We offer heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Tumaini Rucker Coker, who has been named as the incoming Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine and Chief of Pediatrics for Hawaii Pacific Health Medical Group. She will begin her new position on September 1.
"Tumaini is an exceptional leader and scientist,” said Dr. Leslie R. Walker, Chair of the Department. "We have been fortunate to have her elevating our research and education of future scientists, particularly in health equity research and clinical service. We will deeply miss her and wish her well. It is certain she will continue to distinguish herself in her new role as a department chair."
Dr. Coker is Division Head for General Pediatrics and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Seattle Children’s. She teaches medical students and residents at Odessa Brown Children's Clinic.
Dr. Coker joined UW and SCH in 2016, as an independent physician scientist at Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI) and a leader in health equity research. She has been the Division Head for General Pediatrics since 2021, which she touts as being “a wonderful experience because of the extraordinary faculty we have in our division, and the incredible work they do in education, clinical care, research and advocacy.”
“Our superpower is our people,” said Dr. Coker. “I have been able to collaborate with so many individuals to get things done here, and I am so grateful for the people that I have been privileged to work with and hope to continue to build partnerships for collaboration, even after I leave.”
In addition to her work as Division Head, Dr. Coker credits her ability to grow as a leader with her work as the inaugural Director of Research for the Center for Diversity and Health Equity, where she built a Health Equity Research Program that has continued to grow and support SCRI researchers, research teams and labs, trainees and staff.
Dr. Coker’s positive impact shines through her research, which is focused on community-partnered pediatric primary care delivery design to promote health equity and eliminate health and healthcare disparities for children and families in low-income communities.
As she reflects on her time at UW Pediatrics, as well as the changing landscape of today, Dr. Coker stated, “Health equity is at the core of what we do. That gives me confidence that whatever the barriers and challenges we face, our teams will continue to do the important work that they do to advance health for the communities we serve.”