• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • FREE E-BOOK
  • COVID-19 HELP
  • FELLOW LOGIN

Clinical Scholars

Lead the Way to a Culture of Health

  • ABOUT
    • WHO WE ARE
    • HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
    • FELLOW TESTIMONIALS
    • BLOG & NEWS
  • FELLOWS
  • PROJECTS
  • COMMUNITY IMPACTS
  • CONTACT US

2019-2022, Cohort 4

KOKUA: Kupuna Outreach and Knowledge in Underserved Areas

Home / Projects / KOKUA: Kupuna Outreach and Knowledge in Underserved Areas

Project: KOKUA

KOKUA is an interdisciplinary training program by a geriatrician, pharmacist, and psychologist in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Wicked Problem

We are tackling the problem of Hawai’i’s geriatric workforce shortage and the inverse growth in the elderly population. The state of Hawai’i is not well equipped to care for our kūpuna. We have a severe shortage of medical and mental health providers. Due to our unique geography, this deficit is especially felt in low-income populations and on the Neighbor Islands.

Most specialists are clustered around the state capital of Honolulu, on the island of O‘ahu. Hawai‘i Island compares more poorly to the rest of the state. They struggle with a greater shortage of primary care providers, pharmacists, and mental health professionals. This shortage has become so drastic that it is a public health emergency.

Approach

Our approach is to change mindsets, attitudes, and knowledge in primary health care. We developed a practical multi-pronged curriculum to:

  • Address four areas of geriatric health
  • Increase the number of geriatric specialists
  • Create a sustainable database of online training and resources for community providers

Impact

Our goals are to increase the number of geriatric specialists and provide online resources and training for community providers. We will share more when the project is completed at the end of 2022.

KOKUA Poster Presentation

View Poster
View Details

The KOKUA Project: Kupuna Outreach and Knowledge in Underserved Areas
Team Members
  • Chad Kawakami, PharmD
  • Pia Lorenzo, MD
  • Robin E. S. Miyamoto, PsyD

LocationHonolulu, Hawaii

Focus Areas
  • Disease Prevention & Health Promotion
  • Elder Care
  • Health Care Quality
  • Rural Health

Footer

CLINICAL SCHOLARS

Clinical Scholars Logo

E-mail: clinical.scholars@unc.edu

Phone: (866) 849-1579

QUICK LINKS

  • View Project Map
  • Join Our Email List
  • Cohort 1, 2016-2019
  • Cohort 2, 2017-2020
  • Cohort 3, 2018-2021
  • Cohort 4, 2019-2022
  • Cohort 5, 2020-2023

LED BY

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

SUPPORTED BY

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

© 2017-2020 Clinical Scholars. All Rights Reserved.
Photos © 2016 Flynn Larsen, Courtesy of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation