Dr. Paulette M. Yamada, an assistant professor in the College of Education (COE) Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science (KRS), has been named the 2017–2018 Hubert V. Everly Endowed Scholar in Education. A $10,000 allowance over two semesters will support Yamada’s career and program development, resulting in a positive impact on the college and education in Hawai‘i.
A new COE faculty member, Yamada teaches structural kinesiology and exercise physiology. The endowed scholar award will support the launch of a student-centered research program through Cancer Exercise Rehabilitation Internships. The focus of the program will be to teach undergraduate and graduate students how to use exercise training to maintain the health of cancer survivors as they undergo (toxic) cancer treatments.
“I am very grateful to be the recipient of this award, which gives our KRS students the opportunity to be involved in a valuable research project and to gain first-hand clinical experience,” Yamada said. “The momentum generated by this scholarship truly has the capacity to improve the physical and psychosocial health of cancer patients in Hawai‛i, and it is exhilarating to know that KRS students will be a part of this mission.”
Through a multidimensional rehabilitative approach, students will be given opportunities to learn the most effective exercise training methods for clients with very special and often very serious considerations. Students will also be eligible for certification through the Cancer Exercise Specialist exam, administered by the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific (RHOP).
Yamada will work in collaboration with RHOP, the University of Northern Colorado Cancer Rehabilitation Institute, and the University of Hawai‛i Cancer Center to provide real world educational and professional experiences for students. Their shared goal is to incorporate cancer exercise rehabilitation into normative care for all cancer patients in Hawai‛i.
“Our collaborators are committed to working together to secure funding in the future in order to sustain this program and provide continued support for KRS students,” Yamada concluded. “The program will ultimately benefit our students, the university, cancer patient communities of Hawai‘i, and cancer research on a global scale.”
Yamada was selected through a rigorous process by a committee of tenured senior faculty members from across the COE. The award honors the legacy and service of the COE’s longest serving Dean, Hubert V. Everly, who became Dean of Teacher’s College in 1956. He continued as Dean when it became the College of Education in 1959 until his retirement in 1979. He received numerous honors for his contributions to education, including the endowed scholar position established in his name and a Lifetime Achievement award from the COE in 2006.
