Posted on: Monday, October 20, 2003

Medical school to add Hawaiian department

Associated Press

The University of Hawai'i Board of Regents have authorized the establishment of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health as part of the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

The move to create the department stemmed from a growing recognition that there is a disparity in healthcare status of minority groups. New federal money has become available to look into and treat the problem.

A number of Hawai'i's population groups, notably Native Hawaiians, suffer disproportionately from many conditions, UH officials said.

In other action on Friday, the board created the College of Business and Economics at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo.

"The establishment of the College of Business and Economics is a strong step towards positioning UH-Hilo as the state's leader in small business entrepreneurship," UH-Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng said.

"I fully expect this program to develop a robust curriculum that will increase enrollment by attracting the highest quality students to our campus," she said.

The board also approved a supplemental budget for fiscal year 2004 that includes about $20 million for operations and $128 million for capital improvement projects.