19-05-2025
Large number of UH med grads plan to stay home and serve community
HONOLULU (KHON2) — On May 18, 76 students graduated from the John A. Burns School of Medicine at UH Manoa. The school said 66% of the Class of 2025 will enter specialties most needed in the state like internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology.
And most of the students plan on staying in Hawaii.
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'I feel like our community is unlike anywhere else in the world,' said JABSOM graduate Dr. Lauren Muraoka, who is from Mililani. 'So, I'm grateful I get to stay here for the next three years.'
Kahaluu native Dr. Krystin Wong, who is going into pediatrics, shared the sentiments of giving back to the community that was there for her.
'I'm really excited to continue training here in Hawaii, and give back to the community that raised me, and take care of patients that are family and friends, that's really important to me,' Wong said. 'And working with kids is something I'm really passionate about.'Dr. Lee Buenconsejo-Lum, the associate dean for academic fairs at the school, said that two-thirds of the graduates are going into essential fields.
'We have about 40% that are staying home for residency which we're really happy about,' Buenconsejo-Lum said. 'Sixty-six percent of our total graduates are going into critical specialties or primary care and of course we have a shortage here, and many do want to come home and that's really important.'
She said it's the highest number in years and says physicians typically return back to the islands 10 to 15 years after their fellowship.
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'We have seen recently graduates coming home sooner, which we really like,' she added.
She said with an aging workforce that it's critically important to find ways to bring Hawaii doctors home.
'I know for sure there are a couple of graduates who want to go back to the Big Island and at least one or two who want to go back to Maui,' Buenconsejo-Lum added.
And the students had similar reasons for wanting to stay.
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'I want to serve the community we grew up in and who gave so much to us,' said Dr. Kerri Niino, who graduated on May 18 and is originally from Mililani. 'So it's really a privilege to be able to treat the kids of Hawaii.'
For some graduates, the opportunity to work in Hawaii is almost nostalgic.
'I was born at Kapiolani and in my third year of medical school I was able to go back to my pediatrician's office that I grew up in and I worked there for five months, so it was a nice full circle moment,' said Dr. Amanda Chau, a Kaimuki resident who will have her residency at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.
The school hopes it can expand its graduating class in the future but for now, scholarships with a service commitment to Hawaii and the Hawaii healthcare education loan repayment program have been helpful.
'That helps because that program is not just for practicing physicians, but also a program for residence and if they're away and commit to come back right after, then we'll start to pay off a portion of their loans while they're in residency,' explained Dr. Buenconsejo-Lum.
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