The University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and Wilcox Medical Center are blazing a new path for aspiring physicians by bringing a graduate medical education program to Kauaʻi.
Made possible by a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant from the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved JABSOM's Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) to launch the UH Kauaʻi Family Medicine Residency program, a first for the Garden Isle.
“This is a beautiful example of the UH Medical School, Wilcox Medical Center, Hawaiʻi Health Services Corporation and the broader Kauaʻi community coming together to find a solution to the critical neighbor island physician shortage,” said Dr. Allen Hixon, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine. "We chose Kauaʻi because we recognized that we could make a difference in improving access to health care for the island of 74,000 residents. With the network of health care organizations already here serving patients, we wanted to bolster the number of physicians committed to this community."
The academic year 2026-27 will be the inaugural year of the UH Kauaʻi Family Medicine Residency program. Residents will be hosted by the UH Family Medicine residency program on Oʻahu during their first year. The Kaua‘i residents will train at essential partner medical centers and clinics, including foundational rotations in hospital medicine, ICU, obstetrics, and pediatrics. In Fall 2027, Kauaʻi will welcome the first cohort of residents to the island. They will spend their second and third years of training on Kauaʻi, where they will care for primary care patients while continuing other training.
"Our new Family Medicine Residency program will be a true partnership with all of Kauaʻi," said the Kaua‘i residency's inaugural Program Director, Cynthia Ohata, MD, FAAFP. "The Family Medicine residency clinic will be located in Kapaʻa in the Kauaʻi Village Shopping Center, but Wilcox Medical Center, Kauaʻi Medical Clinic and Pali Momi Medical Center on O‘ahu will host many of the core rotations."
“Wilcox is committed to developing the health care workforce on Kauaʻi. For students, this often starts with opportunities, like this residency program, to connect directly with our community while learning and growing,” said Jen Chahanovich, president and CEO of Wilcox Medical Center, and CEO of Kaua‘i Medical Clinic. “We are proud to partner with UH by providing a teaching environment that meets the rigorous standards necessary to establish this new accreditation. This is an invaluable investment in the future of Kaua‘i.”
In addition to the support from Wilcox, residents will learn in every corner of the island as education is interwoven in Sam Mahelona and Kauaʻi Veterans memorial hospitals and the Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) clinics, the District Health Office and Hoʻōla Lāhui Health Centers.
"During my rural health rotation on Kauaʻi, I saw firsthand how deeply the community values local, compassionate care,” said Rui Morimoto, MD, and UH Oʻahu Family Medicine graduate. “Having a Family Medicine residency in Kapaʻa means training physicians who truly understand and are part of the island — it's a powerful way to strengthen health care from within."
Hawaii Residency Programs, a 501c(3) non-profit organization, will administer the program as part of the consortium of stakeholders who are invested in the success of residency programs across Hawaiʻi's major health care systems.
"Hawaiʻi Residency Programs is proud to grow the next generation of family physicians on Kaua‘i — strengthening care, deepening roots, and serving our community with aloha," said Natalie Talamoa, Executive Director of HRP.
"Since its founding 30 years ago, JABSOM's Family Medicine Residency Program has trained over 170 physicians, over 80% of whom continue to serve in Hawaiʻi — including Kauaʻi — and the broader Pacific," said JABSOM Dean Sam Shomaker, MD, JD, MSM. "JABSOM is the medical school for all of Hawaiʻi, and we are committed to serving all islands. The expansion of this essential specialty on a rural island like Kauaʻi proves we are meeting our mission, and we look forward to increasing our impact throughout the state."