Key Takeaways:
- The University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) has been awarded a $1.1 million grant from the American Medical Association (AMA) to improve medical education and address physician shortages in rural communities.
- The grant will fund a project using artificial intelligence to study the characteristics of successful physicians practicing in rural Hawaii and apply those findings to workforce recruitment and training efforts.
- The project aims to identify the values and attributes of physicians who are committed to rural practice and use that information to generate individualized learning plans for medical trainees and faculty.
- The initiative has the potential to extend beyond Hawaii and address physician shortages and health disparities in rural communities nationwide.
Introduction to the Grant
The University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine has been selected as one of 11 medical schools nationwide to receive a $1.1 million grant from the American Medical Association (AMA) aimed at strengthening medical education and addressing physician shortages in rural communities. As Dr. Kelsea Kanoho Hosoda, the project leader, noted, "For me, it really speaks to the mission and foundations of JABSOM. JABSOM was created to support the communities of Hawaii, and that came through strongly in our grant proposal — especially our focus on caring for communities in rural areas." The funding, announced jointly by the AMA and JABSOM, comes through the AMA’s Transforming Lifelong Learning Through Precision Education initiative.
The Research Project
JABSOM researchers plan to use artificial intelligence to study the characteristics of successful physicians practicing in rural Hawaii — broadly defined as areas outside of urban Honolulu — and apply those findings to workforce recruitment and training efforts. The project will focus on identifying what helps physicians not only practice in rural settings, but remain there long term. As Hosoda emphasized, "Artificial intelligence is only as strong as the data used to train it. So we’re really putting emphasis on culturally responsive AI, starting with the stories of current rural physicians and the communities themselves." The research will center on Hawaii’s cultural and geographic realities, rather than relying on national or mainland training models.
Methodology and Approach
A significant portion of the funding will go toward gathering qualitative data through storytelling — documenting the lived experiences of physicians who practice and live in the communities they serve, as well as collecting feedback from residents across the neighbor islands. Those narratives will be used to train AI models designed to identify shared values, attributes, and pathways among physicians who commit to rural practice. The goal is to generate individualized learning plans for medical trainees and faculty that align with both professional goals and community needs. As Hosoda noted, "There is a human in the loop at all stages. The system is designed to complement — rather than replace — mentorship, giving trainees tailored guidance that supports their goal of practicing in rural communities."
Addressing Challenges and Improving Retention
Hosoda emphasized that challenges facing physicians outside urban Oahu often extend beyond clinical resources. While limited infrastructure and technology can play a role, she noted that many physicians leave rural practice because they struggle to integrate into the communities they serve. "If you’re not steeped in the community, it’s very difficult," she said. "It’s about whether your values, your family life, your interests, and your sense of belonging align with the place you’re practicing." By identifying those community-centered attributes early, researchers hope the project will improve physician retention and, over time, help address health care access gaps across Hawaii’s islands.
Potential Impact and Future Directions
While the initiative is grounded in Hawaii, Hosoda said its implications could extend far beyond the state. The AMA-funded project is designed as a pilot that could be adapted for rural communities nationwide. "This model could eventually be trained on data from rural communities across the country to help address physician shortages nationally," she said. Hosoda added that while the project does not directly tackle all drivers of health disparities, strengthening long-term physician commitment to rural communities could have meaningful downstream impacts. The goal is to identify the values and characteristics of physicians who are deeply committed to their communities, with the intention that investing in those future physicians could help address health disparities and strengthen care in underserved areas. As Hosoda noted, the project has the potential to make a significant impact on the health and well-being of communities in Hawaii and beyond.
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2026/01/19/hawaii-news/jabsom-receives-1-1m-grant-to-use-ai-to-strengthen-rural-physician-workforce/
