Paging Dr. Duke: Waiākea grad becomes physician, plans Big Island return to practice pediatrics

Duke Escobar’s journey to become a physician was shaped — and marked — by a curiosity that started early in the classroom, his deep Hawai‘i Island roots and his pledge, a commitment, to returning home to practice and serve his community.

The Waiākea High School graduate is now the physician he envisioned, completing his medical training in May at the John A. Burns School of Medicine on the campus of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

He continues to work toward returning to Hilo, where he wants to practice pediatric medicine.

Approachable, trustworthy, easy to connect with — all ways Escobar’s teachers and peers describe him.

“You wish you had a full class of Dukes,” said one educator, noting the Big Island resident’s friendliness and ability to relate to younger and older people.

Despite his accomplishments, however, Escobar often still finds himself returning to a phrase that reflects his perspective growing up: “just a kid from Waiākea.”

The context isn’t bad, like it could seem. The sentiment instead speaks to his humility being raised in a close-knit Big Island community and as a first-generation college student.

Escobar’s interest in medicine began at Waiākea High, where a health academy course introduced him to medical problem-solving through activities such as diagnosing cases from the TV show “House.”

A teacher recalled his curiosity and enthusiasm in class.

Escobar went on to study cell and molecular biology at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo before completing research gap years at Stanford University and University of Washington.

He was later accepted to John A. Burns School of Medicine after years of preparation and persistence.

He was eventually led down a path to the School Health Education Program, which he joined to help bring medical learning into local classrooms. Escobar said working with students came naturally.

“Maybe it’s like the same level of maturity, but we get along quite well,” he said.

It was then Escobar discovered his interest in pediatrics.

He was drawn to working with children and building connections through humor and trust. He matched into a pediatrics residency and will continue training in Hawaiʻi.

“I always kind of felt like I needed more of a human connection, and I felt like being a physician is where I could find that,” he said.

Escobar plans to return to Hilo and serve the community that raised him, hoping to inspire Hawaiʻi Island students to pursue careers in medicine.

Read more about Dr. Duke of Hawai‘i Island at the John A. Burns School of Medicine website.

This story was originally posted by University of Hawai‘i News and is being shared by Big Island Now.