Senate committee advances bill tying in-state medical tuition to two-year Hawaii practice requirement

Chair Kim, chair of the Senate Committee on Higher Education, opened the Feb. 4 hearing on Senate Bill 101, which would require graduates of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) who paid in-state tuition to serve as physicians in Hawaii for at least two years following completion of their residency or fellowship.

The committee heard from Sam Shoemaker, dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, who testified in opposition and stood on submitted written testimony. "The role of JABSOM is to produce the physician workforce for the state of Hawaii," Shoemaker said, and described the school's enrollment and retention patterns.

Shoemaker told senators the Manoa medical school enrolls 77 students per class. He said about half of graduates complete residency training in Hawaii in some years, while a questionnaire of entering students…