The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) marked the 30th anniversary of its Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) and the Family Medicine Residency Program (FMRP) in March, celebrating a legacy of training physicians to serve communities across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
Since its founding in 1994, FMRP has trained more than 170 residents, with more than 80% continuing to practice in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
“From the delivery (cradle) to the grave, family medicine covers a lifecycle,” said Neal Palafox, a founding faculty member and former department chair. “It’s a view of not only individual health but population health.”
At a celebration event on March 28, Palafox reflected on the program’s origins at Wahiawā General Hospital, its move to Pali Momi in 2017, and the opening of the Pali Momi Outpatient Center in 2020. He credited the program’s success to support from health systems statewide, the legislature and HMSA.
“From a partnership standpoint, we had residents doing rotations at Queen’s, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, Tripler, Kaiser and St. Francis,” he said. “There is no hospital that didn’t partner to make this work.”
FMRP’s mission aligns with JABSOM’s broader goal of training health professionals committed to ALOHA—Attain Lasting Optimal Health for All.
“FMRP provides the opportunity for our homegrown physicians to stay in Hawaiʻi and care for their communities,” said JABSOM Dean Sam Shomaker.
The program has produced many distinguished JABSOM alumni and faculty, including Jill Omori, director of the Office of Medical Education and founder of the Hawaiʻi HOME Project; Lee Buenconsejo-Lum, associate dean for academic affairs and the 2024 Family Physician of the Year; and Chip Hixon, DFMCH chair, who was recently named Hawaiʻi Pacific Health’s 2025 Physician of the Year at Pali Momi.
Looking ahead, FMRP is awaiting accreditation to launch a new residency program on Kauaʻi, expanding its reach and continuing its mission of service to all of Hawaiʻi.
