The Neighbor Island Medical Scholars Program made it possible for three Big Island high school students to attend a weeklong educational experience meant to inspire the next generation of physicians.
The scholarship program from Kaiser Permanente Hawaii and the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine covered the travel and accommodations expenses for the students, who get the additional bonus opportunity to shadow Kaiser Permanente physicians upon their return to their communities to build on what they learned during the visit to JABSOM on Oahu in mid-July.
The Big Island recipients of the scholarship were Hanalei Rapu from Waiakea High School, Colten Clarke from Kealakehe High School, and James Lowson IV from Hawaii Technology Academy.
The scholarship allowed the students to be among 84 from across the state who attended JABSOM’s Medical and Diagnosis Treatment Program, a hands-on look at health care practice aimed to inspire the attendees into careers in medicine in an effort to tackle the state’s ongoing physician shortage.
“I love getting to actually do what I’m learning in school, what I’m interested in, and getting awesome hands-on experience,” Clarke said. “I love all the labs we’re doing about anatomy and learning more about patient encounters. I can’t express how awesome it is that I’m getting to do what I want to do at only 16 years old.”
In addition to the three students in the Neighbor Island Medical Scholars Program, seven other students from Hawaii Island attended JABSOM’s immersive week of education: Wehiwa‘alani Gapero, Jillian Lum and ‘Auli‘i Paleka from Kamehameha Schools Hawaii; Yireh Kim and Hi‘ilei Bunghanoy-Aiu from Kealakehe High School; Chavanne Wessel from Parker School; and Helly Hughes from Hawaii Preparatory Academy.
“Having these bright and motivated students on our campus last week was incredibly rewarding,” said Dr. Jill Omori, director of the Office of Medical Education, JABSOM. “For the students to have the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned at MDT in a real clinical setting with physicians from Kaiser Permanente is truly invaluable in nurturing their growth and commitment to health care careers.”
This is the third year that JABSOM has welcomed young students to learn at its campus, and the first year that Kaiser has joined as a partner.