The Good Doctors
Photo Courtesy Lawrence Tabudlo – Dr. Mark Baker, Pali Momi Medical Center, Emergency Medicine; Dr. Carli Bullis, Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children, Pediatric Neurosurgery; Dr. Clyner Antalan, Wilcox Medical Center, Obstetrics and Gynecology; Dr. Nicole Leong, Straub Benioff Medical Center – Pearlridge Clinic, Internal Medicine; Dr. Samuel Evans, Straub Benioff Medical Center, Pulmonology
Since the time of the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, considered the “Father of Medicine,” doctors have played an indispensable role in societies.
Here in the United States, National Doctors’ Day dates its origins back to March 30, 1933, when Eudora Brown Almond — the wife of a doctor in Georgia — began efforts to acknowledge physicians for their service. Since then, doctors have been consistently ranked in the top tier of the most trusted and ethical professions in America, according to Gallup’s annual survey.
They are clearly valued, and more doctors are required today to meet the expanding health care needs across the nation. Physicians hail from all walks of life, and in the islands, the doctors of Hawai‘i Pacific Health share a common goal to create a healthier state.
Its dedicated team of nearly 2,000 affiliated physicians help serve the needs at HPH’s four medical centers as well as its clinics.
“Physicians play a central role in creating healthier communities. Working side-by-side with other health care professionals, physicians help to improve the health of our friends, families and loved ones,” says Dr. Leslie Chun, CEO of Hawai‘i Pacific Health Medical Group.
What’s an appropriate way to honor doctors?
“A heartfelt mahalo, sharing recent memories or stories about how a physician helped you or a family member goes a long way,” Chun says. “Sharing appreciation and respect in interactions or cards gives us energy to continue doing what we do and warms our souls.”
HPH also seeks to increase the number of doctors to provide the best patient care.
“We are investing in our future. Hawai‘i Pacific Health is helping to build the pipeline of future physicians and health care professionals through programs like our Summer Student Research Program and partnering with the John A. Burns School of Medicine,” Chun explains. “The state’s Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program, championed by Gov. Josh Green, is also essential for keeping our best and brightest in Hawai‘i. Practicing medicine is an incredibly rewarding field, and HPH is dedicated to supporting our physicians and growing the next generation of doctors.”
To highlight all the good these health care professionals do and in commemoration of National Doctors’ Day on March 30, MidWeek is presenting the following profiles on five physicians from HPH’s system of hospitals and clinics — all of whom are devoted to making a positive impact on patients’ lives. These doctors are described by colleagues and patients as diligent, empathetic and selfless. They’re also viewed as excellent team collaborators and communicators with spectacular amounts of stamina and a dedication to patient advocacy.
They are Drs. Clyner Antalan of Wilcox Medical Center and Kaua‘i Medical Clinic, Mark Baker of Pali Momi Medical Center, Carli Bullis of Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children, Samuel Evans of Straub Benioff Medical Center, and Nicole Leong of Straub Benioff Medical Center – Pearlridge Clinic.
Now, keep reading and start getting to know them a little better.
Dr. Clyner Antalan
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Wilcox Medical Center and
Kaua‘i Medical Clinic
Growing up on Kaua’i provided Dr. Clyner Antalan with a strong sense of community and a profound desire to give back.
The Līhuʻe resident says he was drawn to medicine because it makes a meaningful difference when it matters the most.
“I knew from a young age that this was my calling,” says Antalan, who received a psychology degree from Pacific Lutheran University and attended medical school at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. “In high school, I worked as a volunteer after school, filing medical records at a medical clinic on Kaua‘i, and in college I spent summers shadowing two generous mentors, the late Dr. William Renti Cruz and Dr. Ronald Fujimoto.
“I chose to attend the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine and complete my postgraduate training here so I could learn my craft in the very community I would one day serve.”
Obstetrics and Gynecology appealed to him because it combines primary care, surgery and the privilege of caring for women through different phases of life.
As the Hawai‘i Pacific Health Medical Group chief of OB-GYN at Wilcox Medical Center and Kaua‘i Medical Clinic, his role includes clinical care and leadership.
“This includes coordinating physician staffing, supporting quality improvement efforts, mentoring colleagues and helping strengthen women’s health services for the Kaua‘i community,” Antalan explains. “Our goal is to provide compassionate, evidence-based care close to home so women on Kaua‘i don’t need to travel off island for most of their health care needs.”
Antalan has a special interest in minimally invasive gynecological surgery and family planning.
“Minimally invasive surgery allows women to recover faster, experience less pain and return to their normal activities more quickly,” he says. “Family planning is also important because it empowers women to make informed choices about their reproductive health and the timing of pregnancy, which has long-term benefits for families and communities.”
He is honored to get to care for several generations of families.
“One day, I’ll be caring for women who I once delivered as babies as they become mothers themselves,” he says. “Those generational connections remind me how meaningful community medicine truly is.”
Dr. Mark Baker
Emergency Medicine
Pali Momi Medical Center
According to California native Dr. Mark Baker, time spent in the water as a youth led him to dive headfirst into medicine.
“I swam competitively in high school and was a lifeguard at Huntington Beach,” he says. “I really enjoyed the first-aid aspect of lifeguarding. Occasionally, there were more serious medical problems, which inspired me to consider becoming a doctor. It was a natural fit to choose emergency medicine since beach emergencies got me interested in medicine.”
Baker graduated from medical school at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and completed a medical residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He has worked in emergency medicine at Pali Momi Medical Center since its emergency department opened in 1989.
“Pali Momi feels like home to me,” he says.
Baker says those who work in an emergency department must thrive on challenges.
“We see all kinds of medical issues every day,” he says. “This ranges from ear infections to heart attacks and even includes delivering a baby when needed.”
Baker helped implement Pali Momi’s electronic medical record system and is still involved in the informatics side of medicine. Informatics uses real-world data to improve health care.
He also started an organization called EndMeth because he saw firsthand the suffering caused by methamphetamine use.
“We need to come together as a community to emphasize that there are ways to get an adrenaline rush without using a lethal drug like methamphetamine,” he says.
Baker recalls one patient who had been in the emergency department many times because of opioid addiction.
“I told her she had to stop and there were people who could help,” says Baker. “She stopped coming to the ED, and when I saw her six months later, she smiled at me and said, ‘Doc, I’m clean.’”
In his free time, Baker loves to exercise. He competes in marathons and IRONMAN triathlons. He has swum from Lānaʻi to Maui five times and still rides his bicycle 21 miles each way from his home in Kailua to Pali Momi and back.
“Many things about my job are very rewarding to me,” Baker says. “When our work truly saves someone’s life, we can go home thinking, ‘I really made a difference in a person’s life today.’”
Dr. Carli Bullis
Pediatric Neurosurgery
Kapi‘olani Medical Center
for Women & Children
Because her parents were both nurses, Dr. Carli Bullis grew up around the medical world. It’s what piqued her interest in medicine.
“My parents were fantastic role models,” she says. “It was very clear that my parents loved their jobs and saw great meaning in what they did.”
Raised in Indiana, Bullis attended Indiana University, where she obtained her undergraduate and medical degrees. She later spent seven years in Portland, Oregon, for residency, followed by a year in Los Angeles for a fellowship.
Once she started medical school, Bullis knew she wanted to be in a surgical specialty.
“But what really drew me to pediatric neurosurgery was how amazing kids are,” Bullis says. “Many people who work with kids say this, but the resilience and courage they have when going through difficult things is incredible.”
At Kapi‘olani, Bullis treats children with brain and spine conditions. This starts with diagnoses and treatment plans, and includes conducting additional tests.
“I then perform surgery if needed, help care for patients while they’re in the hospital, then follow up after they are discharged to ensure they are recovering well,” she says.
Bullis also has participated in medical mission trips.
“My parents actually inspired me to do medical outreach. They did many medical missions while my brother and I were kids,” she notes. “There’s definitely an aspect of that to my work here in Hawai‘i, where we have patients from many different islands throughout the Pacific who need access to medical care.”
Because of her specialty, more pediatric patients can stay in Hawai‘i for neurological surgeries.
One of her most memorable experiences was treating a child from a neighbor island who developed a life-threatening infection.
“After surgery, aggressive antibiotic treatment and many months of intense therapy, he not only survived, but was talking, joking and playing like a kid again,” Bullis says. “It was really amazing to see and be part of.”
In her leisure time, Bullis can be found skating at Ice Palace. She grew up figure skating and participated competitively in the sport through college.
“Skating taught me a lot growing up and helped me become a responsible and hard-working kid and young adult,” she says.
Dr. Samuel Evans
Pulmonology
Straub Benioff Medical Center
As a third-generation physician, Dr. Samuel Evans has quite a family pedigree in medicine. His grandfather was a cardiologist, and his father was an orthopedic surgeon.
Evans originally wanted to become a musician in a rock or reggae band, but his life suddenly took a turn when he observed how dramatically doctors can help people.
“My father took me into the operating room to watch surgery, and I was floored! He replaced a rheumatoid arthritis patient’s finger joints with artificial ones, which allowed her hands to be functional again,” recalls Evans.
After that, the California native got serious about his studies and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biopsychology/neuroscience and a master’s in medical science before getting his medical degree. He was accepted into the University of Hawai‘i Internal Medicine Residency Program and completed a pulmonary and critical care fellowship at University of California, Davis. He then returned to Hawai‘i to practice critical care medicine before gradually transitioning to pulmonary medicine.
As Hawai‘i Pacific Health Medical Group’s chief of pulmonology and Straub Benioff’s chief of staff, Evans has worked hard to help recruit talented people and build the pulmonology department at HPH.
“To diagnose someone with lung cancer requires a biopsy. Our new, state-of-the-art, ION navigational robotic platform is a minimally invasive technology that allows us to biopsy suspicious spots called nodules as small as 8 mm anywhere in the lung. The procedure is typically fast, painless and does not require admission to the hospital,” he says.
Evans rotates through three Straub Benioff clinics — Kailua, Pearlridge and Hawai‘i Kai — and performs procedures at the medical center on King Street. At Straub Benioff, he performs a wide range of interventional pulmonary procedures for patients with lung cancer, airway obstruction and emphysema. He also treats pulmonary disorders such as bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease and fibrosis, autoimmune lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.
“One of the reasons I love what I do is because I feel I can significantly improve the quality of someone’s life,” says Evans.
This includes “a Stage 4 lung cancer patient with metastatic disease to the brain, bones and liver who was put on one of the targeted therapies.”
That patient is now disease-free after seven years, Evans notes.
As an attending and supervising physician, Evans also helps medical residents do research projects and give presentations at local and national conferences.
“It gives me great pride to give back what my mentors gave to me and see students succeed,” he says.
Dr. Nicole Leong
Internal Medicine
Straub Benioff Medical Center – Pearlridge Clinic
Dr. Nicole Leong graduated from Punahou School and grew up in ‘Aiea, just minutes away from the clinic she now practices in — Straub Benioff Medical Center’s Pearlridge Clinic.
“It is a full-circle experience,” Leong says. “I have been able to care for friends of my late grandmother, people in our neighborhood, and even classmates and their families.”
In her internal medicine practice, Leong cares for patients who range from 18 years old to more than 100, helping to prevent and manage chronic diseases, as well as acute illnesses.
She has a special interest in preventive care.
“Not all medical conditions are reversible,” Leong says. “Preventive care reduces the risk of unexpected medical events.”
One of her most memorable success stories took place when a patient came in for a routine visit and Leong noticed some of the patient’s blood test results were slightly abnormal. After additional tests, it turned out to be kidney cancer, which was detected and treated early.
“She has been cancer-free for a few years now and is back to her normal daily activities, caring for her new grandson,” Leong says.
She attended medical school at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She finished her residency in internal medicine and primary care at Virginia Mason Medical Center, then completed a chief resident year with the University of Hawai‘i Department of Medicine.
The amount of support she had at JABSOM became evident in her second year of medical school. She was a passenger in a terrible car accident that required hospitalization, spinal surgery and rehabilitation.
“This gave me firsthand experience on the other side of medicine — as a patient,” Leong shares.
She remembers that her classmates and mentors at the medical school rallied around her to ensure she could successfully, and safely, recover and continue classes.
Throughout the years, Leong has served in various medical leadership positions, including her current role as Hawai‘i Pacific Health Medical Group section chief of primary care for West O‘ahu.
“I ensure the Straub Benioff clinic teams in Kapolei and ʻAiea are communicating and collaborating together to deliver high-quality care to our local community while supporting physician well-being,” Leong explains.
In her other positions as a faculty member at JABSOM and site director for Hawai‘i Residency Programs’ Primary Care program, Leong enjoys teaching medical residents.
“To teach is to serve. We dedicate ourselves to resident education as a pledge to our community, ensuring a future where every member of our extended ‘ohana is met with exceptional and culturally rooted care,” she says.
