Categorized | Education

Imi Hoola post-baccalaureate program welcomes 12

Kneeling, from left, are Genia Taitano of Rota, Joel Sabugo of Wahiawa, and Aldrich Ricalde of Ewa Beach. Standing in front row, from left, are Chace Moleta of Maui, Darrah Kauhane-Floerke of Honolulu, Kaimana Chow of Molokai, and Emmanuel de Jesus of Honolulu. In back, from left, are Kyle Watanabe of Mililani, Steven Gonsalves of Maui, Kaiwiola Coakley of the Big Island, Daniel Lee of Guam, and Chino Cabalteja of Kauai. (Photo courtesy of UH)

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A program that helps college graduates from Hawaii and the Pacific overcome barriers to medical school is expanding at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM).

The Imi Hoola Post-Baccalaureate Program formally welcomed 12 students into its incoming class Friday, July 30. The students were presented at an Open House at JABSOM’s Medical Education Building Auditorium in Kakaako.

Imi Hoola and JABSOM’s first-year medical student class are being expanded by two students in 2010 to help meet a greater demand for physicians in Hawaii.

Imi Hoola, which translated from the Native Hawaiian language means “those who seek to heal,” recruits college graduates from socially, educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds who show promise to become physicians serving their communities.

Participants spend 12 months in an intensive course of study to improve their knowledge of science and the humanities. Students who complete the challenging course are admitted to JABSOM.

Now in its third decade, Imi Hoola has helped to graduate 213 physicians, 40 percent of whom are Native Hawaiian. This year’s class includes 10 men and two women who are residents of the Big Island, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Oahu, Guam and Rota, which is a part of the Northern Mariana Islands.

2 Responses to “Imi Hoola post-baccalaureate program welcomes 12”

  1. Deb Chan says:

    I would like to know more about the requirements necessary to qualify as a candidate to Imi Hoola. Is it necessary to hold a bachelor’s degree in the field of health science, or other related field in order to qualify for the program?

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