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Alumni News
Longtime, former JABSOM Pediatrics Chair Dr. Kenneth Nakamura, remembers his days as an undergraduate student at Whitman College, nestled near the mountains in Walla Walla, Washington. It was there that he befriended another Hawaiʻi local far from home, someone that was quite unforgettable.
“Imagine it’s 1975… a half Hawaiian college student at Whitman who spoke ‘pidgin’ English and grew up in public housing. Very poor, but with a single mother who believed that the best education would allow her son to rise permanently out of poverty,” said Nakamura, describing his good friend and JABSOM Assistant Clinical Professor Dr. Elliot Kalauawa.
What drew Kalauawa so far from home? He says that the Washington institution’s philosophy in academics with its smaller class sizes and very supportive professors aligned with that of his high school alma mater, ʻIolani School. Although he really liked his time in the Pacific Northwest, JABSOM was always the goal.
“I definitely wanted to come back already,” Kalauawa chuckled. “I enjoyed my four years there. Washington and Oregon are beautiful states, but to me, Hawaiʻi is still the best place to live.”
Nakamura says that one of the things that always impressed him about Kalauawa was his incredible humility. Despite the obstacles he faced growing up, he was never envious of others, instead, he kept his eyes down and eyes forward.
“He was accepting of who he was and his life and he just worked hard to accomplish his goals– without complaint, without asking for accommodations or concessions. He was just steadfast in working toward his goal of becoming a physician,” said Nakamura.
Kalauawa shared a sliver of his life story with PBS on “Long Story Short with Leslie Wilcox.” He talked about the hardships of his childhood growing up in Palolo Valley public housing with his single mother on welfare. It was around the age of 11 during a long wait to see a physician at the Queen Emma Clinic that he made a simple but pivotal decision. “Must be they don’t have enough doctors, so I think I’ll be a doctor,” he thought to himself.
While his friends have commented on his tenacity, “it's kind of always been my nature,” Kalauawa said. Even as a child, once he made up his mind that he was going to be a doctor, “I thought, this is what I want to do, there was no changing, there was no thought of anything else.”
From his humble beginnings, Kalauawa has dedicated his career in medicine to serving others, whether it be his 39 years as Chief Medical Officer at Waikiki Health caring for many underserved populations or 41 years teaching JABSOM students in his role as a preceptor.
This past summer, Whitman College named Kalauawa its Alumni of Merit, the highest honor awarded by its alumni association. They recognized his work focused on initiatives such as expanding healthcare access for people experiencing homelessness and advancing HIV and AIDS treatment. On December 6th, Whitman College hosted an award presentation at JABSOM in his honor.
“I've never been one who's really, you know, into awards 'cause I went into medicine to take care of patients. So, when I do get one, it's definitely an honor,” Kalauawa said.
Not a stranger to accolades, in 2024, Kalauawa received the Kūlia Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawaii Primary Care Association and was named the 2019 Physician of the Year by the Healthcare Association of Hawaii and many other achievements.
True to his humble origins, Kalauawa continues to embody values of humility and genuine thoughtfulness of others around him.
“But one thing I've always said is that nobody receives an award on their own– thereʻs always others involved. So at our clinic (Waikiki Health), you know, we've got like almost 200 people and so everybody takes part in providing the service that we do. Itʻs not just me, it's definitely not a one person type of thing.”
See our Flickr photos from the Award Presentation:
