First Professor and Chair of Medicine at The University of Hawaii School of Medicine. He lobbied for the creation of a 4-year medical school.
Neal L. Gault, MD
Department Chair 1971-1973
Doctor Gault was a leader in international medical education. He established a University of Hawaii residency and internship program in Okinawa.
Kenneth D. Gardner, MD
Department Chair 1971-1973
[No photograph available]
He joined the faculty of the 2-year school in 1969. When the school became a completed 4-year school of medicine, he became the Chair of the Department of Medicine.
Christian Gulbrandsen, MD
Department Chair 1971-1973
He introduced the first Problem Based Learning (PBL) program that transformed the medical school curriculum in the United States.
Irwin J. Schatz, MD
Department Chair
1975-1990 and 2003-2005
Doctor Schatz was the longest serving chair in the Department of Medicine. He was honored by Mayo Clinic in 2009 for questioning the ethics of a study on “Untreated Syphilis in the African American Male.”
John S. Melish, MD
Department Chair 1990-1991
His excellence in teaching impacted and influenced the professional lives of students and residents long after their graduation.
Max Botticelli, MD
Department Chair 1991-1995
A leader integral to the advancement in the quality of healthcare in Hawaii. He contributed to the education of generations of physicians from Hawaii.
James E. Hastings, MD
Department Chair 1995-2003
Former Commander and Chief of Medicine at the Tripler Army Medical Center.
He was dedicated and informed about the medical education issues in Hawaii.
Elizabeth K. Tam, MD
Department Chair 2005-2021
Doctor Tam served as the first female Chair and second Native Hawaiian Chair.
She served for nearly two decades as an educator and as a tireless spokesperson for lung health.
Scott K. Kuwada, MD, AGAF, FACP
Ken and Gemie Arakawa Endowed Chair of Medicine
2022 - Current
Doctor Scott Kuwada serves as the Ken and Gemie Arakawa Endowed Chair of Medicine, the department’s first-ever Endowed Chair.
