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About the Program

What is GWEP
The Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) is a federally funded initiative led by the Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine. The Pacific Islands GWEP (PI-GWEP) strengthens the healthcare workforce to better meet the needs of older adults across Hawaii and the United States Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). Through interprofessional training, clinical education, and community partnerships, the program enhances care delivery and supports healthier aging in diverse and underserved communities.

Mission
Our mission is to improve health outcomes for older adults by strengthening the healthcare workforce and advancing care that is age-friendly, culturally responsive, and grounded in community needs. We are committed to preparing healthcare professionals to deliver coordinated, team-based care that supports older adults, their families, and caregivers, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Approach
This program brings together healthcare providers, students, caregivers, and community organizations through a collaborative, interprofessional model. Key areas of focus include:
Interprofessional Education (IPE): Training healthcare students and professionals across disciplines to work as coordinated teams
Clinical Training in Real-World Settings: Expanding hands-on learning in primary care, long-term care, and community-based environments
Telehealth & Innovative Learning: Using telemedicine and distance-based training to reach rural and geographically isolated communities
Community Partnerships: Collaborating with organizations to ensure care is culturally relevant and responsive to community needs
Age-Friendly Health Systems: Promoting evidence-based frameworks such as the 4Ms to improve care for older adults

Why it Matters
Hawaii is home to one of the fastest-growing older adult populations in the country, with nearly one in five residents aged 65 and older. At the same time, care for aging populations is shaped by geography, across islands, rural communities, and regions where access to healthcare can be limited. Beyond Hawaii, the United States Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) span vast ocean distances, where communities are separated by thousands of miles. In these settings, access to specialized providers, training opportunities, and coordinated care is often constrained by geographic isolation. These realities contribute to workforce shortages and disparities in health outcomes for older adults. Strengthening the healthcare workforce in this region is not only a priority, it is essential to ensuring that older adults can receive high-quality, culturally responsive care close to home. Through training, partnerships, and innovative approaches such as telehealth, this program works to expand access, build local capacity, and support healthier aging across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.

HRSA & Our History 
The GWEP is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and is part of a national effort to improve care for older adults. Across the country, GWEP programs focus on strengthening the geriatrics workforce, supporting caregivers, and advancing age-friendly health systems to ensure high-quality, coordinated care. This program builds on more than three decades of federal investment in geriatrics education and workforce development at the University of Hawaiʻi. Beginning with the Geriatric Education Center (GEC) and continuing through multiple GWEP funding cycles, the program has expanded its reach across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, strengthening interprofessional training, community partnerships, and age-friendly systems of care.

Who we serve
The program serves a diverse and geographically dispersed population across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands, including older adults, rural and medically underserved communities, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations, and individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. It also supports family caregivers and direct care workers who play a critical role in the care continuum. The program prioritizes health equity and culturally responsive approaches to better meet the needs of the communities it serves.