UH Manoa
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When JABSOM’s Area Health Education Center makes a promise, it’s a simple one.
If you want to go into healthcare, they’ll help you every step of the way.
In Hawaiʻi, that promise is already preparing the next generation of doctors long before they ever set foot in medical school. This commitment is evident in the support and guidance AHEC offers throughout each stage of a student's journey.
The Pacific Basin AHEC, based at JABSOM, works with students across the state and beyond, from middle school through the rest of their careers. The goal is to build a stronger healthcare workforce while addressing the physician shortage by helping students find their path and giving them the tools to stay on it.
“We make a promise to you that if you want to go into a health career, we will help you every step of the way,” said Dr. Kelley Withy, Hawaiʻi Pacific Basin AHEC director.
That support ranges from shadowing opportunities to research, mentorship, test preparation, and guidance through applications and interviews.
“Our goal is that everybody in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Basin has access to the care they need, where they need it, when they need it,” Withy said.
That support started with a connection for Kylee-Ray Tactacan. Growing up in Waianae, she knew she was interested in medicine, but didn’t have a clear path to make her dream a reality. She didn’t have family in the field and didn’t know how to access opportunities like physician shadowing or research experience. That changed when she found AHEC during her freshman year at Chaminade University. AHEC connected her with physicians in her own community, including at Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, where she began to see what a career in medicine actually looked like day to day.
“I didn’t really know what the career was about,” Tactacan said. “AHEC really supported me in connecting me with the right people.”
Those early experiences helped her build confidence and develop the skills needed to navigate a professional medical environment, from completing HIPAA training to learning how to communicate with patients and providers.
AHEC’s support didn’t stop there.
Tactacan went on to participate in research through JABSOM and continued building her medical school application. Along the way, she faced setbacks, including an unsuccessful attempt to enter medical training, but she didn’t give up.
With mentorship and encouragement from Withy and others, she reapplied, refined her skills, strengthened her application, and continued to gain experience.
This month, she was accepted to JABSOM.
“It’s never too late, and it’s never too early,” Tactacan said. “AHEC has been like a long-term friendship for me.”
While Tactacan’s journey shows the long-term impact of AHEC, students like Mallory Watanabe are experiencing that support in real time.
A senior at Punahou School, Watanabe first got involved with AHEC as a sophomore while looking for ways to explore her interest in healthcare. Punahou didn’t have a HOSA chapter, so she joined through a community-based program supported by AHEC. Since then, she’s taken on leadership roles, including serving as president of Hawaiʻi HOSA, a statewide student organization focused on future health professionals.
Through AHEC, Watanabe has competed in health education events, led presentations on topics like stress and self-esteem, and developed skills in public speaking and leadership.
“I think they really helped me on my path toward medicine,” Watanabe said. “Not only through HOSA, but they offer so many opportunities to learn about different health careers.”
She also credits AHEC with helping make those opportunities accessible, including financial support that allowed her to attend national conferences and connect with students from across the country. As she prepares to graduate and begin college on the pre-med track, Watanabe says AHEC has played a key role in helping her discover both her interests and her confidence.
“I don’t think I would be where I am without AHEC,” she said.
Withy says Watanabe and Tactacan’s stories are perfect examples of what AHEC is all about.
“By supporting students at every stage, AHEC is building a workforce in Hawaii, for Hawaii,” she said. “Access to care remains a challenge, so we're committed to engaging as early as possible and supporting students even after they become doctors!”
To date, our AHEC has offered 1,507 continuing education sessions with 17, 418 participants; reached 10,333 students through our pipeline programs. Our AHEC scholars have produced 265 health profession students with 7,850 contact clinical hours. Mahalo to our amazing AHEC team and all who make this possible!