Clinic Description and History
Ho'o Lokahi shares clinic space with Pacifica Integrative Skin Wellness Institute, a general, surgical and cosmetic dermatology practice under the direction of Monica Scheel, M.D.  Dr. Traub brought Dr. Scheel into his practice in 2006 and rapid growth led to the building of a much larger clinic under a new roof in 2007.  Dr. Scheel practices integrative dermatology and she and Dr. Traub collaborate regularly in patient care.  Michaela Martin, ND, LAc, a former resident of Dr. Traub's,  practices part-time in the clinic also.  Dr. Traub has practiced in an integrative setting since establishing his practice in Hawaii in 1986, sharing the office with various MDs, psychologists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, midwives, massage therapists, as well as other NDs.  

Dr. Traub graduated from NCNM in 1981 and completed a residency program there in family practice and homeopathy from 1981-1983, was chief resident from 1982-83 as well as acting clinic director.  He then was one of the founding physicians of the Natural Childbirth and Family Clinic in Portland from 1983-1985 before moving to Hawaii.  He has long recognized the importance of expanding postgraduate opportunities in the naturopathic profession and developed and directed the Hawaii Residency Training Program to meet this need.  Dr. Traub was also involved in the founding of North Hawaii Community Hospital, which opened in 1996, and was the first naturopathic physician to be appointed to a hospital medical staff in contemporary times.  His work as chairperson of the Integrated Healing Committee there, as well as a member of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Research Committee, led to the formation of professional relationships with many members of the hospital medical and nursing staff.  Consequently, a number of these physicians have offered rotations for the naturopathic residents.  Dr. Traub is also co-director of a clinical rotation program in Hawaii for fourth-year medical students from the University of Minnesota.  This has led to the development of additional clinical rotation opportunities for residents.

Two of the three residents who have completed the program have established sustainable full-time practices in North Hawaii.  There is currently a critical shortage of primary healthcare in Hawaii and this residency program helps to address that as well as provide an opportunity to for naturopathic physicians to be mentored and obtain further knowledge, training and experience in a wide variety of integrative clinical settings.  

Ho'o Lokahi is accepted as an official, accredited residency site of NCNM and the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) and will be accepting 1-2 first year residents annually.  Residents will have a personalized schedule that includes private patients, clinical rotations, research, administration, public speaking and writing.  Residents will be encouraged and supported in the development of their own areas of specialty  interest.

Local Community Sites for Resident Observation and Practice
Over the past years,   clinical rotations with specialty physicians and NDs have been developed in the areas of cardiology, internal medicine, pediatrics, ob/gyn, urology, dermatology, psychiatry, family practice and osteopathy.  

In patient care:  North Hawaii Community Hospital

In development:  oncology, compounding pharmacy, resort medical spa 

Opportunities for Residents to Develop Writing, Speaking and Marketing Skills
Residents give educational lectures to the public, and, if accepted, may give continuing medical education presentations as well.   They assist in the writing of quarterly articles for Holistic Primary Care and other publications.  They have the opportunity to volunteer at a variety of health fairs and events, including senior health fairs, free skin cancer screenings, and the Ironman Triathlon Championship.  

Care for the Underserved
Residents have the opportunity to work at community healthcare clinics.

Program Structure
The residency program is structured as follows:

• Direct patient care in naturopathic/integrative family practice
• Weekly conferencing and mentoring with Dr. Traub
• Clinical rotations with selected specialty practitioners (up to 5 shifts per week for the first year)
• Rotation at Malama Compounding Pharmacy weekly (in development)
• Rotation at resort hotel medical spa (in development)
• Public lectures, health publications, clinic  newsletters
• Clinical research

Program Goals and Development
In conjunction with NCNM, this postgraduate program will continuously be evaluated and evolved.  The goal is to continue to provide the highest quality care to patients and excellent postgraduate training for naturopathic graduates and further integrate with the healthcare community.

Financial Support
Dr. Traub's residency is receiving support for it's residency as a NERC clinic.   We thank all our NERC vendors.   For a full listing of all NERC contributors, please vist our website at www.naturopathicresidency.org.

For more information on Ho'o Lokahi, visit the website at www.michaeltraubnd.com.