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Hazel Tominaga Tsutsui Theodore ʻImi Hoʻōla Scholarship Endowment

July 25, 2014
  • Nurturing Those Who Seek to Heal

While Hazel T. Theodore has retired from teaching, she continues to enrich our community through her generous philanthropy and volunteer work.

A woman with many interests, Hazel’s history of giving to UH includes gifts to arts and culture at UH Mānoa, and the culinary program at Kapi‘olani CC. With her most recent gift of $50,000 she established the Hazel Tominaga Tsutsui Theodore ʻImi Hoʻōla scholarship endowment at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). Her scholarship will provide much-needed support for full-time ‘Imi Ho‘ōla post–baccalaureate students.

“To see these students, who had never given up their dream of becoming MDs, studying assiduously to complete this rigorous program, is heartwarming. It’s a unique and inspiring program that I wish to support in some little way.”
—Hazel Theodore 

“We are very grateful to Mrs. Hazel Theodore for her generosity and commitment to the ʻImi Hoʻōla program. This endowment will provide financial assistance directly to ʻImi Hoʻōla students, contributing to their overall success while in the program,” said Winona K. Lee, MD, Director, Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence, ʻImi Hoʻōla Post-Baccalaureate Program.

Now in its 41st year, the mission of the ‘Imi Ho‘ōla “Those Who Seek to Heal” Post– Baccalaureate Program is to improve health care in Hawai‘i and the Pacific Basin by increasing the number of physicians through a 12-month education program that addresses disadvantaged students’ academic and professional needs. ‘Imi Ho‘ōla’s goal is to support diversity of the physician workforce and produce physicians who demonstrate a strong commitment to practice in underserved communities in Hawai‘i and the Pacific.

Each year, up to 12 students from economically, socially, and / or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds are selected to participate in the program.

Upon successful completion of the program, students enter JABSOM as first-year medical students. Since the beginning of the program, 234 ‘Imi Ho‘ōla alumni have successfully graduated from JABSOM and are making a lasting impact by serving the communities of Hawai‘i and the Pacific as health care providers, educators, researchers, mentors, and leaders.

“JABSOM is committed to helping disadvantaged students pursue their dreams of becoming physicians through the ‘Imi Ho‘ōla Post Baccalaureate program,” said Dean Hedges. He continued, “Thanks to generous donors like Hazel Theodore, their dreams are becoming a reality. We will all benefit from having a robust number of culturally sensitive, well-qualified doctors to serve our community.”


If you would like to learn how you can support UH students and programs like this, please contact us at 808 376-7800 or send us a message.