Hawaii Health Systems Corporation - Hilo Benioff Medical Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

HIFMR is a community-based family medicine residency at Hilo Benioff Medical Center, built explicitly to answer East Hawai'i's physician shortage and rural/underserved care needs, with residents managing a personal continuity panel spanning "keiki to kupuna" and rotating through the state's second-busiest ED, an award-winning ICU, and inpatient family medicine, OB, and pediatrics services. The program's signature distinguishing feature is its integration of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine curriculum, offering a formal Lifestyle Medicine board-eligibility track alongside standard full-spectrum family medicine training. Research is not emphasized; instead, the program prioritizes cultural responsiveness, community integration, and preparing physicians to practice independently in under-resourced regions of Hawai'i, with many graduates entering local private or community practice on the Big Island or elsewhere in the islands. Faculty mentorship, team-based care with embedded behavioral health and pharmacy, and a strong pipeline of residents with personal or ancestral ties to Hawai'i and the Pacific reflect a mission-driven, service-oriented identity rather than a tertiary-research orientation.