JABSOM, she served as Interim Chair of the DNHH and was an invaluable mentor for many of us. We are thankful to Dr. Judd for returning to the department during this critical time.
This DNHH Medical Education Division leadership team will be assuming Dr. Winona Lee’s roles and responsibilities within the DNHH and JABSOM during her sabbatical period from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.