By Elaine Evans, Director of Development
Though cold and rainy outside, the Mutlnomah Club in Portland was balmy inside on December 6 when John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) MD alumni and former faculty members gathered for a dinner hosted by Dean Jerris Hedges. For a few hours, the nostalgic fragrance of plumeria lei and Cazimero Brothers music playing in the background transported twenty JABSOM `ohana members home to Hawai`i.
When asked to recall fond JABSOM memories, many mentioned favorite professors. Drs. Kekuni Blaisdell and Jack McDermott among them. Early alumni told touching stories about the care and dedication that JABSOM faculty gave medical students and their commitment to the fledgling medical school.
MD Class of 1995 Classmates Dr. Josephine-Drew and Dr. Kiku Kim.
Stories told by younger alumni of the encouragement and guidance they received – not just from faculty, but also from alumni who paved the way for them – prove that this legacy of caring created by founding faculty members endures fifty years later.
All talked about the quality of the clinical skills and preparation JABSOM provided, giving them a solid foundation before residency training.
Cheryl and Dr. Desarom (MD Class of 2001) Teso.
As at past Alumni Dinners in other cities, Dean Hedges and UH Foundation representative Elaine Evans heard three messages that reinforced for them how special JABSOM is.
- JABSOM alumni feel exceptionally well-prepared when they begin their residency training.
- The school’s small size fosters a feeling of ʻohana. JABSOM students feel nurtured and supported.
- A spirit of collaboration – rather than competition – prevails at JABSOM.
Jenny and Dr. Joe (MD Class of 1980) Gilhooly and Dr. Trina Brodsky (MD Class of 1984).
US News & World Report’s recent ranking of JABSOM as one of the top medical schools in the country is a tremendous honor and validation of the work begin done here. What polls like this cannot measure, however, is the aloha – demonstrated in abundance in Portland – that alumni feel for JABSOM and for each other.
In our photograph at the top of our story, Drs. Heather Motonaga (MD class of 2010), Pippa MacDonald (MD class of 2014), Knewton Sakata (MD class of 2010), and Spring Golden (MD class of 2011).