Ayasanonda named chief of staff for Maui Memorial medical staff

The Maui News

Emergency medicine physician Dr. Vijak Ayasanonda has been appointed as Maui Memorial Medical Center medical staff's new chief of staff, Maui Health announced Monday.

His new role, which took effect Jan. 1, puts him in charge of providing leadership and guidance to the hospital's medical staff and promoting effective communication between the medical staff and Maui Health administration.

"Over the years, I have seen the evolution of our hospital into a center of health care and resources for our community," Ayasanonda said in a news release. "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."

Ayasanonda earned his medical degree from Wayne State University of Medicine in Detroit and completed his residency in emergency medicine at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, according to the news release. He has more than 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 Queen's Medical Center on Oahu to care for patients at Maui Memorial's Emergency Department. He has been an active member of the hospital's medical staff, previously serving as the emergency medicine chairperson.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ayasanonda also has been actively involved in Maui Health's Emergency Operations Center and has helped create and implement surge plans to ensure that the emergency departments at the three Maui Health-run hospitals -- Maui Memorial, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital -- can quickly expand bed capacity and resources to care for a surge in patients due to COVID-19.

"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."