More than 40 Punahou alumni, 100 Academy students and a small group of parents came together for the Alumni Healthcare Spotlight, an inspiring evening that highlighted the breadth of careers and experiences in medicine and healthcare. The program featured 34 alumni professionals representing fields from surgery and nursing to dentistry and pediatrics, alongside seven current healthcare students who shared their perspectives on the early stages of training.
Panelists offered candid insights into their paths, challenges, and motivations, giving students a behind-the-scenes look at the realities of healthcare work. Dr. Nick Dang ’92, cardiothoracic surgeon, reflected on the long road to independent practice: “You don’t just go from graduating from medical school into practice and doing operations independently. We train for a long time. For me, I trained for 10 years after medical school. You’re doing hundreds, thousands of cases. And the whole purpose of that training, is that you’re getting so facile at doing it, that when you finally go out on your own, you’ve seen it so many times and you know how to deal with those scenarios.”
Wealth management advisor Chris Chow ’05 also offered advice to parents on financing medical school, while John A. Burns School of Medicine Director of Admissions Dr. Ivy Nip ’84 Asano shared insight on submitting a strong, balanced application.
The evening underscored Punahou’s strong alumni presence in healthcare and the power of mentorship, connection, and shared learning across generations. Alumni Healthcare Spotlight, now in its 10th year, is led by a committee of students who have a passion for healthcare. Some of the medical students who served on this yearʻs panel participated in past spotlights as Academy students.
This yearʻs participating alumni:
John Nagamine ’86
Rachel Coel ’90
Brent Ching ’91
Nick Dang ’92
Alexa Miller ’92 Sueda
Gareth Nakasone ’94
Ankur Jain ’95
Kyra Nishimoto ’95 Len
Shawna Ling ’95 Yee
Myrna Kuo ’96
Tiare Salassa ’01
Chris Gibu ’02
Peter Lee ’02
Cecily Reber ’02 Sakai
Lorrie Chong ’02 Vuong
Anne Richardson ’02 Wright
Christina Marzo ’04
Thomas Lee ’05
Kimberly Wun ’05
Kelly Berridge ’06
Scott Hiramoto ’06
Kurt Yoshino ’06
Meghann Lau ’07 Martelly
Christine Lee ’09
Halo Yoshiki ’21
This yearʻs participating healthcare students:
Lindsay Oshiro ’19
Lauren Seu ’19
Kalpana Balaraman ’16
Chloe McCreery ’19
Xavier Heidelberg ’19
Ryan Nishi ’18
Minh Tran ‘19