JABSOM News: "Stimulus Spending Projects, New Big Island Clinic Making News in Hawaii"

The airwaves and newspapers have been filled with some good news from the school of medicine these past few weeks.

The grand opening ceremony for a new training center and clinic, open to patients, got a flood of coverage on Hawai‘i Island. The Hawai‘i Island Family Health Center is the culmination of several years of effort by island residents and federal, state, and local officials to address a critical shortage in health professionals available to the Big Island’s citizens.

The clinic is staffed by a unique combination of doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and pharmacists. They include faculty from The University of Hawai‘i at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, The University of Hawai‘i at Manoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Baccalaureate Nursing Program, The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo College of Pharmacy and the Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation’s Hilo Medical Center.

Dr. Lucy Bucci, MD, MPH, of JABSOM’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, is the Site Director, leading a staff of two physicians, a nurse practitioner and a pharmacist. They already are seeing about 40 patients a day.

Check out the article and photos in the weekly JABSOM E NEWS Week Newsletter for the week of November 6, 2009.

(Story first posted November 6, 2009.)

Additional News: "NIH Helpful Hints For the Upcoming Proposal Submission Changes - For Due Dates On or After January 25, 2010"

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are implementing important changes to the structure of their applications, as a result of their initiative to change the peer review system. Below are resources and links available for questions that you may have regarding the NIH's upcoming changes. Here's what you need to do to be prepared:

• Read about the changes now so that you can begin writing your Research Strategy correctly.
• In December, go back to the updated Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) or reissued Parent
• Announcement and download the new application package and instructions.
• For due dates on or after January 25, 2010, submit your electronic and paper applications to ORS using the new application forms.

In general, key changes will affect the following areas:

• A newly structured Research Strategy will replace the old Research Plan
• Page limits for the new Research Strategy have been decreased
• The Facilities and Other Resources will have new narrative requirements
• Biographical Sketches will have publication limits and a new Personal Statement requirement.

The changes will affect the following types of grant applications made on or after January 25, 2010:

• All applications (including individual Career Awards) electronically submitted using application packages that combine the SF 424 (R&R) with PHS 398 components (e.g, PHS 398 Research Plan Component and PHS 398 Career Development Supplement Form).
• All electronically submitted Individual NRSA Fellowship applications using application packages that combine the SF 424 (R&R) with the PHS Fellowship Supplemental Form.
• All applications using the paper PHS 398 application package

General information about the changes may be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-149.html

More information about Parent Announcements may be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/parent_announcements.htm

Questions about the content of new forms and instructions may be addressed to:

Jennifer Halaszyn, ORS Contracts & Grants Manager
Email: jhalaszy@hawaii.edu or Phone: (808) 692-1807

More information about the Enhancing Peer Review Effort may be found at: http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov

The NIH eRA Help Desk can be reached at:

Web Support: http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/eRA/
Phone: (866) 504-9552 or (301) 402-7469

(Story first posted November 5, 2009.)

JABSOM News: "Medical Students Rally to Send Emergency Supplies to the Philippines and Samoa"

Aloha Medical Mission (AMM) and medical students of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) gathered donations to buy medicines and medical supplies for victims of the tsunami which struck American Samoa and the storm-generated flooding in The Philippines.

The supplies, the first of which were packed on October 7, were shipped care of the Medical Director at Lyndon Baines Johnson Tropical Medical Center, LBJTMC, Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Gloria Tumbaga, R.N., AMM volunteer and fourth-year medical student, helped to organize a collection of clothing with fellow students at JABSOM, including those in the Global Health Interest Group (GHIG), UHM-Student Life & Development, Ka Lama Kukui (KLK), and the Philippine Medical Student Association of Hawai‘i (PMSAH). A bake sale the students organized raised $2,000 for the Samoa and The Philippines.

Dr. Patrick Pedro, a surgeon from American Samoa, helped assist in the project.

Check out the article and photos in the weekly JABSOM E NEWS Week Newsletter for the week of October 16, 2009.

(Story first posted October 16, 2009.)

AHEC News: PEARLS Middle School Teacher Training a Success!

Pacific Education and Research for Leadership in Science,(PEARLS) is funded through an NIH Science Education Partnership Award grant to the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. The goal of PEARLS is to increase knowledge of science and interest in science careers for middle school students in Hawaii, particularly the neighbor islands, and across the Pacific region, by developing and implementing an inquiry-based science curriculum that can be modified for relevance within the communities in which it is taught.

From June 15 to June 26, 2009, the PEARLS program conducted a training workshop for 17 teachers from the Big Island of Hawaii, Kauai, Molokai, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia and one lone teacher from Oahu, at Dr. Vivek Nerurkar’s laboratory at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu. For the classroom laboratory experiments, the teachers learned by doing, assuming the role of student, and performed the experiments themselves. Mystery questions were correlated with each topic of study, serving as triggers for queries and discussions about real-world relevance of science. For example, in studying buoyancy, participants were asked “Why do some things float and some things sink?” Follow-up questions included “Could you use a coconut to keep you afloat? How about a banana?” Field trips to locations such as Bishop Museum, Kewalo Marine Laboratory, University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Leahi Hospital’s Clinical Research Lab and the world class research facilities at JABSOM. Dr. Richard Kasuya introduced the participants to Problem-Based Learning while Bill Dendle from the Committee on Human Studies conducted a human subjects training session.

In addition, the teachers met with research and basic science faculty, including Dr. Nerurkar, Dr. Marla Berry, Dr. Mariana Gerschenson, Dr. George Hui, and Dr. Steven Labrash as well as students from the Pacific conducting summer research projects in Hawaii. i In this way, teachers learned about the opportunities for students to pursue research careers and increased their awareness of the ongoing research in the area. DVDs have been created highlighting careers of “local” people working in such diverse fields as marine biology, botany and medicine to demonstrate how science is all around us, and is a viable career option.

The workshop was a success, as measured by the high level of enthusiasm, as well as significant increases in teacher self efficacy, interest in teaching and feelings of collaboration and support. Participants have received all the supplies necessary to implement the curriculum in their classrooms, including computers, projectors, textbooks as well as laboratory supplies. Throughout the school year, teachers will participate in a social network forum to share resources, experiences and ideas and may ask for or provide mentorship to other teachers. Additionally, the PEARLS program staff will be conducting site visits to assist the teachers with implementation and learn about the resources available locally to make the curriculum more relevant.

(Story first posted October 8, 2009.)

Imi Hoʻola News: "Hawaiian Health Series: Medical Profession"

Sunrise, 'KGMB9 News' August 17, 2009

Medical professionals who understand and share a perspective with their patients are important to the quality of service.

"This is Hawaiʻi, our place. Hawaiians need doctors that understand Hawaiian ways, cultural norms, the importance of family and how these interrelate. Akolea is stepping up to the plate as an incoming Imi Hoʻola student at our John Burns School of Medicine. Imi Hoōla is a cornerstone program of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the medical school, serving students from disadvantaged backgrounds," said Akolea Ioane.

"The Imi Hoʻola program provides a tremendous preparatory year for our future students," said Jerris R. Hedges.

This was open house night for Imi Hoʻola students and their families.

"There's a lot of good reasons to have the family here tonight to both celebrate this event and to be a partner as the student goes through the program."

Family is important to many of these students, which explains the unique characteristic that Dr. Judd highlights about her Imi Hoʻola students.

"The majority of those the come to ʻimi, they really want to give back to the community. They have this ano around them that makes them special. They come with that compassion and altruism. Health and medicine is not only taking care of the individual, it's really taking care of the families and the communities," said Nanette Kapulani Judd.

We continue to place value on the health of our families and community.

Check out the original article and a video at the KGMB9 News Hawaii Website.

(Story first posted August 17, 2009.)

JABSOM News: "New Medical Students Receive Whitecoats"

62 in class; 47% women

Eighty-nine percent of the newest class at the John A. Burns School of Medicine are Hawai‘i residents, including 17 public high school graduates and 30 from private schools. The neighbor islands claim seven of the new students. One is from Guam.

JABSOM’s Class of 1988 presented the White Coats to each student in a traditional ceremony on July 17 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.

You could just see the sense of achievement in the student’s faces. Their average age is 24. Ten of them already have advanced degrees. Two have dual bachelor’s degrees.

This is a class ready to study!

Check out the article and photos in the monthly JABSOM Newsletter of July 2009.

(Story first posted July 30, 2009.)

AHEC News: Hawaii Rural Health Pathways

Thirty-one students from Kauai, Molokai, and Hawaii Island participated in the 'Navigating Your Future in Health Professions' conference on Oahu, in associaiton with the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Find out all about it and more in the Hawaii Rural Health Pathways Newsletter of April 2009.

AHEC News: Funding Medical Student Travel to Neighbor Islands

AHEC Director Kelley Withy, MD received support for medical students travel to neighbor island clinical rotations. A 'Medical School Travel Support grant ' for $103,800 from HMSA provides travel funds for up to 25 medical students to perform clinical rotations in rural clinics and community health settings. AHEC's goal is to help ease health workforce shortages by increasing the diversity and distribution of health professionals throughout Hawai`i.

Read more about it in the JABSOM E NEWS Week Newsletter for the week of September 19, 2008.

(Story first posted September 19, 2008.)

AHEC News: Maui County AHEC Summer Health Institute

Huli Au Ola AHEC's 'Summer Health Leadership Institute' is an amazing annual adventure found only on Molokai! Summer Health Institute students apply creativity and problem solving to robotics project. Robotic technologies are increasingly being used in surgical and health related settings.

The ‘Huli Au Ola’ AHEC on Molokai hosted the 3rd Annual Summer Leadership Institute for students on July 12-19, 2008. The program officially launched a new 'Robotics Program' segment this year; critical thinking, teamwork and having fun are just some of the experiences that students on Molokai experienced this year. AHEC Executive Director Rosie Davis is pleased to announce that a grant from HMSA will allow the Summer Health Institute will expand its program activities. As a result of the additional funding, Rosie has also offered to hānai (adopt) students from Hawai‛i, Kauai and Maui to take part in the annual program in 2009 and 2010!

This year the event consisted of seven days in Kalaupapa and topside on Molokai. Health Career presentations began in Kalaupapa, with Dr. Kalani Brady sharing mana'o on health disparities and health issues, and Biologist Guy Hews sharing the future of Kalaupapa. Local healthcare professional educator Dr. Richard Rodriquez was Facilitator/Lecturer for the Summer Leadership students. Na Pu’uwai Native Hawaiian Health Care nurses and Quentin Burdick Rural Interdisciplinary students trained students how to take vital signs.

Additionally students received CPR training through Nā Pu‛uwai Native Hawaiian Health Care System and Emergency Preparedness with Diane Lobre from Department of Health. Lomi Lomi La’au Lapa Au by Keola Chan presented on Hawaiian medicine and native plants, the history and use of the Hawaiian people. Students will also take part in storytelling by nā kupuna of Molokai and Kalaupapa, and will work the ‛āina in the taro patches and the learn the history and health benefits of taro for the people of Hawai‛i. A new leadership component included Facilitator/Lecturer Teddy Sotelo, a certified leadership presenter. Teddy provides perspectives on the everyday challenges and rewards of health professionals. A new section has been added referring to the launch of Molokai’s ‘Robotic Program’ which focuses on the use of robotics used to perform surgical and medical needs for patients was be officially kicked-off during the Summer Leadership Program.

Cultural activities include reaching out to the ocean and learning the history of the canoe, the making of the canoe and paddling the canoe in the ocean. Students will receive a one (1) college credit syllabus class to students the course title: HLTH 90V – Careers in Health 1, CRN #48108.

AHEC News: Ke Anuenue AHEC (Hilo) MASH Camps

Carolyn Lucas, 'West Hawaii Today' July 23, 2008

"MASH Camp is a great, hands-on program because it opens doors to rural kids and helps them realize their potential. Hopefully the kids have fun and leave with a firmer idea of whether the health care industry is something they want to pursue," says Nicole Moore.

Photo by Brad Ballesteros

Dr. Barry Blum, (pictured above, right) , shows students attending the two-day Medical Academy of Science and Health workshop at Kona Community Hospital how to prep voluenteer patient Luke Van Der Spoel for a mock surgery. - . Students learned the average salaries for different health care professions, the amount of schooling required, the challenges faced and what a typical day entails.

During the "Inside of an Ambulance" workshop, Captain Cook Fire Station paramedic Mike Lam shared details of the worst car accident he responded to, which involved a woman he recognized from high school, who later went into cardiac arrest.

Throughout the presentation, Lam and emergency medical technician Jeff Kahakua congratulated students for "wanting to step into a field that most other people would rather run away from." While they've seen "nasty stuff," the colleagues concurred they receive immense satisfaction from helping others and doing the best they can to mitigate a bad situation, which often transforms into a good

Roxanne Bacxa dons her surgical attire before performing mock surgery on a fellow student volunteer patient.
one that is later rewarded with hugs, handshakes, words of gratitude or cookies.

Luke Van Der Spoel is undeterred by the challenges. The 13-year-old Innovations Public Charter School student said he is determined to follow in the footsteps of several family members and is "seeking occupation in the medical line of work." He was intrigued by diagnostic imagining and the technologies used. Van Der Spoel credited his mother, an occupational therapist at Kona Community Hospital, for encouraging his interest.

Nicole Moore, executive director for Ke Anuenue Area Health Education Center, said most children have little opportunity to explore different careers before being swept into college, part-time jobs and internships. The main goal of MASH Camp was to make students aware of the needs in the community, as well as the opportunities and resources available.

"This is a great, hands-on program because it opens doors to rural kids and helps them realize their potential," she said. "Hopefully the kids have fun and leave with a firmer idea of whether the health care industry is something they want to pursue."

Ke Anuenue AHEC received $20,000 from the Ouida & Doc Hill Foundation to put on 13 MASH Camps islandwide. This week's program was the third that the Hilo-based not-for-profit agency has co-sponsored, Moore said.

For more information about MASH Camp, call Emily Mendez-Bryant, Kona Community Hospital spokeswoman, at 322-6960 or Ke Anuenue AHEC at 935-8658.

(Story first posted July, 23, 2008.)

AHEC News: Spotlight on Kauai Summer Health Adventure

Na Lei Wili Area Health Education Center (AHEC) hosted the 2008 Summer Health Adventure for teens, an outdoor, experiential based adventure that focused on ‘Growing our Own Healers’ on Kauai. Fran Becker, Executive Director has a passion to build the youth to their fullest potential and had a vision to reach out to Kauai’s youth through adventure that would ‘stir up their untapped gifts, talents and abilities.’

Na Lei Wili AHEC collaborated with Kauai Team Challenge Incorporated’s owner Mason Chock, and Angela Longmire, group facilitator and registered nurse. Kauai Team Challenge Inc. is an outdoor experiential education company with programs designed by Mason, a former firefighter to promote team building, self-esteem, problem solving and leadership skills, as well as personal growth.

The 2008 program was a 4 day beach front camping event in Waipa, Hanalei Bay that began on Thursday afternoon, August 14, 2008. The cost is only $50 per child, an investment well worth the development of our youth’s personal growth and career path.

Contact Fran Becker for more information, or if you would like to sponsor a child’s Summer Adventure at (808) 246-8986.