Table of Contents

The Queen’s Health Systems

Kuakini Health System

Hawai‘i Pacific Health

Queen’s Advances Breakthrough In Pancreatic Cancer

The Queen’s Medical Center was the first hospital in Hawaiʻi to offer a revolutionary drug, daraxonrasib, to treat pancreatic cancer, which helped advance research that led to the drug’s recent FDA approval.

Queen’s work to bring this drug to Hawaiʻi allowed pancreatic cancer patients access to cutting-edge treatment without having to travel to the mainland.

For people with pancreatic cancer, symptoms are often absent or unclear, and by the time the disease is diagnosed, it has often spread to other organs, giving patients just months to live.

Pancreatic cancer is also resistant to conventional treatments. According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, over 90% of pancreatic cancers are caused by a KRAS gene mutation, a malfunction in the on-off switch for cell growth. Stuck in the “on” position, the switch allows cancer cells to multiply uncontrollably.

Since the early 1980s, researchers have been trying to develop drugs to target KRAS genes without success, as they are “smooth” with no place for a drug to attach. In 2013, however, a researcher found a chink in its armor. Another researcher then created a molecular “glue” to disable KRAS, and out of this research daraxonrasib was developed in 2022. During clinical trials, the drug was shown to shrink tumors.

Daraxonrasib, under the brand name Rasonque, treats KRAS-driven pancreatic cancers with fewer and less harsh side effects than chemotherapy. Though not a cure, it can double a patient’s survival time.

Shortly after daraxonrasib was presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, Queen’s applied to participate in the study to make the drug available to Hawaiʻi patients.

Providing patients with access to cutting-edge therapies reflects The Queen’s Health Systems’ commitment to advancing cancer care and further solidifies its role as Hawaiʻi’s leader in innovative and advanced care.

Kuakini Health System: Caring Is A Tradition

Kuakini Health System was founded by Japanese immigrants in 1900 to care for those who lacked access to health care. That tradition of care continues today at Hawaiʻi’s only independently run hospital.

KHS contracts physicians who also have their own private practices, empowering those physicians to spend more time with patients, to make their own decisions and to develop personalized care plans.

“Kuakini’s independence allows us to remain deeply connected to the community and responsive to what patients and physicians need,” says Gregg Oishi, KHS president and CEO. “Because we are locally governed and not part of a large hospital system, we are more agile. We can act quickly to build partnerships across the community, foster innovation and make decisions centered on Hawaiʻi’s needs.”

Recently, KHS received a $10.2 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to upgrade diagnostic imaging, including a new PET/CT and MRI system for Kuakini Medical Center. The new equipment will give physicians clearer, faster diagnostic information, particularly for cancer, neurological and cardiac conditions.

“Patients will benefit from more timely care in a comfortable, community-based setting, while our staff will work with modern equipment that improves image quality, workflow and reliability,” Oishi says. “Operationally, the investment strengthens Kuakini’s ability to support independent physicians, attract specialized services and coordinate diagnosis and treatment more efficiently.”

KHS also recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program. Started in 1965, it is the only longitudinal study of Japanese American men that has included epidemiological and clinical data of its cohorts for over six decades. Research data from the participants and their offspring have helped identify risk factors for heart disease, stroke, and chronic diseases related to aging and dementia, including evidence linking midlife high blood pressure to cognitive decline later in life.

“The Kuakini Honolulu Heart program is one of Kuakini’s great contributions to global health,” Oishi says. “The program’s longitudinal data and biological specimens remain an extraordinary scientific resource. We now have an opportunity to translate that legacy into new research partnerships, and develop longevity, healthy aging and brain-health programs that benefit future generations in Hawaiʻi and beyond,” says Oishi.

Looking forward, KHS’ priority is to continue to invest in quality patient experiences, technology and facilities, including the renovation of its surgical suites. KHS is also further developing services such as women’s health, orthopedic and spine urgent care, and longevity and brain health.

“At the center of our strategy is a stronger ecosystem for independent physicians, giving them the infrastructure and support to grow while preserving their autonomy and the trusted physician-patient relationship,” says Oishi.

KHS subsidiaries include Kuakini Medical Center, Kuakini Geriatric Care Inc., the Kuakini Foundation, and Kuakini Support Services.

Hawai‘i Pacific Health

Dr. Erika Noel (far left) with a cohort of Kauaʻi Medical Training Track students at Wilcox Medical Center.

At Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, creating healthier communities means looking beyond the walls of its medical centers and clinics, and actively working toward strengthening access to care statewide and investing in the next generation of health care professionals.

As an example, the Kauaʻi Medical Training Track is a collaborative partnership between HPH and the John A. Burns School of Medicine at UH Mānoa, representing a long-term investment in the future physician workforce, especially in rural Kauaʻi.

Each year, a cohort of first-year JABSOM students are selected to live on Kauaʻi while undergoing clinical training, primarily at Kauaʻi Medical Clinic, which has locations in Līhuʻe, ʻEleʻele, Kapaʻa, and Kōloa, and Wilcox Medical Center. Students spend 15 months living and learning on Kauaʻi while working toward their doctor of medicine degrees.

HPH physicians and staff play a key role in offering professional guidance, training, insight and mentorship. Among them is Dr. Erika Noel, Wilcox pediatrician and Kauaʻi lead physician for JABSOM. She has been mentoring students since the program started in 2022.

“One of the most rewarding parts of the Kauaʻi Medical Training Track is seeing students build meaningful connections with the Garden Isle community,” Noel says. “They live and train here, learn from our Hawaiʻi Pacific Health physicians and staff, and care for our family, friends and neighbors. They develop a genuine understanding of caring for a close-knit community like Kauaʻi, which creates a sustainable pipeline of dedicated health care professionals.”

KMTT students’ four-year tuition and housing, and transportation costs are fully covered. As part of the program, they commit to returning to Kauaʻi to practice for at least four years following residency training and any other specialty fellowships.

The first cohort just graduated this past summer, and currently more than 20 medical students are in the program.

Through programs like KMTT, HPH is helping to build a sustainable health care workforce by providing students with hands-on experience in a community setting and fostering lasting connections with the patients and families they serve on Kauaʻi.