Jennifer Walker, MD

Biography

Dr. Jennifer J. Walker serves as the Medical Director for Acute Care and the East Hawaii Health Clinics, a network of Rural Health Clinics in the East Hawaii Region of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation. Dr. Walker was commissioned through Army ROTC, graduating cum laude from Seattle University. She earned her MD degree and completed family medicine residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She completed a fellowship in Faculty Development and earned her Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Washington. She retired as a Colonel in the US Army in September 2016.

Dr. Walker fell in love with Hawaii while living on Oahu and serving as the Chief Medical Officer for the large outpatient healthcare facility at Schofield Barracks. Following that assignment, she served as Chief of Clinical Operations at US Pacific Command at Fort Shafter, where she was the senior clinician advising the Command Surgeon on all aspects of health care for military and humanitarian engagements throughout the Asia-Pacific region. She joined the medical staff of Hilo Medical Center in 2016, initially serving as core faculty for the Hawaii Island Family Medicine Residency.

Dr. Walker’s military career gave her the opportunity to serve in a variety of practice environments, from family clinics to community hospitals to world-class tertiary care centers at military bases in the US and Europe. Dr. Walker served as Chief of Medical Services, 48th Combat Support Hospital – Bagram, Afghanistan (2002-03) and as the Deputy Commander for Clinical Services, 21st Combat Support Hospital – Tikrit, Mosul, and Al Asad, Iraq (2010). Dr. Walker’s military awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. She has been inducted into the Order of Military Medical Merit and has received the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians President’s Award.

Dr. Walker has lectured extensively on medical and military topics at regional, national, and international military and civilian conferences. She has conducted and published original medical research, has authored or co-authored numerable scientific journal articles and book chapters, and has served as chair of several professional development and continuing education seminars.