Pediatric Residency

Congratulations to those nearing the next stage of medical training and pursuing a residency in Pediatrics!  I welcome you to engage in this site to learn more about the heart and aloha of our University of Hawai`i Pediatric Residency program in Honolulu, Hawai`i. 

We have a wonderfully unique learning environment as Kapi`olani Medical Center for Women and Children is the only tertiary care pediatric referral center in the Pacific Basin. Our health care system serves not only families from the Hawaiian Islands but also families in our neighboring territories and Pacific Island countries as well as visitors here on vacation.

Our residents see patients with a wide variety of common pediatric diagnoses, patients with rare diseases including tropical medicine problems and patients presenting in all stages of illness. Our main training site is an urban, university-affiliated, community hospital with a bustling census and we also have opportunities for rotations in rural and resource-limited settings. The three years of pediatric residency in our program offer an incredible experience of growth and professional development as young physicians mature into competent pediatricians.  It is expected to be a challenging time as knowledge is expanded and abilities are stretched while residents learn how to provide the best in evidence based, effective care.

Working with our patients and their families is a gift, and we are grateful that our local community values our training program. Their support of residents caring for their keiki is crucial as our residents develop their clinical acumen. Residency is a time of great camaraderie, with many of our residents building sustaining relationships that are a source of strength and peer mentorship throughout their professional careers. While learning how to provide consummate care of pediatric patients, residents also cultivate valuable skills in providing successful leadership of a team, developing and practicing empathy, providing succinct, clear communication and in considering the whole patient and family when making management decisions together.

It truly “takes a village” to raise a successful pediatrician, and our faculty are exceptionally invested in the success of our residents and program through their clinical precepting, lectures, advising and research mentorship. We have a remarkable team, including nurses and staff who all help our residents grow.

I wake up every day feeling grateful for the privilege of directing this incredible residency program. 

Aloha,
Dr. Jennifer Di Rocco
University of Hawai`i Pediatric Residency Program Director