Medical gala to welcome
U.S. secretary of health

Tommy Thompson will be
the guest of honor at the event

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Star-Bulletin staff

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson will be guest of honor at the Hawaii Medical Association's first annual forum and gala dinner dance April 26 at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel.

The event, "Ola Pono Ike (Health is Knowledge)," will begin with the forum in the Hawaii Ballroom.

No-host cocktails will be available at 6 p.m., with dinner and dancing beginning at 6:30 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and Dr. Edwin Cadman, dean of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns Medical School, are honorary co-chairmen.

Bruce Anderson, state health director, will moderate a panel discussion during the forum on bio-terrorism: "How Prepared is Hawaii?" Panelists will include specialists from the U.S. military, corporate communications industry, state and federal agencies, and medical profession.

The Hawaii Medical Association is initiating the forum and dinner dance to promote health education for medical professionals and the public. Its goal also is to provide scholarships to disadvantaged students interested in a health or medical degree.

Sponsorships and individual tickets, costing $150, are available at the association.

Participants may pre-register for the forum for $20 or pay $30 at the door. The cost for students and seniors 65 and over is $5.

For more information, call Paula Arcena at HMA: 536-7702, extension 100.