{"id":228537,"date":"2026-01-22T14:45:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T00:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=228537"},"modified":"2026-01-22T16:41:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T02:41:45","slug":"healthcare-workforce-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/01\/22\/healthcare-workforce-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> seeks $3.7M<\/abbr> to strengthen Â鶹´«Ã½\u2019s healthcare workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"medical<\/p>\n

Cancer patients traveling off-island for treatment. K\u016bpuna waiting months to see a neurologist. Rural communities struggling to access behavioral health and addiction services. These challenging realities are driving the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Board of Regents request for $3,724,600 to expand Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s healthcare workforce and improve access to care across the islands.<\/p>\n

\"patient<\/p>\n

The funding would support UH<\/abbr>\u2019s new Health Science and Healthcare Interdisciplinary Workforce Initiative, a coordinated hire request that would add 18.5 full-time equivalent (FTE<\/abbr>) clinician and faculty positions across five health sciences units to address severe shortages in high-need medical fields, including cancer, neurology and dementia, and behavioral health integration and addiction medicine.<\/p>\n

“UH<\/abbr> has a kuleana to the people and ʻāina<\/span> of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, and that responsibility drives us to focus on solutions that make a real difference in our communities,” said UH<\/abbr> President Wendy Hensel. “By strengthening our healthcare workforce, we can train more providers and expand access to care for kupuna and families across all islands.”<\/p>\n

Expanding the healthcare pipeline, patient care<\/h2>\n
\"Hanapepe
Hanap\u0113p\u0113 Town on the island of Kauaʻi<\/span>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The coordinated hire would add clinician faculty who both train future healthcare providers and deliver direct patient care in rural and underserved communities across the state.<\/p>\n

“The goal is to improve access to care across all islands by providing direct clinical services and addressing shortages in underserved communities,” said UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos. “This coordinated request for positions will increase the workforce pipeline by training more doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and other health providers essential to providing high quality care for patients with dementia, addictions, or other behavioral health challenges.”<\/p>\n

Addressing high-priority health needs<\/h2>\n

The initiative spans five UH<\/abbr> units—UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a>, the UH<\/abbr> Cancer Center<\/a>, the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene<\/a>, the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health<\/a>, and the UH<\/abbr> Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy<\/a>—and focuses on clinician leaders and researchers working with state and health system partners through community-based, interprofessional approaches aligned with legislative priorities.<\/p>\n

\"patient<\/p>\n

Funding would be directed toward three high-priority health areas identified as critical needs for the state:<\/p>\n