Hawaiʻi’s physician shortage is well documented. Today, our state is short 700 doctors needed to serve a population our size. To help tackle this critical shortfall Territorial Savings Bank (TSB) donated $100,000 to create a new scholarship for medical students at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). This scholarship will help address the physician shortfall because it is specifically intended for Hawaiʻi resident students who want to stay and practice in Hawaiʻi.
Allan Kitagawa, TSB Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, presented the $100,000 check to JABSOM Dean Jerris Hedges, JABSOM Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Alan Otsuki, and UH Foundation President and CEO Donna Vuchinich on July 2.
"We are proud to have a fully accredited and highly respected medical school at the University," said Allan Kitagawa. "Our hope is that this contribution will encourage more of our medical school graduates to remain in Hawaiʻi and contribute to the future health and well-being of our citizens."
In accepting TSB’s check, Dean Hedges said, “We are very grateful to Territorial Savings Bank for investing in our students. Their gift will have a tremendous impact on Hawaiʻi’s health care future, and is especially welcome because it will encourage local students – those most likely to remain in Hawaiʻi – to train at home. Since this scholarship is based strictly on merit, it will enable us to keep top local talent. These students are also being recruited by mainland medical schools so having robust scholarship packages is critical to our ability to attract the best.
The first Territorial Savings Bank Scholars will receive their awards in academic year 2020.
University of HawaiʻiFoundation President and CEO Donna Vuchinich said, “This generous gift from Territorial Savings Bank will help secure a healthier future, not only for the students it supports, but for our entire state. Access to qualified, culturally sensitive doctors is key to healthy communities and we are most thankful to TSB for their investment.”
For more information about helping to reduce the physician shortage by supporting Hawaiʻi medical students, please contact JABSOM Director of Development Elaine Evans at [email protected] or (808) 692-0991.
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The John A. Burns School of Medicine(JABSOM) at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa honors its unique research environment to excel in science-based efforts to eliminate diseases that disproportionately affect people in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region. Annually at JABSOM, more than 500 future physicians are learning medicine, JABSOM researchers secure up to $52 million in grants, and overall economic stimulus to Hawaiʻi from the school tops $456 million annually. JABSOM also confers degrees in Clinical Translational Research, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Tropical Medicine, Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Technology and Developmental and Reproductive Biology. http://jabsom.hawaii.edu. Read our Economic Impact Report.
The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. www.uhfoundation.org
