Ka ʻUmeke Lama initiative launches to transform cancer care, erase disparities in health outcomes in Hawai‘i and the Pacific

Historic partnership by University Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, John A. Burns School of Medicine emphasizes cutting-edge research, workforce development, culturally informed practices

In a historic partnership, the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center and the John A. Burns School of Medicine are launching Ka ʻUmeke Lama, a pioneering initiative to transform cancer care in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The initiative will raise the quality and consistency of cancer care through cutting-edge research, workforce development, and culturally informed practices. This effort will synchronize with fellow Hawaiʻi Cancer Consortium member organizations — Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, The Queen’s Health Systems, HMSA, Kuakini Medical Center, and Adventist Health Castle — to have a major collective impact. The goal is to erase disparities in cancer outcomes and ensure all people have access to high-quality cancer care, regardless of background or geography.

Ka ʻUmeke Lama is a multipronged response to the unique and urgent challenges that Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) face in providing comprehensive cancer care. The challenges include high cancer incidence and mortality rates among Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos; and an acute shortage of oncology professionals that is especially severe on the neighbor islands of Hawaiʻi as well as remote islands and rural areas across the U.S. Affiliated Pacific. Some examples of disparities in health outcomes, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health:

1. In Hawaiʻi, from 2013-2015, Native Hawaiians had the highest mortality rate for all types of cancer, compared with whites in the state.
2. American Samoan men are eight times more likely to develop liver cancer, and Native Hawaiian men are 2.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with that disease compared with non-Hispanic whites.

The pioneering Ka ʻUmeke Lama (Hawaiian for “Bowl of Enlightenment”) initiative also anticipates Hawaii’s greater need for cancer care due to the aging of its population: By 2030, people age 65 and older are projected to make up 29.7% of Hawaiʻi’s population — compared with 20% for the U.S. population as a whole. Already, in Hawaiʻi, each year, an average of more than 7,000 local residents are diagnosed with invasive cancer, leading to 2,000-plus deaths.

Highlights of the Ka ʻUmeke Lama initiative include:

1. Oncologic Education and Workforce Development:
   1. Establishment of a medical oncology fellowship program focusing on health disparities, geriatric oncology, and drug development
   2. Integration of statewide oncology curricula, including support for the neighbor islands
   3. Cultural competence training for healthcare professionals
2. Addressing Health Disparities:
   1. Deployment of oncology providers and early cancer detection units to rural and underserved areas
   2. Development of telehealth systems to avoid professional isolation of healthcare providers
   3. Launch of targeted clinical trials and cancer-screening programs addressing cancers disproportionately affecting Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
3. Enhancing Clinical Research:
   1. Cultivating wider awareness of and participation in clinical trials across diverse communities
   2. Creation of a centralized clinical research database and integration of precision medicine
   3. Introduction of AI-based cancer clinical trial screening and monitoring tools

“The mission of Ka ʻUmeke Lama is to provide equitable access to high-quality cancer care throughout Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands by developing a strong and integrated oncology infrastructure,” said Naoto T. Ueno, MD, PhD, FACP, Director of the UH Cancer Center. “We will help cancer-related healthcare providers to work together to address complex issues in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. Our vision is a future where cancer care is accessible, equitable, and rooted in both scientific innovation and cultural understanding. Everyone should have access to high-quality cancer care, regardless of their background or geography.”

“Ka ʻUmeke Lama embodies our commitment to fostering science, equity, and cultural wisdom in oncology care,” said Lee Buenconsejo-Lum, MD, FAAFP, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who co-leads Ka ʻUmeke Lama with Dr. Ueno. “By strengthening and expanding the existing partnerships between the UH Cancer Center, JABSOM, and the health system partners of the Hawaiʻi Cancer Consortium; and leveraging JABSOM’s expertise in education, integrating education and research into clinical learning environments, extensive pathway programs from middle school to college, collaborations with the UH schools of nursing, pharmacy, social work and public health and UH community colleges, and large infrastructure grants that help grow the next generation of researchers in partnership with communities; we will be able to more effectively address our community’s needs, and create a distributed model of education, research, and clinical care that will serve patients throughout Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands.”

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About the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center

The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center is saving lives in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. It is inspiring hope by working to erase health disparities and end cancer. The UH Cancer Center strives to achieve this through research, education, patient care, and community outreach, with a focus on the unique and diverse ethnic, cultural, and environmental characteristics of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. It is one of only 72 institutions designated by the National Cancer Institute, and the only NCI-designated cancer center in Hawai‘i and the Pacific, a significant mark of excellence.

As part of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the UH Cancer Center operates out of facilities located in Kakaʻako. The center directly employs 300 faculty and staff, with an additional 200 affiliate members and cooperative agreements with organizations that are part of the Hawaiʻi Cancer Consortium. The Consortium includes the UH Cancer Center, The Queen’s Health Systems, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, Kuakini Medical Center, Adventist Health Castle, Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association (HMSA), and the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), all working together to advance cancer research and treatment in the state. The UH Cancer Center contributes more than $57 million to Oʻahu's economy through scientific research, clinical trials, and other activities.

About John A. Burns School of Medicine

Established in 1965, the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) is one of the degree-granting schools of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Named in honor of the visionary former governor, JABSOM trains the next generation of outstanding physicians, scientists, medical technologists, and speech pathologists to improve the health and wellness of our diverse communities throughout Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. Our impactful research focuses on understanding and addressing health disparities, particularly in Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipinos. JABSOM is home to the first clinical department in an accredited medical school in the nation that is focused on health disparities of an indigenous population, Native Hawaiians.

Media contacts:

Esme M. Infante
Director of Communications, University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center
(808) 749-1386 | einfante@cc.hawaii.edu

Matthew Campbell
Director of Communications, John A. Burns School of Medicine
(808) 852-1349 | matthew.campbell@hawaii.edu

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About the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center

The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center is dedicated to saving lives in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, and inspiring hope by working to conquer cancer. The flagship priority is to understand and address cancer health disparities. The center strives to achieve this through research, education, patient care, and community outreach, focusing on the unique and diverse ethnic, cultural, and environmental characteristics of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.

The UH Cancer Center is one of only 74 institutions designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), representing a significant mark of excellence, and is the only NCI-designated cancer center in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The center contributes more than $57 million to Hawaiʻi's economy through scientific research, clinical trials, and other activities.

As part of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the UH Cancer Center operates out of facilities located in Kakaʻako. The center directly employs more than 300 faculty and staff, with an additional 200 affiliate members and cooperative agreements with organizations that are part of the Hawaiʻi Cancer Consortium. The consortium includes The Queen’s Health Systems, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, Kuakini Medical Center, Adventist Health Castle, Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association (HMSA), and the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), all working together with the UH Cancer Center to advance cancer research and treatment in the state.

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