Rising From Ruin—Revitalizing Native Hawaiian Health

Abstract

This Viewpoint offers insight into the health effects of the recent fires in Hawaiʻi and what culturally conscious approaches are needed to ensure the health of Native Hawaiians going forward.

Medical Student Intent to Practice in Underserved Areas

“…In addition to adjusting for student age and debt, factors such as hometown and medical specialty may further help contextualize the intentions of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander medical students. First, many Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander students are not raised on their Native islands due to US colonial displacement, limiting return to their underserved communities . Second, Pacific Islander populations living thousands of miles apart may have only a single hospital, leaving Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander students in select medical specialties without job opportunities …”

“…First, many Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander students are not raised on their Native islands due to US colonial displacement, limiting return to their underserved communities . Second, Pacific Islander populations living thousands of miles apart may have only a single hospital, leaving Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander students in select medical specialties without job opportunities …”

“…It is important to recognize that intent to practice is not equivalent to the final decision to care for patients in underserved communities. Development of effective recruitment and retention strategies, especially for Pacific Islander communities across Oceania, has the potential to mitigate existing health disparities . We call on policymakers to use these data to support recruitment and retention of Indigenous physicians who wish to give back to their underserved communities.…”