{"id":234516,"date":"2026-05-19T12:57:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T22:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=234516"},"modified":"2026-05-20T09:52:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:52:39","slug":"jabsom-class-of-2026-graduation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/19\/jabsom-class-of-2026-graduation\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> medical school graduates 79 future physicians"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"JABSOM
JABSOM<\/abbr>‘s Class of 2026 celebrate their graduation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> (JABSOM<\/abbr>) celebrated 79 new locally trained physicians during its 2026 Convocation Ceremony at Kennedy Theatre on May 17. The event marked a major milestone for graduates preparing to serve communities across the state and beyond.<\/p>\n

\"Chong
Juyoung Chong with her family and JABSOM<\/abbr> Dean Sam Shomaker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> continues to face a physician shortage, more than half of the graduates are entering critical primary care specialties including internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology.<\/p>\n

The ceremony included the recitation of the Oath of Hippocrates, formally welcoming the graduates into the medical profession.<\/p>\n

‘I feel so grateful’<\/h2>\n

Among the graduates staying in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> are Joseph Li and Juyoung Chong, both eager to give back to the communities they now call home.<\/p>\n

Meet more amazing UH<\/abbr> graduates<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

“To just be able to serve the community that I grew up in, so many people pouring in to me and my family, helping to support me to get where I am today,” Li said. “Couldn’t have done it without any of them, so to be able to stay in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, and support the people of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, is just an incredible honor and I feel so grateful to have this opportunity.”<\/p>\n

\"JABSOM
JABSOM graduates recite the Oath of Hippocrates.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chong, who was born and raised in Busan, South Korea, said Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> became his second home after moving to the islands for high school.<\/p>\n

“This is just the perfect environment for me because I was able to start my family, have a child, and with the ʻohana<\/span> and aloha and all the love that I may not be able to have outside of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>,” Chong said. “I’m so happy to share my experience with the soon-to-be mothers who may be very nervous for upcoming life-changing events.”<\/p>\n

Thirty-three percent of JABSOM<\/abbr>’s Class of 2026 will continue their residency training in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, helping strengthen the state’s future healthcare workforce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UH<\/abbr> medical school celebrated 79 new doctors committed to serving Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> communities and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":234522,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[234,31,9],"class_list":["post-234516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-commencement","tag-john-a-burns-school-of-medicine","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t