Surgical Critical Care Fellowship
About
The year spent with the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship will be an educational and growing experience for the fellow. The fellow will be the central contact person for the residents, nurses, attendings, consultants and other ancillary services. Besides mastering the clinical knowledge of intensive care medicine, the fellow will grow as a teacher, administrator, arbitrator, and researcher. Due to the nature of critical care medicine, difficult political and ethical issues will be part of the daily experience. At some point during the year, the fellow will begin to perform in the role of an attending. This metamorphosis in role comes from gaining knowledge, respect from colleagues and self-confidence. We hope that the program will continue to train young surgeons to become dedicated surgical intensivists who will continue to carry on the spirit of teaching as well as to strive for improving patient care.
The University of Hawaii Surgical Critical Care Program strives to develop a comprehensive program to train surgeons to:
- Become clinically competent in managing complex adult critical care patients and performing the procedures necessary to administer excellent patient care.
- Develop a broad medical knowledge base in all body systems and their interactions, and to be able to develop a comprehensive treatment plan.
- Develop the leadership and communication skills necessary to organize, conduct and direct care in the intensive care unit.
- Communicate with family and assist with decision-making regarding ethical issues.
- Search for knowledge, to develop the practice of lifelong learning and to use evidence-based medicine to administer care and improve practice.
- Develop an inquiring mind and be active in research.
- Develop physician leaders to provide comprehensive, but cost effective care, and who will seek opportunities to pilot the future of critical care medicine.
The University of Hawaii Surgical Critical Care Fellowship has been accredited by the Residency Review Committee since 1993. Dr. Mihae Yu initiated the SCC Fellowship Program and was the Program Director until 2019. Dr. David Inouye became Program Director in January 2020. The fellowship program has three ACGME approved fellow positions for twelve months in length.
Core Faculty & Staff
Attendings assigned as the core teaching staff to the surgical intensive care unit are physicians related to the area of surgery and/or critical care who have been trained in a formal fellowship and have passed or are eligible for critical care boards. They are dedicated teachers with the purpose of communicating knowledge and promoting critical thinking. They are also responsible for maintaining expertise in their own knowledge base, are involved in research projects, and resolve controversies through science and research. By practicing quality of care, as well as demonstrating an ethical and humane approach to the critically ill, attendings serve as role models for young physicians in training.
David Inouye, MD, PhD, FACS
Program Director
Assistant Professor of Surgery University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
Medical Director, Surgical ICU
The Queen’s Medical Center
Danny Takanishi, Jr., MD, FACS
Associate Program Director
Professor of Surgery
University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
Jin Ra, MD, FACS
Professor of Surgery
University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
Chief of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery, The Queen’s Medical Center
Michael Hayashi, MD, FACS
Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
Malia Eischen, MD, FACS
Clinical Educator
University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
Program Details
Curriculum
Academic Conferences
Fellows are expected to attend regularly scheduled conferences including basic science, clinical science, Journal Club, Surgery Grand Rounds, Morbidity & Mortality, Surgical Critical Care conferences, infectious disease lectures, neuroscience lectures, respiratory therapy department ventilator workshops, and research meetings. Fellows may attend one conference in the field of critical care, usually the Society of Critical Care Medicine conference held in January/February.
Weekly Meetings:
• Surgical Critical Conferences*
• Surgery Grand Rounds*
• Morbidity & Mortality Conferences
Monthly Meetings:
• SCC Journal Club*
• Research Meetings
• Ethics Committee Meetings
• Program Evaluation Committee Meetings (PEC)
• Graduate Medical Education Resident/Fellow Leadership Forums (every other month)
• Residents/Fellows As Teachers Sessions (Quarterly)
*Fellows will be expected to give at least one lecture/presentation at each of these meetings and lead the journal club discussion on a topic of the fellow’s choice.
Board Prep Courses & Resources
Fellows will receive access to various resources from the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), including:
• Ultrasound course at the SCCM Critical Care Congress**
• Multidisciplinary Critical Care Knowledge Assessment Program (MCCKAP)**
• SCCM Comprehensive Critical Care: Adult, 3rd Edition, eBook
**Required courses.
Civetta, Taylor, & Kirby’s Critical Care Medicine, 5th Edition and the Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery: Clinical Questions & Answers, 3rd Edition textbooks will be provided to fellows.
Research
Research Meetings are held monthly. The Queen’s Medical Center has a well-organized research department to assist with design, implementation, statistical analysis, computer data entry, and legal counseling associated with research.
The Surgical Critical Care division is active in research and immediately incorporates the SCC Fellow into both new and ongoing research activities. The program requires one research project to be done by the SCC fellow to gain experience in designing, conducting, and publishing or presenting a study. It is expected that this experience will enhance the academic foundation the Program instills in its graduates, foster life-long learning and augment the fellow’s ability to utilize the literature in patient care activities. Monthly research meetings allow for collaboration and “brain-storming.” Most fellows have presented their research at the annual Society of Critical Care Meeting.
Primary Training Hospital
The Queen’s Medical Center Punchbowl (Manamana) is a 100+ year old institution with 550 beds and serves as a tertiary referral center and the designated Trauma Center to the Hawaiian Islands as well as the Pacific Basin. There are two surgical intensive care units adjacent to one another; one unit has 11 beds with special expertise in trauma, general surgery and all surgical subspecialties, while the other intensive care unit has 8 beds with expertise in the neurological disorders. These two units are where the majority of SCC training takes place. When the census expands, we occupy beds in any of the other ICUs but the SCC team continues to care for the patients in the other ICUs.
Clinical Experience
This fellowship is designed to train the Surgical Critical Care Fellow in adult surgical critical care and how to manage complex critically ill and injured patients. The 12-month fellowship is divided into 4 week blocks with the Surgical ICU, Cardiothoracic ICU, Neurosurgical ICU, Medical ICU, Trauma and Emergency General Surgery, and Anesthesia/Echocardiography.
The fellows are scheduled for 24 hours in house call every 6th night, (i.e. there will be a fellow in house every 3rd night), alternating with PGY2 and/or PGY3 general surgery residents assigned to the SICU. Occasionally, we have three fellows and in this case, the call will still average every 6th night but with a mix of intervals. The residents/fellow coming off 24 hour call can be dismissed from clinical duties after morning rounds. The fellow has one 24-hour period free of all duties per week (averaged per month).
Dr. David Inouye
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Whitney Carlton
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Malia Eischen
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Michael Hayashi
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Chayanin Musikasinthorn
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Jin Ra
Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Danny Takanishi, Jr.
Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Felix Yong
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Stephanie Guo
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Medicine
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Thomas Wong
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Medicine
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. C.H. Johnny Sun
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Medicine
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Stacy Brown
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Lindsey Carvalho
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Medicine
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Matthew Koenig
Professor
Department of Medicine
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Kazuma Nakagawa
Professor
Department of Medicine
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Jin Ra
Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Whitney Carlton
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Malia Eischen
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Sho Furuta
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Michael Hayashi
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. David Inouye
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Chayanin Musikasinthorn
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Danny Takanishi, Jr.
Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Jennifer Salotto
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Felix Yong
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Dr. Brent Tatsuno
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Surgery
University of Hawaii JABSOM
Application
The Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program is a one-year surgical critical care training program under the auspices of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for three fellows per academic year. Eligible applicants must meet one of the following criteria:
- Completed at least three clinical years at an ACGME-accredited graduate medical education program with a categorical position to finish the last two years after fellowship. (Applicants must have completed three years training in Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Neurological Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, or Urology. Although residents in this category that complete the fellowship may sit for the Surgical Critical Care certifying examination immediately following the fellowship, passage of this examination does not confer board certification until the resident has achieved primary certification.)
- Completed general surgery residency training at an ACGME-accredited graduate medical education program and is Board-Certified or Board-Eligible with the American Board of Surgery.
How to Apply
All applications must be submitted through the SCC and ACS Fellowship Application Service (SAFAS). Acceptance is made through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required documents are submitted. The following documents are needed to complete your application:
- SAFAS Standard Application
- Current Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Personal Statement
- At least 3 letters of recommendation (including one from current Program Director)
- Official USMLE Transcript (Steps 1, 2, 3)
- American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) Scores
Interviews are by invitation only; applicants invited for an interview will be notified by email. All interviews are conducted virtually. The program does not offer in-person or hybrid interviews.
Fellows in 2026-2027
Donald Furman, DO (2026)
Residency: General Surgery at Sunrise Health GME Consortium
Medical School: Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk School of Osteopathic Medicine
Rebecca Phuoc, MD (2025)
Residency: General Surgery at University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Medical School: Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine
Kiyonari Noguchi, MD (2024)
Residency: General Surgery at University of Hawaii
Medical School: University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
Ted Chung, DO (2024)
Residency: General Surgery at Hennepin Healthcare
Medical School: Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
David Ridder, MD (2023)
Residency: University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria
Medical School: Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University of Chicago
Sophia Abdulhai, MD (2022)
Residency: General Surgery at ECU Health Medical Center/East Carolina University
Medical School: George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Brian Clarke, MD (2022)
Residency: General Surgery at University of Louisville School of Medicine
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Salary & Benefits
Contact
University of Hawaii Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program
1356 Lusitana Street 6th Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Program Administrator: Lori Bland
Email: surgery@hawaiiresidency.org
Phone: (808) 586-8227 | FAX: (808) 586-3022
