Holly Olson

Holly Olson serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health at the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine, where she also holds the critical administrative position of Deputy Designated Institutional Official (DIO) overseeing graduate medical education.

Her educational journey includes undergraduate training at the United States Military Academy (West Point), medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and OB/GYN residency at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. Dr. Olson maintains board certification in Obstetrics and Gynecology through the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Research activities focus on medical education innovation, particularly developing optimal learning environments through inter-professional teamwork. Her specific interests span family planning, social determinants of health, and quality improvement methodologies. This work employs retrospective chart review and PDSA cycles to address challenges in obstetrics education and clinical practice.

Recent publication trends (2014-2022) show consistent contributions to medical education literature with increasing emphasis on pandemic adaptation strategies. Her work bridges military medicine perspectives with civilian academic practice, particularly in professionalism training and simulation-based obstetrics education.

As Deputy DIO, Dr. Olson oversees institutional compliance for all residency programs while maintaining active research supervision. She directs opportunities for student involvement in patient recruitment, data analysis, and publication development through the department's research coordinator.

The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health provides research infrastructure through affiliated centers including the Family Planning Research Center of Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific Health Research Institute, where Dr. Olson's medical education initiatives are implemented across clinical training sites.