Dr. Patrick Pedro has been confirmed to serve on the Board of Directors of the LBJ Tropical Medical Center.
The Senate voted to confirm Dr. Pedro by unanimous vote on Friday, July 12, before the Fono recessed for four weeks.
Senator Magalei Logovii said he moved for the Senate to take a vote on Dr. Pedro’s nomination without another confirmation hearing, pointing out that the Senate had questioned the nominee last year, and all senators were well aware of his credentials and experience.
The confirmation vote was 15-0.
Dr. Pedro replaces Dr. Malouamaua Tuiolosega, who resigned in June.
After Dr. Tuiolosega resigned, the LBJ Board Chairman Dr. John Tufa wrote to Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga informing him that the board endorsed Dr. Pedro to replace him.
He said, “We believe he would be a valuable addition to the American Samoa Medical Center Board of Directors and is well qualified to fulfill that role based on his personal knowledge of the Hospital and extensive experience as a surgeon of Queens Medical Center in Hawaii.”
Dr. Pedro graduated from the American Samoa Community College in 1988, then completed three years of primary medical training—through the Pacific Basin Medical Officer Training Program—before attending the Fiji School of Medicine, where he graduated with honors.
He went on to complete a surgical residency program at the University of Hawaii. Dr. Pedro did a brief stint at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center serving as a Junior General Surgeon. Since 2011, he has been a general surgeon at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu.
The Senate did not approve Dr. Pedro when he was first nominated to the Board last year.
