For the first time in its history, Kauaʻi will be home to a family medicine residency program—thanks to a partnership between the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and Wilcox Medical Health—marking a major step forward in addressing rural physician shortages on the Garden Island.
With funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Rural Residency Planning and Development Program, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education approved JABSOM‘s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) to launch the
UH Kauaʻi Family Medicine Residency—the island’s first.
“This is a beautiful example of the UH medical school, Wilcox Medical Center, Hawaiʻi Health Services Corporation and the broader Kauaʻi community coming together to find a solution to the critical neighbor island physician shortage,” said Allen Hixon, chair of the Department of Family Medicine. “We chose Kauaʻi because we recognized that we could make a difference in improving access to health care for the island of 74,000 residents. With the network of health care organizations already here serving patients, we wanted to bolster the number of physicians committed to this community.”
The program will welcome its first cohort in academic year 2026–27. Residents will train on Oʻahu in their first year, then spend their second and third years on Kauaʻi, rotating through Wilcox Medical Center, HHSC clinics, the District Health Office, Hoʻola Lāhui Health Centers and others.
“Our new Family Medicine Residency program will be a true partnership with all of Kauaʻi,” said the Kauaʻi residency’s inaugural Program Director, Cynthia Ohata. “The Family Medicine residency clinic will be located in Kapaʻa in the Kauaʻii Village Shopping Center, but Wilcox Medical Center, Kauaʻi Medical Clinic and Pali Momi Medical Center on Oʻahu will host many of the core rotations.”
“Wilcox is committed to developing the health care workforce on Kauaʻi. For students, this often starts with opportunities, like this residency program, to connect directly with our community while learning and growing,” said Jen Chahanovich, president and CEO of Wilcox Medical Center, and CEO of Kauaʻi Medical Clinic. “We are proud to partner with UH by providing a teaching environment that meets the rigorous standards necessary to establish this new accreditation. This is an invaluable investment in the future of Kauaʻi.”
“Since its founding 30 years ago, JABSOM‘s residency program has trained over 170 physicians, over 80% of whom continue to serve in Hawaiʻi,” said JABSOM Dean Sam Shomaker. “The expansion of this essential specialty on a rural island like Kauaʻi proves we are meeting our mission, and we look forward to increasing our impact throughout the state.”
