East Hawai’i Regional HHS Board Gains Members

Douglass Shipman Adams and Karen L. Pellegrin were recently announced as the East Hawai’i Regional Board of Hawai’i Health Systems Corporation’s newest appointments.

The new members will join the 14 member board, which is responsible for governing the Hilo Medical Center, Hale Ho’ola Hamakua, Ka’u Hospital, and ten specialty clinics.

“Our community is indeed fortunate to have the services of these talented and experienced leaders,” said Kurt Corbin, East Hawai’i Regional Board Chair. “They join a Board comprised of dedicated physicians, business executives, educators, and professionals who are committed to the ideals of providing exceptional health care regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.”

Adams will serve on the Board’s Governance and Strategic Planning Committees, while Pellegrin will serve on the Community Engagement & Legislative and Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Committees.

A retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army, Adams earned his Bachelor’s degree from West Point, his Master’s from National Intelligence University, and his Juris Doctor from George Mason University School of Law.

Among his many roles on the Big Island, Adams serves on the Hawai’i County Board of Ethics, W.H. Shipman Ltd., the Boys and Girls Club of Big Island, and Kuikahi Mediation Center, and he belongs to the Rotary Club of South Hilo.

Pellegrin has over 20 years of experience in healthcare quality, strategy, research, and education. In 2008, she joined the University of Hawai’i at Hilo’s Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy and has helped the program gain more than $30,000,000 in competitive federal grants in healthcare innovation.

With her Master’s degree from The Citadel, Pellegrin went on to earn her Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Florida. She went on to complete a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Quality Management & Health Psychology at the Medical University of South Carolina.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on the East Hawai’i Regional Board,” said Karen Pellegrin. “The HHSC hospitals and clinics play such an important role in the health of our community. The dedication of the leadership team is impressive, especially during these challenging times, and I look forward to working with them to improve healthcare in East Hawai’i.

The pair will join the Board’s current members: Chair Kurt Corbin, Vice Chair Dr. Daniel Belcher, Secretary and Treasurer Dennis Nutting, Dr. David Camacho, Katharyn Daub, Randy Kurohara, Mike Middlesworth, Joseph Skruch, Dr. John Uohara, Harry Yada, Gary Yoshiyama, and Jennifer Leilani Zelko-Schlueter.