Proudest Moments:

1) Planning a surprise engagement and wedding during medical school
2) Praying with a patient and her family before an emergency C-section
3) Creating an animated medical terminology mnemonic curriculum that is now used at JABSOM and in Japan

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

"The core of humanism in medicine is not being distracted by prestige or achievements and instead cultivating a heart that is humble and patient-centered."

Proudest Moments:

1) Getting into medical school and doing the thing!
2) Feeling at home in a new country on a new continent with the bare necessities.
3) Being trusted with the stories of my patients and students.

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

"Humanism means to Show Up...to give more than you think you can more often than you think is possible...[It is] driving home at the end of the day, exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, looking out the window at the ocean, and being grateful for having had the opportunity to Show Up. And then, looking forward to doing it tomorrow."

Proudest Moments:

1) Spearheading LGBTQ+ curriculum initiatives at JABSOM through the Medical Student Pride Alliance 
2) Practicing community-based medicine during my month-long MD5 experience in the Marshall Islands 
3) Having the privilege of receiving my patient's life story after working with him for 3 weeks

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

“Healthcare is a two-way street; in caring for patients, my input is an interweaving of my lived experience, motivations, and actions. My hope is to continue to walk in stride with my humanity, serving my patients with compassion and steadfastness in both their quotidian moments and most vulnerable circumstances.”

Proudest Moments:

1) Completing ʻImi Hoʻōla
2) Pushing through internal medicine and surgery rotations during my first trimester
3) Making it to where I am today. :)

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

“Humanism in medicine is recognizing that patients are more than their diagnoses or what is written in their charts. It is about seeing them as individuals with unique stories, emotions, and backgrounds. It means taking time to understand obstacles they may face daily, which should be reflected in the care plans we provide.”

Proudest Moments:

1) Being a medical student in Hawaii and serving the communities that raised me.
2) Providing culturally-sensitive care to communities in Hawaii disproportionately affected by social determinants of health.
3) Running at sub 10 minute pace during my first half marathon and training to improve in the upcoming full marathon!

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

“Humanism in medicine means seeing patients as people first—recognizing and honoring the complexity of their lives beyond the confines of their medical chart—and delivering care grounded in empathy, respect, and genuine human connection.”

Proudest Moments:

1) Being the first person in medicine in my family.
2) When I realized I had developed such a strong bond with my patient that she decided to open up and tell things she had never told another provider.

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

“To be human is to touch another soul with compassion, to light a candle in someone’s darkness, and to find fragments of ourselves in each other’s stories.”

— Unknown

Proudest Moments:

1) Getting into medical school.
2) Having friends and family tell me they'd want me to be their doctor.
3) Recognizing a patient's condition as type I diabetes based on her history, which corrected a pattern of mismanagement from prior admissions where she was incorrectly treated for type II diabetes.

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

"Caring without science is well-intentioned kindness. Science without caring is mere technology. Together, they are medicine"

– Dr. Bernard Lown

Proudest Moments:

1) Getting my acceptance letter to JABSOM and having the opportunity to train at home -- being able to share this experience with my family means the world to me.
2) Having patients, family, and friends tell me they would choose me as their physician.
3) Going on a high school graduation trip to Korea with my best friends.

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

“To me, humanism in medicine is the embodiment of the golden rule my mother instilled in me as a child, but so much more. Humanism is not necessarily about treating others the way we want to be treated, but instead treating others the way they would want to be treated, just as we would for our loved ones.”

Proudest Moments:

1) Celebrating with my patient for getting her diabetes and high cholesterol under control. She avoided doctors for 40 years, but was able to make so much progress within 5 months!
2) Traveling to Colorado to present my first poster at a conference and finally realizing how vast the field of medicine truly is.
3) Teaching myself how to golf and hitting a ball over 200 yards during my summer after first year.

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

Dr. Rudolf Virchow once said, ”Medical education does not exist to provide students with a way of making a living, but to ensure the health of the community.”

Humanism in medicine means recognizing this privilege we've received, as educated and trusted future leaders in the community, and wielding it to address not only the medical problems, but also the societal problems that impact those we serve.

Proudest Moments:

1) Completing the 'Imi Ho'ōla Post-Baccalaureate Program and being the first in my family to get into medical school.
2) Finishing a marathon with my #1 supporter by my side.
3) Returning home to the Big Island for outpatient rotations and having patients ask me to come back.

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

"Treating patients while remembering our purpose and initial reason for going into this field -- our "why" -- is the heart of humanism in medicine. Whether it is being of service to your community, empowering patients to be active participants in their health, or learning about your patient beyond the chart, bringing humanism into medicine ensures that our patients' voices are heard in times of uncertainty."

Proudest Moments:

1) On Psychiatry, advocating for my patient who I thought was pregnant when everybody else believed it was just psychosis (she was 5 months pregnant).
2) On Internal Medicine, finding a melanoma while doing a lung exam.

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

"The concept of 'humanism in medicine' serves to cultivate a sense of greater purpose--to create better physicians and better patient care by reminding us that having emotions is a sign of strength rather than of weakness."

Proudest Moments:

1) Completing the ʻImi Hoʻōla Post Baccalaureate program.

Thoughts on Humanism in Medicine:

“Humanism means providing accessible, high-quality health care while considering all aspects of the patient— including biological, social, geographical, and more!”