Hawaii Medical Education Council

University of Hawai‘i, John A. Burns School of Medicine (UH JABSOM)

651 Ilalo Street, Medical Education Building, #202 & Via Zoom, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

(This meeting will be held in person at the location above, with a virtual option available via Zoom below)

Guest joining the meeting live at JABSOM will be required to check in at the security desk in the lobby to obtain a visitor badge.  

Virtual option via Zoom (click on the link and enter the meeting ID & passcode): https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/81434728782?pwd=1aqhiaLQuMMWMNjfEL8Eq7fojWbKhJ.1&jst=2

Meeting ID: 814 3472 8782

Passcode: 0989

If an additional audio source is needed please use one of the phone numbers below:

+1 206 337 9723 US (Seattle), +1 213 338 8477 US (Los Angeles)

Additional Zoom instructions are attached.

MEETING INFORMATION & PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD

The Hawaii Medical Education Council was established to evaluate and assess the state's healthcare workforce and training programs to meet its needs. It's primary functions, per the HRS, include conducting a comprehensive analysis of the healthcare workforce requirements of the State for the present and the future, focusing in particular on the State’s need for physicians; and conducting a comprehensive assessment of the State’s healthcare training programs, focusing in particular on graduate medical education programs and their role in and ability to meet the healthcare workforce requirements identified by the council.

●        Written testimony and oral testimony will be accepted for those unable to attend in person.

●        Time is allowed for in-person testimonies at the beginning of the meeting and before each agenda item.

●        All written testimony on agenda items received after posting of this agenda and up to 24 hours in advance of the meeting will be distributed to the council.

●        Late testimony on agenda items will be distributed to the council within 24 hours of receipt.

●        Written testimony may be submitted via email to costaca@hawaii.edu, by U.S. mail to 651 Ilalo Street, MEB 223A, Attn: Office of the DIO, or by facsimile at (808) 692-1247.

●        All written testimony submitted will be a public document. Any testimony that is submitted for use in the public meeting process is public information and will be posted along with meeting minutes on the Council’s website.

AGENDA

Items not addressed during this meeting will be discussed on another day and time, announced at the conclusion of the meeting.

1. Call Meeting to Order & Review / Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes (HMEC Chair)
2. Public Comment Period - will be held at the beginning of the meeting and welcomed before each agenda item (HMEC Chair)
3. Summary - October 2026 Statewide Medical Education Expansion Retreat; Rural Priorities (Katey Pelican /Lee Buenconsejo-Lum)
4. Physician Workforce Updates & Synergies
1. Rural Health Transformation Program / Workforce Development Updates - Drs. Lee Buenconsejo-Lum & Kelley Withy
2. Physician Workforce Report and Recruiting Efforts - Dr. Kelley Withy
3. Hawaii Healthcare Education Loan Program (HELP) - Dr. Kelley Withy
4. Update on Residency & Fellowship Programs - Dr. Holly Olson

5. Recommendations & Strategies for Future State Legislature (HMEC Chair)
1. HMEC Membership Review (bill required to update the statutes)
6. Annual HMEC Report Draft (to 2027 Hawai‘i State Legislature)
1. Review past 5 years recommendations & updates
7. Open Forum: Public Comment  Period & Proposed Future Agenda Items
8. Next HMEC Meeting – Monday, January 25, 2027 @ 7:30 am in-person and via Zoom
9. Adjournment

Reference: Annual HMEC Recommendations Report to the 2026 Legislature (link to annual HMEC Report)

 *RECOMMENDATION #1 In an ongoing effort to encourage educational rotations and future careers in healthcare on the less populated and/or rural island communities throughout the state of Hawai‘i, the UH/HMEC recommends that the State Legislature develop a long-term plan to address the lack of affordable housing on the neighbor islands, including health workforce housing in closer proximity to health care facilities. The legislature should continue supporting JABSOM and specific county efforts to pursue affordable housing options for health professional learners (i.e., students, residents), so that we can continue to expand training opportunities and exposure to non-O‘ahu sites. Students and residents cannot afford paying high rent on O‘ahu and additional high rent when they are doing their neighbor island rotations. 

*RECOMMENDATION #2 The HMEC recommends that the legislature support several initiatives that support recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals who serve as faculty members for medical students, physician residents, nursing and nurse practitioner learners. These initiatives include:

●        Continuation of the Preceptor Tax Credit, with strategic expansion of eligible specialists and disciplines required to support primary care providers and learning

●        Continuation of funding for the Health Education Loan Repayment (HELP) program

●        Legislation to decrease administrative burden

●        State legislation or policies designed to help increase inflation-indexed provider payments

●        Legislation supporting a higher percentage of spending on primary care 

●        Take active steps to implement State Medicaid GME financing and an all-payor GME financing system for Hawai‘i, which could include line-item allocations to UH, grant funding, models based on Medicare, or financing that gives weight to certain shortage specialties or medically underserved areas within the state, using models similar to Wisconsin, New Mexico, Oregon, or Tennessee.