Tumaini Rucker Coker, MD, MBA is Chair and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of
Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine and Chief of Pediatrics for Hawaiʻi Pacific Health
Medical Group. A general pediatrician, health services researcher, and nationally recognized
leader in child health, Dr. Coker is dedicated to advancing health equity and improving the
health and well-being of children and families in Hawaiʻi and beyond. As the academic pediatric
leader for Hawaiʻi's only medical school and children's hospital, she is committed to
strengthening the pediatric workforce, advancing community-engaged research, and working in
partnership with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities to improve health outcomes
and promote health equity for children and families across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
Her research focuses on community-partnered approaches to pediatric primary care delivery
that promote health equity and reduce health and healthcare disparities for children and families
in underserved communities. Working closely with community clinics and parents, she has led
the design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative models of care, including the
integration of community health workers into early childhood preventive services. Her research
has also examined inequities in behavioral health care and strategies to improve access and
utilization of services for medically underserved children. Her work has been funded by the
National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and the Health
Resources and Services Administration.
Dr. Coker is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and has served in
numerous national leadership roles, including as a member of the U.S. Preventive Services
Task Force, the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures Expert Panel, and the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Standing Committee on Primary Care. She
chaired the National Academies consensus study Addressing the Long-Term Effects of the
COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Families and served on the committee that produced
Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care.
Before joining the University of Hawaiʻi in 2025, Dr. Coker served on the faculty of the University
of Washington School of Medicine, where she was the inaugural Research Director of Seattle
Children's Center for Diversity and Health Equity and Co-Director of the NIH-funded Child
Health Equity Research Fellowship. She continues to provide primary care and teach medical
students and residents at Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children.
Contact Information: https://www.hawaii.edu/directory