Dr. Kosasa smiling at Jacquelyn,
Hawai‘i’s first test-tube baby in
1985. Photo courtesy Low family.
“He goes out of his way to make sure
there are opportunities to teach,”
Dr. Huang said. “Any C-section he does,
he always has a resident come observe
and gets residents involved in operating
room cases as well. Dr. Kosasa is a
medical giant in this community, but you
wouldn't know it by talking to him.”
ate. During my residency and fellowship
at Harvard Medical School, I won first
place driving a Porsche in the SCCA
North American Road Racing Series.”
His grandmother, Mitsue Kosasa,
shaped him in many other ways as
well. Dr. Kosasa credits her for his
commitment to philanthropy. He is a
board member for the Kapi‘olani Health
Foundation and one of the medical
center’s leading donors.
Humble to the core, Dr. Kosasa does
not spend much time talking about
himself. If he did, he would have quite a
few stories to tell. In addition to his life
as a pilot and flight instructor, he is a
“My grandmother gave back,” Dr. Kosasa
retired U.S. Army Major who was Chief
said. “I mean she sold her diamond
of Gynecology at Fort Benning, Georgia
ring to buy land for her church. So I think
and was a race car driver for 13 years. He her influence was quite marked on
called his first speedster the “Hawaiian
my career.”
Punch.” It was an inspired gift from a
“He always goes over things and explains very important woman in his life.
For a man who has achieved in multiple
his thought process,” chief resident at
careers, dedicated his life to creating
Kapi‘olani, Dr. Katherine Huang said.
“My grandmother wanted me to go to
and caring for families, given generously
“He’ll say ‘These are the complications
medical school,” Dr. Kosasa said. “She
of his time and money and blazed a trail
associated with doing x, y and z versus
knew that having good grades would
for new physicians, Dr. Kosasa says the
doing it this way.’ Dr. Kosasa’s perfected
improve the chance of my acceptance.
reason for all he does is simple.
his technique over time and built a
She told me that I could have any car I
very good foundation for us who are
wanted if I received A’s in organic chem- “I think being kind is important and
still figuring out how we want to do our
istry. After receiving my A’s, I purchased
everything one does must come from
surgeries. He’s a very precise surgeon.”
the fastest Corvette in New England and one’s heart.”
raced it when I was still an undergradu-
And a very active mentor. Every Monday
morning, second-year residents get a
chance to meet with him one-on-one
for an hour to ask questions about
reproductive endocrinology. Every
Friday, he reviews pertinent topics with
medical students and will sometimes
present lectures for 25 or more residents.
Dr. Kosasa calls the opportunity to teach
a privilege, which is why he makes it
a priority.
THE DELIVERY ROOM IS NOT THE
ONLY PLACE WHERE DR. KOSASA
IS INFLUENCING NEW GENER-
ATIONS. He's been teaching future
physicians for more than 30 years
including medical students at the
University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns
School of Medicine.
Dr. Kosasa at his private
practice office where he sees
dozens of patients everyday.