About Me

I was born and raised in Hilo and attended a Native Hawaiian boarding school in Honolulu from ages twelve through eighteen. I am fortunate to belong to a large extended family (‘ohana) and am thankful that in addition to receiving my pediatric training here, I am able to practice medicine in Hawaii.

About my practice

I am committed to lifelong learning and enjoy teaching others. My decision to go into medicine was influenced by this commitment and by my devotion to my community. I chose to pursue board certification in both pediatrics and internal medicine because of my desire to care for entire families and still be a specialist in each field. I appreciate that through my work I can make a difference in the health of my own family, my community and in the health of the people of Hawaii. My colleagues are one of the reasons why I enjoy working within the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group. I find them to be bright, caring and genuine people who share a common goal toward improving health care in our society. The physicians and medical staff with whom I work are dedicated to learning, staying current in their fields and to being responsive to change. In addition to my role within Kaiser Permanente, I am honored to be an Assistant Professor with the Imi Ho'ola Post-Baccalaureate Program at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. My philosophy of care is centered in relationships. For me there is a significant power in all relationships, be it patient-doctor, doctor-doctor, nurse-doctor or the like, and I teach and practice with this foremost in mind. I believe that healthy relationships can produce excellent experiences for all concerned when nurtured. I value connecting with my patients early on in our professional relationship by finding common ground, and building on this initial connection. With a solid foundation in place, I believe that any health or personal challenges can be addressed and more favorably resolved.

How I thrive

I keep a healthy balance of physical activity and quality time with my ‘ohana. I enjoy water sports and hiking our island trails. I am active with the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and was honored to be part of a fantastic crew on one of the legendary sailing canoe Hokule‘a voyages. And despite my love to stay quite active, there are times when I enjoy doing nothing at all. For me that is time well spent. I really enjoy being in the moment!

PCMH