Winona Kaʻalouahi Lee, M.D.
Director & Principal Investigator
Medical Education Division, ʻImi Hoʻōla Post-Baccalaureate Program; Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence
Phone: (808) 692-1035
Email: winonal@hawaii.edu
Dr. Winona Kaʻalouahi Lee is driven by a passion to promote the success of disadvantaged and underrepresented students in medicine and brings over 15 years of experience as a pediatrician and medical educator to her current position. As Director of the Medical Education Division in the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), Dr. Lee oversees key diversity programs including the ʻImi Hoʻōla Post-Baccalaureate Program and the Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence. In her role as the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Diversity Officer, she led the creation of JABSOM’s first institutional policy on diversity and is the co-editor of Hoʻi Hou Ka Maoli Ola: Pathways to Native Hawaiian Health, the first peer-reviewed international book on improving Native Hawaiian health through education, research, advocacy, and community initiatives.
Dr. Lee was born and raised in ʻEwa Beach and is a proud graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama campus. As a first generation college student, she initially struggled in higher education, but found success with the help of her family, mentors, and peer support. Dr. Lee received her B.A. in Biology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and completed her medical degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa JABSOM. Dr. Lee went on to complete her residency in Pediatrics at the University of Hawaiʻi Integrated Pediatrics Residency Program in Honolulu and is currently Board Certified in Pediatrics. Prior to joining the Department of Native Hawaiian Health, Dr. Lee provided pediatric services to children in foster care. Dr. Lee’s primary interests include disadvantaged and underrepresented student recruitment and retention, healthcare workforce diversity, medical professionalism, mindfulness and resiliency, mentoring at-risk youth, and cultural competency.