Administration

John A. Burns School of Medicine
651 Ilalo Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Tel: (808) 692-0899/0881
Fax: (808) 692-1247
Web: jabsom.hawaii.edu/

Interim Dean: Lee Buenconsejo-Lum, MD, FAAFP
Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs: Lee BuenconsejoLum, MD, FAAFP
Associate Dean of Research: Mariana Gersenenson, PhD

General Information

The John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) strives to improve the quality, effectiveness, and equity of health care delivery in Hawai‘i and the Pacific region. The school provides opportunity for qualified residents of Hawai‘i and the Pacific Islands, including students from various underrepresented socioeconomic and minority groups to qualify for an MD degree; provides MD graduates with competency to enter postgraduate programs; and provides residency training programs with emphasis on primary-care specialties.

The school also administers graduate research and professional programs that lead to MS and PhD degrees in the basic medical sciences and health-related fields; MS degree in Communications Sciences and Disorders; and, BS and a post-baccalaureate certificate in medical technology. Medical school faculty participate in undergraduate courses for majors in nursing, dental hygiene, biology, nutrition, and related fields.

The school provides instruction for five major categories of students:

  1. Candidates for the MD degree who are admitted directly by JABSOM’s own admissions committee;
  2. Candidates for graduate certificates in Tropical Medicine and in Clinical Research who apply through Graduate Division of UH Mānoa;
  3. Candidates for MS degrees in biomedical sciences (with concentrations in cell and molecular biology, clinical translational research, developmental and reproductive biology, and tropical medicine), or in communication sciences and disorders apply through the Graduate Division of UH Mānoa;
  4. Candidates for PhD degrees in biomedical sciences with concentrations in cell and molecular biology, epidemiology, developmental and reproductive biology, and tropical medicine who apply through Graduate Division of UH Mānoa;
  5. Candidates for undergraduate degrees in medical technology, who apply through the UH Mānoa Admissions Office; and

In addition, a post-baccalaureate certificate for medical technology clinical training is offered.

The Kaka‘ako Waterfront Complex

In 2005, the John A. Burns School of Medicine relocated to a new 9.898 acre site in Kaka‘ako, on the water’s edge, between Waikīkī and downtown Honolulu. The school’s previous location, the 43-year-old Biomedical Sciences building on the Mānoa campus, continues to be occupied by the Department of Medical Technology. The school complex, which includes the UH Cancer Center and JABSOM Kaka‘ako Research Clinics, functions as an economic engine for the state that will create quality employment opportunities, increase biomedical research activity, and be a stimulus for the biotechnical industry in Hawai‘i.

Target areas of research, which include innovations in problem-based learning medical education, are retrovirology/ infectious diseases/AIDS, molecular biology/genetics/neuroscience, genomic medicine, proteomics, and bioinformatics/computational biology.

The school is accredited by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Residency and Fellowship Programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Additionally, all civilian postgraduate medical education programs in Hawai‘i hospitals and clinics are accredited as UH John A. Burns School of Medicine-sponsored residency programs by the ACGME. Approximately 230 physicians (employees of Hawai‘i Residency Programs, Inc.) within 18 training programs serve as residents or fellows in these hospitals under the direction of medical school faculty from eight clinical departments. Oversight is provided by the Designated Institutional Official (DIO). Medical Technology (MEDT) and Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) are accredited by National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association respectively.

Affiliations

The school maintains academic affiliations with facilities for medical student and resident clinical training that include the following: Castle Medical Center, Hawai‘i Permanente (Kaiser) hospitals and clinics, Hawai‘i Pacific Health clinics and hospitals (Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children, Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Medical Center, Wilcox Hospital), Hawai‘i State Hospital, Hilo Medical Center, Kalihi-Palama Health Center, Kokua Kalihi Valley Health Center, Kuakini Heath Systems, Maui Memorial Medical Center, Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, Shriners Hospptial for Children, Spark Matsunaga VA Medical Center, The Queen’s Health System clinics and hospitals (Queen’s Punchbowl, Queen’s West O‘ahu, North Hawai‘i Community Hospital), Triper Army Medical Center, Wahiawa General Hospital, Waimanalo Health Center, and Wilcox Medical Center. Additionally, JABSOM students rotate through many private physician practices throughout the state.

Degrees

Bachelor’s Degrees: BS in medical technology
Master’s Degrees: MS in biomedical sciences (cell and molecular biology, developmental and reproductive biology, and tropical medicine); MS in communication sciences and disorders; MS in quantitative health and clinical research
Professional Degree: MD
Doctoral Degrees: PhD in biomedical sciences (cell and molecular biology, and tropical medicine); PhD in developmental and reproductive biology

Advising

Premedical advising is available through the Pre-Health/PreLaw Advising Center, Sinclair Library 108.

Academic Policies

Undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Medicine must adhere to the academic policies of UH Mānoa. Medical students are exempted from certain UH Mānoa policies and instead must follow academic policies germane to the MD program. Copies of relevant policies are available in JABSOM’s Office of Student Affairs.

MD Program

The MD program follows a problem-based curriculum, which was implemented in fall 1989 and includes the following key features: knowledge is acquired in problem-based modules; self-directed learning is fostered in small group tutorials; students are involved actively in the learning process, not simply passive recipients of information; the small group leaders function as facilitators of learning; content experts function as resources to the learning process; laboratory exercises, demonstrations, the library and audiovisual-computer centers supplement faculty input; basic sciences are learned primarily in the context of solving clinical problems; students are trained to think critically and to evaluate new information and research data; and evaluation of students is based on competence in a variety of problem-solving exercises.

The learning activities in the first two years of the curriculum take place in the school’s state-of-the-art Medical Education Building and in community health sites. The advanced clinical instruction that constitutes the bulk of the second two years of instruction takes place in affiliated community hospitals and clinics.

Admission Requirements/Application Process

Candidates for MD training must complete a minimum of 90 college-level semester credit hours of which the following specific science coursework is required for entry into the MD curriculum.

  • one academic year of general biology with lab semester credit hours of biology with lab
  • one academic year of general physics with lab
  • one academic year of general chemistry with lab
  • one academic year of organic chemistry with lab
  • one course in biochemistry (no lab required)

Each course should be acceptable for students majoring in the above science disciplines. Additional enrichment in the biological and social sciences is encouraged. Applicants must also be fully competent in reading, speaking, and writing the English language.

Applicants are required to apply through the American Medical Colleges Application Service (AMCAS). The service permits an applicant to file a single web-based application, which is forwarded to participating medical schools as designated on the AMCAS application. AMCAS will implement a criminal background check on applicants applying to medical schools. The AMCAS application is available from June 1 at the AMCAS website: www.aamc.org. The deadline to transmit the application to AMCAS is November 1 for regular admission (EST) or August 1 (EST) for Early Decision Students.

Applicants must also take the nationally administered Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), which deals with knowledge of the biological and biochemical foundations of living systems; chemical and physical foundations of biological systems; psychological, social, and biological foundations of behavior; and critical analysis and reasoning skills. The MCAT must be taken within three years of an applicant’s anticipated matriculation to medical school. The latest MCATs screened or re-screened in the admissions process is September of the year of application (May for Early Decision). Additionally, applicants to JABSOM must take the AAMC PREview® professional readiness exam within three years of anticipated year of matriculation to medical school

Applicants who achieve the required screening cut-off points will be asked to submit additional materials and invited for interviews. Applicants must pass the criminal background check to be accepted.

Inquiries regarding admissions should be directed to the Office of Admissions, John A. Burns School of Medicine, 651 Ilalo Street, MEB 3rd floor, Honolulu, HI 96813 or via email medadmin@hawaii.edu. Further information may be obtained on the web at admissions.jabsom.hawaii.edu.

Honors and Awards

Alpha Omega Alpha is the national medical honor society. JABSOM also is a chapter member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

Graduate Medical Education Programs

Graduate medical education programs in Hawai‘i hospitals are in family medicine, sports medicine, internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, geriatric medicine, obstetrics and gynecology in complex family planning, maternal-fetal medicine, orthopaedic surgery, pathology, pediatrics, neonatal-perinatal medicine, psychiatry (adult, child and adolescent, geriatric, addiction), general surgery, surgical critical care, and addition medicine. The UH John A. Burns School of Medicine is the institutional sponsor for these residency training programs, which includes approximately 230 physicians working under the supervision of JABSOM faculty in the affiliated hospitals while studying their chosen specialty

The medical school also conducts a graduate medical education program at Chubu Hospital in Okinawa for graduates of Japanese medical schools.

Graduate Programs

Refer to the department/program sections of the Catalog for more information on each graduate program. Note: Information on the quantitative health and clinical research program is listed in the cell and molecular biology graduate program located in the “Interdisciplinary Programs” section of the Catalog.

Graduate program inquiries should be directed to the appropriate program chair. General information is available on the web at ed-programs/masters-phd/.

Biomedical Sciences

Cell and Molecular Biology
Michelle Tallquist, PhD
Phone: (808) 692-1579
Email: michelle.tallquist@hawaii.edu
Web: cmbgrad.jabsom.hawaii.edu

Quantitative Health and Clinical Research
Eunjung Lim, PhD
John J. Chen, PhD
Phone: (808) 692-1840
Email: qhcr@hawaii.edu
Web: qhs.jabsom.hawaii.edu/education/qhcr

Developmental and Reproductive Biology
Monika A. Ward, PhD
Phone: (808) 956-0779
Email: mward@hawaii.edu
Web: jabsom.hawaii.edu/grad_drb/

Tropical Medicine
Sandra Chang, PhD
Phone: (808) 692-1607
Email: sandrac@hawaii.edu
Web: manoa.hawaii.edu/tropicalmedicine/

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Web: csd.jabsom.hawaii.edu

Undergraduate Programs

For information on medical technology, refer to the respective section of the Catalog.

Special Programs

Hawai‘i/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center (AHEC)

The Hawai‘i/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center (AHEC) supports health professions training experiences in rural and under-served areas of Hawai‘i and the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands (Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, and Federated States of Micronesia). Training experiences can be preceptorships, clerkships, electives, cultural immersion experiences, research, or inter-professional training experiences. AHEC supports continuity of rural training for students wishing to perform training experiences in a particular rural or under-served area during multiple years of their training (such as their hometown). AHEC staff members perform and support health careers recruitment programs across the state, such as the JABSOM Higher Education Mentors first year selective and Teen Health Camps. AHEC also helps develop low-tech simulation centers in rural areas, and holds the Hawai‘i Health Workforce Summit every September (where students can present posters). The State Loan Repayment Program and Hawai‘i Health Education Loan Repayment Program are administered by AHEC as are scholarships for students pursuing health professions training. Finally, AHEC continues to conduct a statewide physician workforce assessment where students can participate in studying aspects of the workforce, such as migration patterns and specific shortages.

AHEC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. The federal mandate is to improve the diversity, distribution, and quality of the health professions workforce. The mission of Hawai‘i/Pacific Basin AHEC is: To improve the health of the under-served through education. Activities focus on four primary areas: 1) health education and recruitment to health professions for students across the region from kindergarten through second careers; 2) educating health professions students in rural and under-served areas, often in interdisciplinary teams; 3) recruitment, retention, and continuing education of practicing health professionals in medically under-served areas; and 4) providing video connectivity for health education, communication, and other health care services to rural and under-served areas across the state through methodologies such as HawaiiECHO.info and HawaiiUTelehealth.org. Contact Dr. Kelley Withy for more information at withy@hawaii.edu, (808) 692-1060 or (808) 429-8712.

Overseas Programs

The school plays an extensive training role at locations outside Hawai‘i and expects that its involvement in the Pacific and Asia regions will continue. In the scattered islands of Micronesia, the school has trained medical officers (MOs) and physician assistants to bring primary care to a widely dispersed population. The curricula were relevant to the clinical and community health needs of the Pacific Basin. Graduates of the MO program received a Diploma in Community Health, Medicine, and Surgery. Training of other health professionals in the Pacific Basin area continues. On Okinawa, the school conducts a residency training program for graduates of Japanese medical schools. This program is financed by the Okinawa prefectural government. The school conducts a medical student exchange program with affiliated medical schools and hospitals in Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand.