Page 7 - MidWeek Honolulu - March 15, 2023

JABSOM Connects With High Schools At Huaka‘i Symposium
BY KAREN IWAMOTO
MARCH 15, 2023 7
More than 100 high school counselors and administra- tors from around the state recently spent a day at Uni- versity of Hawai‘i’s John A. Burns School of Medicine.
ing and so (my parents) be- gan talking about whether I had deep disabilities — and that of course was terrify- ing,” Green says. “Turns out I was deaf. We got very lucky to meet a good family practitioner who figured that out and even luckier to have interventions that worked.”
As part of JABSOM’s inaugural Huaka‘i sympo- sium, they discussed the science and medical curric- ulum offered by their high schools and learned about resources available at JAB- SOM to help them support the next generation of doc- tors and nurses.
He says those early inter- ventions in the form of sur- geries — as well as support from his teachers and expe- rience gained by traveling overseas — set him on a path to a medical degree and eventually to public office.
she didn’t necessarily see herself wearing a white coat.
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gh school counselors and administrators listen to Gov. Josh Green speak at the JABSOM Huaka‘i symposium.
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(Inset) Green and Dr. Jaimie Tom of JABSOM pose for a photo ahead of the symposium. LAWRENCE TABUDLO PHOTOS
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They also heard from Gov. Josh Green, himself a physician, who shared a per- sonal story of how doctors changed his life.
Like Green, Dr. Jaimie Tom, associate director of admissions at JABSOM, did not take a straight path to medical school. Growing up in Kalihi, the daughter of working class parents,
In fact, Tom, who helped organize the symposium, says as an undergrad at UH, she pursued other academic tracks before focusing on medicine. Part of the reason
for this, she adds, is because while growing up she hadn’t known any women doctors.
around you to support you, encourage you and really guide you. It’s really about exploration.”
SEE PAGE 9
“(When I was born) I spent two years not speak-
“Really, it’s just plant- ing these seeds of ideas that (medical school) is a
possibility,” she says of the impetus behind the Huaka‘i symposium. “What goes from being a dream, then be- comes a goal, then you have a plan, and you have people
Presented by
The Queen’s Health System
in partnership with
Horizon Therapeutics and U.S. Renal Care
Build hope with every step.
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