A Honolulu neurologist has been named Hawaii's physician of the year, a bright spot for an island health system short on specialists.

• Dr. Kore Lo of Hawaii Pacific Neuroscience won the Hawaii Medical Association's 2026 physician of the year award for research, patient care, and community work.
• He moved to the islands in 2009 and built a clinic that now handles more than 20,000 patient visits a year.
• The clinic was founded to ease Hawaii's shortage of doctors and specialists, where long waits can make good care useless.
• His team runs clinical trials aimed at catching Alzheimer's earlier, which matters more now that treatments exist that can slow the disease.
• He also teaches neurology at the John A. Burns School of Medicine and urges older residents to stay active and volunteer instead of fully retiring.

Outlook: The clinic's push for earlier Alzheimer's diagnosis continues, but Hawaii's specialist shortage is unlikely to ease soon.