News

Wailuku, Maui, HI (January 24, 2022) – Maui Health is pleased to announce that Vijak Ayasanonda, MD, has been appointed as the Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC) Medical Staff’s new Chief of Staff, effective January 1, 2022. Dr. Ayasanonda is responsible for providing leadership and guidance to the MMMC medical staff and promoting effective communication between the medical staff and Maui Health administration.

Dr. Ayasanonda has over 20 years of experience as a physician and has spent the last 16 years as an emergency medicine physician in Hawaii, as part of Emergent Medical Associations physician group. In 2008, he relocated to Maui from Queens Medical Center on Oahu, to care for Maui residents and visitors in MMMC’s Emergency Department (ED) and has been an active member of MMMC’s Medical Staff, previously serving as the Emergency Medicine Chair.

“Over the years, I have seen the evolution of our hospital into a center of health care and resources for our community,” says Ayasanonda. “The pandemic, as challenging as it has been, has brought our community and hospitals closer than ever before with more cooperation and communication both within and outside our hospital walls. I intend to continue this momentum and build on the incredible work and accomplishments of Past Chief of Staff Dr. Constantin Novoselsky, who I am grateful for, and to the great medical staff leaders before him.”

Dr. Ayasanonda is well-known for his collaborative and team-centered approach to planning and implementing new processes, protocols and services. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he has been actively involved in Maui Health’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and has helped create and implement surge plans to ensure our emergency departments at MMMC, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital can quickly expand bed capacity and resources to care for a surge in patients due to COVID-19. He is also an advocate for continued communication with providers and community members and frequently volunteers for outreach and education opportunities in the community.

“We are excited for Vijak’s leadership and commitment to engaging the entire medical staff on the many important initiatives planned for the next two years,” said Maui Health CEO Mike Rembis. “Our physicians, leadership teams, and employees continue to step up to provide quality, compassionate care for all our patients during an incredibly challenging time. With Vijak leading the medical staff in partnership with all of our community providers, I know we will get to the other side of this pandemic stronger and even more resilient than before.”

Dr. Ayasanonda earned his Doctor of Medicine from Wayne State University of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, and completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. His professional memberships include American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Medical Association, where he is active in both the national and local (Hawaii) branches.

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About Maui Health

Maui Health, aka Maui Health System, community hospitals and associated clinics affiliated with Kaiser Permanente, includes Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital, Lanai Community Hospital and associated clinics, and serves the people of Maui and Lanai. The facilities under Maui Health employ over 1600 Maui County residents, partner with over 460 hospital-based physicians, clinicians, and community-based primary and specialty physicians, and are open to all patients regardless of health insurance coverage. Maui Health is committed to delivering high quality, affordable, patient-centered health care and improving the health of the community. Maui Health is supported by Kaiser Permanente’s industry-leading technology systems, evidence-based medicine and nationally recognized care quality. For more information, visit mauihealth.org.