WORKING TO FIND THE CURE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Christopher M . Yasuma PRESIDENT
President ’ s Message
Aloha , friends and supporters of the UH Cancer Center !
Rex T . Chang
VICE-PRESIDENT
Mitchell Taira TREASURER
Adelia C . Dung Spencer Dung Dennis E . Francis Sheri-Ann Higa Dale T . Kobayashi Monica McLaren Don Murphy Jason K . Nagai Penelope Rogers
If you ' d like to learn more about the Friends and support us with a donation , please visit https :// friendsofuhcc . org
2022 is just flying by . At the start of the year , I chose one word to represent 2022 , " BUILD ." I hope that together we can build on the ways we support the Center .
Before I continue , I want to say a big thank you to Monica McLaren , outgoing Friends Board President , for her great leadership , especially during an unusual and uncertain time .
Also , mahalo to Dr . Joe Ramos for his enthusiastic leadership as Interim Director . We wish him well in his new position at the Louisiana Cancer Research Center .
As we await a new Center Director , the Friends continue to build on and support key programs with your help :
• Students – Seed money for a successful summer student intern program resulted in a grant .
We now fund a new program , the three-year graduate student fellowship .
• Tickets for the Cure – Program that covers the cost of flights and alleviates the financial burden for clinical trial patients on the neighbor islands .
• Early Phase Clinical Research Center – Support for the Center and sponsorship of a meditation room .
• Community awareness – Ideas and plans to improve the awareness of the Center and involve the community .
• Legislation – Support for legislation that promotes cancer research in Hawaiʻi . We raise our voices about legislation that negatively impacts the Center or the community .
Please join our efforts to build a strong UH Cancer Center for Hawaiʻi .
Mahalo ,
Ch ristop h er M . YasuMa President , Friends of the UH Cancer Center
CHRISTOPHER M . YASUMA PROFILE
Like many of us , cancer has impacted Christopher Yasuma ’ s immediate family , so he is dedicated to fighting the disease . Yasuma is the new President of the Friends of the UH Cancer Center and has been a board member since 2017 . He is also on the executive board of the Hawaiʻi Children ’ s Cancer Foundation .
Yasuma is Vice President of the Corporate Banking Division at First Hawaiian Bank . In his free time , he enjoys surfing , playing music , traveling to Japan , and spending time with his family . He and his wife Marisa , have one daughter .