HOMER MASAMITSU IZUMI

Homer Masamitsu Izumi was born on February 11, 1909 in San Francisco, California to Chomatsu and Chiyo Tanaka Izumi. His maternal grandfather was one of the earliest Japanese to be a naturalized citizen of the United States in l899. He married May Imamura of Berkeley, California on November 26, 1936.

Dr. Izumi received his early education in Berkeley, California. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1931 with an A.B. degree and received his medical degree in 1935 from University of California Medical School. He served on the resident service staff of the San Francisco City and County Hospital for three years, one year as an intern and two years as resident. He came to Hawaii in 1935 and was a resident at Queen's Hospital for 18 months. He then became staff physician at Kula Sanitarium on Maui from November 1938. Dr. Izumi was one of the first American of Japanese ancestry to volunteer for the Army in the Paia District. He served on the Advisory Committee to the Intelligence Service-Hawaii from December 1940-March 1945. In September 1945 he opened his office at 269 Vineyard Street in Honolulu for the general practice of medicine and surgery. In July 1947 he moved his office to the Victoria Medical Building at Victoria and Kinau Streets. The following year he did six months post-graduate work at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. In 1949 he did a four months post-graduate course in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital. In 1956 Dr. Izumi was located at 1924 Piikoi Street in Honolulu and was recipient of a research grant from The Oahu Tuberculosis and Health Association to do a pilot study to prevent student nurses and other hospital workers from developing active tuberculosis.

In 1958 he became one of the five founders of Kaiser Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. Dr. Izumi delivered the first baby born at Kaiser Hospital on Ala Moana Blvd. on November 26, 1958. In 1961 Dr. Izumi left his association with Kaiser Hospital in a headline controversy between the doctors, Pacific Medical Associates, and Kaiser Hospital.

He opened his solo practice at the King Center Building Suite 208 at 1451 S.King Street Honolulu. He retired from active practice on July 15, 1978. He was licensed to practice medicine in California in 1935 and in 1938 in Hawaii.

Dr. Izumi was a member of the Maui County Medical Society, Honolulu County Medical Society, Hawaii Territorial Medical Association and was a delegate to The American Medical Association and served as Chairman of the Reference Committee on Reports of Officers. This was the first time a Hawaii delegate had been named Chair of an AMA Committee. He was also a member of the American Trudeau Society, Fellow of the American College of Chest Physician, American Academy of Family Physicians and elected to Life membership in the organization and a member of American Academy of General Practice.

He was a member of the Japanese Civic Association of Maui and Maui Chamber of Commerce. He enjoyed playing golf and won several tournaments while playing at Waialae Country Club competitions.

Dr. Homer Izumi died at Straub Hospital in Honolulu October 1988 at age 79. He was survived by his wife May, a son, Dr. Allan Izumi, and three grand-children.

Medicine in Hawaii: Oral History Series

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