Nea Portillo, a student at Kihei Charter School on Maui, expressed her gratitude to JABSOM, Kaiser Permanente, and all the partners that made this program possible. Reflecting that she was affected by the Maui wildfires, she shared: "After seeing how my community was impacted and knowing that there is a great need for more people to serve in our health care industry, it makes me want to step up and help fill a role. That way, if our community is ever in a crisis moment in the future, I want to be able to help take care of our community."

"I love getting to actually do what I'm learning in school, what I'm interested in, and getting awesome hands-on experience. I love all the labs we're doing about anatomy and learning more about patient encounters. I can't express how awesome it is that I'm getting to do what I want to do at only 16 years old," shared Colten Clarke, a student at Kealakehe High School on Hawaii Island.

The Neighbor Island Medical Scholars Program aims to inspire local students to pursue careers in medicine and return home to care for their communities. By removing financial and geographical barriers and creating meaningful learning experiences, JABSOM and Kaiser Permanente are working together to cultivate a homegrown workforce that reflects Hawaii's diversity and values.

This marks the third year of the Neighbor Island Medical Scholars Program and the first year that Kaiser Permanente has joined as a partner. In addition to the dedicated JABSOM students who helped design and lead this initiative, Kaiser Permanente extends its sincere appreciation to the Neighbor Island Medical Scholars Program board, especially Ryan Keli'i Shontel, PhD, Kennedy-Kainoa Tamashiro, Zoey Simmons, and Josh Ooka for their leadership and commitment to mentoring the next generation of health care professionals.

About JABSOM

Established in 1965, the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) is one of the degree-granting schools of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Named in honor of the visionary former governor, JABSOM trains the next generation of outstanding physicians, scientists, medical technologists, and speech pathologists to improve the health and wellness of our many communities throughout Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. Our impactful research focuses on understanding and addressing health needs that are high priority for the populations we serve. JABSOM is home to the first clinical department in an accredited medical school in the nation that is focused on health issues of an indigenous population, Native Hawaiians.