Seven new doctors from Maui County among UH John A. Burns School of Medicine graduates

The University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine recently graduated 69 doctors including many minorities as well as those from rural communities on the neighbor islands.

The new crop of physicians include 16 that identify as being of “Filipinx” or mixed “Filipinx” descent, four Native Hawaiians and 10 with neighbor island roots, according to a UH JABSOM announcement.

Six out of the 16 physicians of “Filipinx” descent participated in the UH Mānoa Filgrad Ceremony, a celebration of “Filipinx” students’ heritage, identity and community, according to a UH JABSOM release.

Four Native Hawaiian kauka ʻopio (young physicians) were honored in the Annual Kīhei Ceremony sponsored by the ʻAhahui o nā Kauka and JABSOM Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence. They were each presented with a ceremonial cloak or kīhei, which represents a significant achievement in one’s life. The kīhei are adorned in designs and colors that tell the life story of each kauka’s life and pathway to Medicine.

Collectively, JABSOM’s MD Class of 2022 will begin their medical careers in July and receive advanced training in medical specialties of their choice. The graduates overwhelmingly chose primary-care specialties– 64%, that includes internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics-gynecology. Majority are either staying in Hawaiʻi (20) or on the West Coast (California: 27, Oregon, 3, Washington: 1) for their post-medical training. 

The 10 newly graduated physicians from the neighbor islands include seven from Maui County.

• From Maui:
  1. Dr. Dillon Tacdol will specialize in Internal Medicine at the University of Hawaiʻi. From Wailuku, Maui, Kamehameha Schools-Maui.
  2. Dr. Kara Termulo will specialize in obstetrics-gynecology at Kaiser Permanente-San Francisco. From Wailuku, Maui, Seabury Hall.
  3. Dr. Kellen Bean will specialize in internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente-Hawaiʻi. From Waiehu, Maui, Henry Perrine Baldwin High School. 
  4. Dr. Nanea Cavaco will specialize in pediatrics at the University of Hawaiʻi. From Paukūkalo, Maui, Kamehameha Schools-Maui.
  5. Dr. Sidra Parveen will specialize in psychiatry at Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School. From Kahului, Maui, Henry Perrine Baldwin HS
  6. Dr. Amandalin Rock will specialize in emergency medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. From Haʻikū, Maui, Home School
• From Molokaʻi:
  1. Dr. Clare-Marie Anderson will specialize in obstetrics-gynecology at UC Irvine Medical Center. From Kaunakakai, Molokaʻi, Punahou School (Oʻahu)
• From Hawaiʻi Island:
  1. Dr. Gunnar Lee will specialize in neurological surgery at UC Davis Medical Center. From Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island, St. Joseph School.
  2. Nicholas Simon will specialize in emergency medicine at UC San Diego Medical Center. From Waimea, Hawaiʻi Island, Punahou School.
• From Kauaʻi:
  1. Dr. Lauren Claypoole will specialize in obstetrics-gynecology at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara. From Kapa’a, Kauaʻi, Island School.