Walton K.T. Shim, Hawaiʻi’s first pediatric surgeon and a longtime professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), died in November 2025 at his family home in Montana. He was 94.
Over the span of his long career, he trained residents, mentored future surgeons and helped raise the standard of pediatric care statewide.
Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Shim attended Dartmouth College and Columbia University School of Medicine before completing surgical training in Chicago. Shim returned to Hawaiʻi in 1967 determined to build pediatric surgery as a specialty so children could receive complex care without leaving the islands. For many years, he was the only pediatric surgeon statewide.
In addition to his faculty role at JABSOM, Shim held multiple leadership positions at Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children, including division chief of pediatric surgery and chief of staff. He was also a founding member of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons.
A doctor who never delayed
“There’s all sorts of ways you can delay seeing patients,” said his wife, Vicki Shim. “He never did that. In other words, if somebody came into the ER or someone like Dr. Boychuk called him, he was there, right away.”
That dedication was felt at home as well. “I remember them calling him late at night on the phone,” said daughter Jennifer Shim. “He actually had his own telephone line installed just for emergencies…I realize it now as an adult.”
Shim is survived by his wife, four children, six grandchildren and generations of patients whose lives he helped save.
“Dr. Shim was a pioneer in pediatric surgery whose contributions to the field left a lasting impact,” said Russell Woo, professor of surgery at JABSOM and associate dean for clinical programs at Hawaiʻi Pacific Health. “His legacy of caring, skill and dedication to the children of Hawaiʻi is a high bar for all of us who follow in his footsteps.”
