Dr. Florence J. Chinn Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Published: University of Hawaii News, June 8, 2021

Summary

Official University of Hawaii announcement about the establishment of a memorial scholarship honoring Dr. Florence J. Chinn, a pioneering Chinese-American physician.

Scholarship Details

Purpose

Awards full-time students at John A. Burns School of Medicine demonstrating:

• Academic merit
• Financial need
• Preference for single parents or children of single parents

Significance of Preference

The preference for single parents reflects Florence Chinn’s own experience raising five sons independently while maintaining a full-time medical practice.

Biographical Information

Educational Background

• Rejected by California medical school claiming to have filled its “female quota”
• Enrolled at Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania
• Earned “Professor of Medicine Award as the outstanding medical student”
• Completed elite internal medicine program at University of Pennsylvania Hospital

Career Highlights

• Relocated to Honolulu in 1959
• One of Hawaii’s first female board-certified internists
• Full-time medical practice spanning decades
• Extensive volunteer work

Community Service

• American Cancer Society: Screening education coordinator
• Hawaii Health and Human Services Department: Consultant
  • Won national award for fraud and abuse prevention program
  • Saved Hawaii $2 million over six years

Historical Significance

Described as a “trailblazing Chinese-American physician” who:

• Overcame systemic discrimination
• Worked at family grocery store before pursuing medicine
• Raised five sons as single parent while maintaining medical career
• Advocated for women’s health and vulnerable populations

Source Quality

Reliability: High

• Official University of Hawaii publication
• Institutional scholarship program
• Verifiable through UH financial aid office
• Corroborates obituary information

Additional Value

Provides context about:

• Florence’s challenges as single mother
• Her commitment to community service
• Her role as pioneer for Asian-American women in medicine
• The family’s values around education and service

Related Sources

• Florence-Chinn-Loui-Obituary-Star-Advertiser - Full obituary
• John A. Burns School of Medicine scholarship database
• University of Hawaii Foundation records

URL

https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2021/06/08/florence-chinn-scholarship/