Alumni News
IN THE NEWS
UH Manoa
Faculty
The John A. Burns School of Medicine is marking sixty years of educating physicians and improving health care across Hawaiʻi.
Since opening its doors in 1965, JABSOM has trained more than 3,000 doctors. Today, roughly half of all physicians in Hawaiʻi either graduated from JABSOM or teach here.
More than 500 students, alumni, faculty, community partners, and staff gathered at the Royal Hawaiian to celebrate the milestone last Saturday.
The evening featured the inaugural JABSOM Distinguished Alumni Awards. Dr. Neal Palafox was honored with the Hie Award for his cancer and nuclear testing research in the Pacific. Dr. Reni Soon was honored with the Hōkūhoʻokelewaʻa Award for her advocacy in reproductive rights and women’s health.
As Hawaiʻi’s only medical school, JABSOM continues to fulfill its mission as the medical school for the entire state as it expands its reach across the islands. New residency programs are now being established on the neighbor islands. To capture the unique aspects of the school, JABSOM’s Media and Communications team unveiled The Heart of JABSOM. Ryan Keliʻi Shontell, Dr. Geri Young, Dr. Venkataraman Balaraman, and Dr. Keolamau Yee were chosen to be featured in three vignettes that represent the school’s hyperlocal approach to research, its commitment to rural education, and the way students are taught to provide care with aloha.
The evening featured a hula performance by MS2 students Kaela Akina-Magnussen, Lincoln Hunt, Trini Leung, Aljay Carnate Jr., Karina Sharma, Kasey Emoto, and Kalpana Balaraman. The students danced to Ke Alaula, performed by the Mākaha Sons, and the celebration was capped off by renowned musician Jake Shimabukuro, who took a break from his international tour to join the celebration. Shimabukuro, who also performed at JABSOM’s 50th anniversary, is married to Dr. Kelly Yamasato, a 2005 JABSOM alumnus and current OBGYN faculty.
JABSOM Dean Dr. Sam Shomaker reflected on how far the school has come.
“When I was a medical student, we had around 60 students in a class. Now we’re up to 77. Twenty-four hundred applicants apply for those 77 spots — so we’re doing something right,” he said. “This medical school has grown out of the community, and Hawaiʻi is all about aloha. Our medical school is all about aloha.”
University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel praised JABSOM’s impact across the state and beyond.
“The role of JABSOM is so critical in Hawaiʻi,” Hensel said. “The work they’ve done touches everyone who lives here and reaches far beyond the islands. We’re so proud to be part of JABSOM at UH, and I don’t think there are any limits to where they can go next.”