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For more than a decade, JABSOM students have been making meaningful connections and health education accessible to one of Honolulu’s most underserved communities. Through the annual Healthy Keiki Camp at Linapuni Elementary, future physicians are building a healthier future while making memories one last time as a class.
“This is something the Linapuni teachers and the students look forward to every year,” said Shannon Garan, an English learner teacher at the Kalihi school. “Our kids don’t always have exposure to this kind of information, and having JABSOM students come in is truly a benefit.”
Held during the school day, the event has evolved into a senior class project that engages every fourth-year JABSOM student. The goal is to deliver hands-on, engaging health education to preschool through first-grade students. From dental hygiene and nutrition to exercise and handwashing, even a slime-making experience, each station offers fun and educational activities tailored to young learners.
“Linapuni is a very special school,” explained Dr. Jill Omori, JABSOM’s Office of Medical Education director. “All the kids here come from the nearby Kuhio Park Terrace housing project. It’s a high-need community, and our students do such a good job connecting and teaching them.”
The impact is mutual. Kylie Popovich, a class of 2025 medical student, shared how the event helps future doctors grow.
“As physicians, we’ll be in the office a lot, but what really sets the good ones apart is the connection they make with the community, getting to know patients personally, outside the walls of the clinic.”
In fact, for JABSOM students, the annual Healthy Keiki Camp could be the first meeting of a lifelong relationship with a future patient.
“Actually, one of the students was telling me that he saw one of the kids in his Peds clinic, just this last year,” Omori said. “So our students are definitely making meaningful connections.”
Beyond education, the event also strengthens bonds among the students.
“Especially after second year, we don't have a lot of opportunities to come together as a big class and even less opportunities to do something that's not a lecture, or something outside of school,” Popovich said. “To really get out in the community, do fun things with the kids, who are always really fun to play with and hang out with has been really nice.”
“It’s one of the last opportunities for us to come together before going off to residency,” said fourth-year medical student Lauren Kirkwood-Johnson. “It's fun to put together the medicine and the health aspect of what we learn about, but also have fun with each other and have fun with the kids. Weʻre looking ahead, thinking about our future careers and what the impact on our community will be. To see our classmates doing the same things and having fun with the kids is really inspiring.”
Support from organizations like ʻOhana Health Plan, which sponsors all the equipment and materials used at Healthy Keiki Camp, helps make it all possible. “These are the communities we serve,” said John Mai, Community Engagement Manager at ʻOhana Health Plan. “To see JABSOM students so involved—we just want to support that however we can.”
As JABSOM students wrap up their final year, the Healthy Keiki Camp stands as a vibrant testament to the power of community-driven healthcare and education.
“We really appreciate it,” Garan said. “It’s not just good for our kids—it’s good for JABSOM students, too. They are our future doctors.”
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