Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 12, 1 December 2012 — Native Hawaiian Health Department celebrates first decade [ARTICLE]

Native Hawaiian Health Department celebrates first decade

The Department of Native Hawaiian Health kicked off a yearlong series of events celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its

establishment at the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine. The events will highlight the successes of the department, described by the JABSOM blog UHMedNow as the "only elinieal department in an accredited U.S. medical school specifically dedicated to improving the health of an indigenous people, Native Hawaiians." Successes of the past decade include the Lau Ola Clinic, whieh provides culturally appropriate primary-care services on O'ahu and serves as a training site for JABSOM medical students and internal medicine residents; a team of doctors, led by Dr. Kalani Brady, who provide care for former Hansen's disease patients in Kalaupapa, Moloka'i, and at Hale Mōhalu on O'ahu; research expansion through the Center for Native and Paeihe Health Disparities Research, whieh

serves as a "regional focal point" for research to eliminate heahh disparities and improve the heahh of Paeihe and native populations; and the 'Imi Ho'olā Post-Baccalaureate Program, whieh provides one year of intensive study to help students from economically, socially or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds pursue a career in medicine. Of the program's 226 graduates, 40 percent are Native Hawaiian and 96 serve the underserved or disadvantaged populations. The yearlong series kicked off Nov. 15 whh a "Report to the Community" at the JABSOM Medical Education Building. Lounded in 2002, the department embraces both science and Hawaiian cultural knowledge in medical education, basic and elinieal research, elinieal services and training and community engagement in its aim to address heahh

disparities of Native Hawaiians and other ethnicities.