Native Hawaiian Health Scholarships Awarded

The Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program congratulates ten (10) recipients in the 2018-2019 cohort of scholars.

“These scholars are amazing in their commitment to serve Hawaiian communities,” said Sheri-Ann Daniels, executive director of Papa Ola Lōkahi, which administers the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program. “We welcome them to the world of Hawaiian health and look forward to working with them as colleagues.”

Seven awardees are in nursing, one in social work, one in medicine and one is studying to be a physician’s assistant. Eight are in school in Hawai‘i—in Hilo and Honolulu—and two are in accredited programs in the continental United States. One is a two-year continuation award for a scholar who has two more years of training.

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The purpose of the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (NHHSP) is to improve access to health care by growing a health work force that is committed to serving the unique needs of Hawaiian communities.

A recent news release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services points out that the NHHSP is patterned after the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), which was established in 1972. As with the NHSC, there is a service obligation attached to the scholarship award. Once the students’ schooling and licensure are complete, these scholars will fulfill that obligation by working full-time in a clinical capacity in medically under-served areas in Hawai’i for a period commensurate with the length of scholarship support.

Since 1991, more than 285 NHHSP awards have been made in 20 different primary and behavioral health care disciplines. More than 200 have already been placed into the workforce across six islands impacting the well-being of the communities they serve. Twenty-seven (27) are currently in service. Of those who have fulfilled their service obligations, most have continued to serve medically underserved areas and populations in Hawai’i.

“We’re especially proud to see our NHHSP alumni rise to positions of leadership within the Hawaiian, medical and public health communities,” Dr. Daniels continues. “Involved in policy, administration or clinical practice, these leaders are changing the way health care is delivered in Hawai’i, and they’re extraordinary role models for others who aspire to serve in healing professions.”

The Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program is administered by Papa Ola Lōkahi. Visit online for more information.