JABSOM officials tell OHA federal grant losses threaten Native Hawaiian health programs and student pipeline

HONOLULU — Officials from the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) told the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) board of trustees on May 1 that recent federal grant losses and policy changes are threatening Native Hawaiian–focused medical education, research and community-based health programs.

Dr. Kiawai Moku Kahulakula, who spoke on behalf of JABSOM’s Department of Native Hawaiian Health, told trustees the department generated roughly $7 million in extramural funding last year and that several existing awards have been lost or are at risk. He said about $5.4 million in funding is currently at risk and another roughly $6.9 million is pending review at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). No formal action was taken by the board at the meeting.

Why it matters: The department’s programs provide a pipeline for Native Hawaiian students into health careers, support community-based research and fund behavioral-health training that places clinicians on neighbor islands. Trustees and community partners said those programs help address persistent health disparities in Native Hawaiian communities and sustain long-term community research capacity.

Kahulakula described the department’s…