University of Hawaii John A Burns School of Medicine Program

Program Identity & Fit

The University of Hawai'i Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency (UHPC) is a newly independent, ambulatory-focused track built explicitly around training primary care physicians for Hawai'i's underserved and Native Hawaiian populations, with roughly two-thirds of training time in outpatient settings against the ACGME-mandated inpatient minimum. Its clinical identity is defined by a longitudinal continuity-clinic panel model at Queen's University Medical Group, structured specialty selectives (cardiology, nephrology, dermatology, addiction, geriatrics), and dedicated neighbor-island rural rotations on Maui and Hawai'i Island with covered housing and transportation. A Native Hawaiian Health curriculum grounded in the Lokahi Triangle model, required addiction medicine and geriatrics experiences, and rotations through FQHCs (Waikiki Health) and safety-net clinics (Queen Emma Clinics) reflect a biopsychosocial, community-embedded philosophy rather than a subspecialty or research pipeline. All residents complete a broadly defined scholarly project (medical education, QI, population health, advocacy), signaling that scholarship is expected but framed as practice-improvement rather than bench or fellowship-track research. The program values residents oriented toward comprehensive outpatient general internal medicine, cultural humility, and long-term community practice rather than subspecialty fellowship pursuit.