{"id":228897,"date":"2026-02-02T14:17:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T00:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=228897"},"modified":"2026-02-02T14:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T00:17:09","slug":"kristal-xie-gerontology-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/02\/kristal-xie-gerontology-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Dedication to k\u016bpuna earns UH<\/abbr> medical student gerontology award"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Kristal
Kristal Xie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s aging population continues to grow—with nearly one-third of residents projected to be 65 or older by 2035—second-year medical student Kristal Xie at the John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> (JABSOM<\/abbr>) at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa<\/span><\/a> is being recognized for her dedication to caring for the state\u2019s k\u016bpuna<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Xie recently received the N\u0101 Lima K\u014dkua<\/span> Award from the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Pacific Gerontological Society, which recognizes students demonstrating exceptional dedication to gerontology. Presented in memory of the organization\u2019s first president, Tony Lenzer, the award honors Xie\u2019s service, research and commitment to older adults in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

“This experience has strengthened my commitment to advancing the health and well-being of older adults,” Xie said. “I\u2019m grateful to my mentors, especially Dr. Kamal Masaki, and to my loved ones for their continued support.”<\/p>\n

Early exposure sparks a passion for geriatrics<\/h2>\n

Xie\u2019s interest in geriatrics began during her first year at JABSOM<\/abbr> when medical students are required to complete community service. She was selected to participate in WISH<\/abbr>—Wellness Initiative for Seniors in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, a program that connects students with k\u016bpuna<\/span> through weekly visits at Kuakini Medical Center.<\/p>\n

Caring for our k\u016bpuna is an opportunity to serve the community that raised us.
—Kristal Xie<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Talking story with k\u016bpuna<\/span> helped bring our classroom learning to life,” Xie said. “It made me more aware of how to meet patients where they are and think about what support they might need.”<\/p>\n

Her experience with WISH<\/abbr> inspired two research projects—one focused on strengthening family engagement in elder care and another examining the health impacts of social isolation. She is currently working on hospital discharge planning research aimed at improving communication and safety for older adults returning home.<\/p>\n

“Caring for our k\u016bpuna<\/span> is an opportunity to serve the community that raised us,” Xie said.<\/p>\n

In addition to the N\u0101 Lima K\u014dkua<\/span> Award, Xie has received multiple scholarships recognizing her work in gerontology. She is now considering a career in geriatrics, guided by mentors in JABSOM<\/abbr>\u2019s Department of Geriatric Medicine, one of the largest fellowship programs in the nation and serving communities across the U.S.<\/abbr><\/p>\n

Read more at JABSOM<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kristal Xie has received the N\u0101 Lima K\u014dkua Award for her dedication to improving care for Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>‘s k\u016bpuna.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":228879,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[1133,971,31,1466,660,9],"class_list":["post-228897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-aging","tag-geriatric-medicine","tag-john-a-burns-school-of-medicine","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-student-recognition","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/manoa-jabsom-kristal-xie-headshot.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228897"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":228914,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228897\/revisions\/228914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}