I was raised in the Kahala area on the island of Oahu. A product of Hawaii's public school system, I attended Waialae elementary, Kaimuki middle, and Kalani high school.
As a junior in college, I was preparing to apply to dental school. My anatomy and physiology professor, who also happened to be my college advisor, was not convinced that dentistry was my calling so he had me work with his podiatrist. So impressed was I with his practice and his mentoring that I soon found myself in San Francisco as a first year podiatry student! Unbeknownst to me, my college advisor was actually a diabetic who had lost his leg to a diabetic foot infection. During residency interviews during my fourth year in podiatry school, I dropped by his office only to find that he had recently passed away from complications due to diabetes. It was quite an epiphany to learn that his motivation to steer me into podiatry had been rooted in such deep personal meaning. His plight constantly motivates me to excel in the subspecialty area of podiatric medicine and surgery: the care, management, and preservation of the diabetic foot. In 1991, I joined the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group as its first ever provider specializing in podiatric medicine and surgery. I am now the chief of the service that covers all islands and over 200,000 members. I feel that Kaiser Permanente’s health care model enables a high level of cooperation, coordination, and camaraderie among our physicians and staff. "What is best for the patient?" That is the first thought on my mind when approaching patient care, and I find this to be true of all my colleagues. HPMG is truly a wonderful place to work.
We always encourage our patients to be proactive with their health and to lead a healthy lifestyle. That message would lack credibility if we didn't practice healthy habits ourselves. To that end I run, bike, and work out regularly, and try to keep up with the activities of my two growing girls. When time permits, I find that travelling to faraway places reinvigorates and recharges me like nothing else can. The perspective it affords me allows me to truly appreciate life’s gifts and refocus on the big picture.
