Two DKICP faculty appointed to key boards

The gubernatorial nominations of two DKICP faculty to industry boards were recently approved by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature. Dr. Cherie Chu was appointed to Health Planning Council for the Windward Oahu Subarea, and Dr. Sheri Tokumaru was appointed to the Hawaiʻi Board of Pharmacy.

Dr. Chu is a board-certified intensive care unit pharmacist at Adventist Health Castle Medical in Windward Oahu, DKICP associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and a DKICP alumna of the inaugural class of 2011. Following postgraduate training in Arizona, Dr. Chu returned to Hawaiʻi where she serves patients, as well as students in our Doctor of Pharmacy program.

The Health Planning Council, Windward Oahu Subarea, reviews certificates of need submitted to the committee and provides input and concerns from a community perspective regarding health needs. Dr. Chu’s healthcare knowledge and clinical experiences in Windward Oahu will allow her to provide valuable perspectives regarding patient care needs in this area.

Dr. Tokumaru is a board-certified, critical care pharmacist in the neuro intensive care unit at The Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu, and a DKICP associate professor. She received extensive pharmacy training at highly competitive programs in Michigan, California and Kentucky, and subsequently worked in hospital intensive care units in San Diego and Chicago, and served on the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy.

In 2010, Dr. Tokumaru joined the DKICP faculty and has served with distinction, teaching advanced topics, precepting pharmacy students on clinical rotations, and serving as the Director of Interprofessional Education for the college. She has also served as PGY2 Residency Program Director at The Queen’s Medical Center to provide specialty training in critical care.

In addition to now serving on the Board of Pharmacy, Dr. Tokumaru recently served as a member of an elite group of 12 professionals selected nationally to create medical guidelines related to her area of specialization. The resulting guidelines were published in a reputed medical journal, and received endorsements from many health professional organizations, including the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the American Academy of Neurology.