Pictured: JABSOM Alumnus Jordan Lee with his mother Carla Pang and brother Justin Lee in June, at the Graduation Ceremony for the LAC+USC Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program.
“It is my hope that my classmates and other JABSOM alumni consider moving back to the islands and to give back in any way, shape or form to perpetuate the vitality and reach of UH JABSOM,” — Jordan Lee, MD, (JABSOM, Class of 2010).
What is your name and position title?
Jordan K. Lee, MD
Medical Intensivist
When did you graduate?
UH JABSOM Class of 2010. Of note, our class also graduated one of the largest numbers of Native Hawaiians in the history of the medical school, with eleven (a record exceeded in 2017, with 13 Native Hawaiian members of the incoming class.)
Degree/Specialty:
Medical Degree from UH JABSOM in 2006-2010
Internal Medicine residency at Scripps Mercy Hospital, San Diego, 2010-2013
Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine fellowship at USC Keck School of Medicine, LAC+USC, Los Angeles, 2014-2017
How do you feel JABSOM helped you get started in medicine?
There are many reasons why I am grateful for my training and experiences at UH JABSOM. Through its problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum, we are taught at the start of our medical training how to be life-long learners, seekers of knowledge, and peer educators, with high-yield cases, that naturally translates to real-life application of medical knowledge and clinical skills. In addition, JABSOM fostered a strong sense of community, within each medical school class, as well as our extended ‘ohana—with our teachers, clinicians, educators, our patients, and our community at large.
What is one of your fondest memories of your time at JABSOM?
One of the fondest memories I had was being an exchange medical student in Kanazawa, Japan, alongside classmates Heather Motonaga and Bryce Fukunaga. We spent four weeks abroad learning about primary care in a small fishing village of Kanazawa prefecture through our attending physician mentors and alongside medical students and residents. We also attended seminars and clinics at the larger tertiary university hospital. During one of our weekends off, we traveled to Tokyo for one whirlwind of a city tour, seeing all the sights and taking in all the amazing culture, food and energy. As someone who never spoke Japanese before, it was truly an unforgettable experience to learn the language and culture with a host family and medical exchange students and mentors. Ironically enough, my Hawaiian family and I just took a trip to Japan in July 2017 at the conclusion of fellowship.
