Governor offers new nominee for LBJ Hospital board of directors
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Gov. Lemanu P. S. Mauga has nominated Dr. Patrick P. Pedro to the LBJ Medical Center board of directors, replacing board member, Malouamaua Dr. P. Tuiolosega, whose term expired March 2, 2023, according to the governor’s Mar. 28 nomination letter to Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean.
The governor’s nomination of Pedro is expected to be introduced in the Senate in the coming days. Additionally, the nomination is effective “immediately” and his term expires Mar. 02, 2027.
In his nomination letter, the governor explained that Dr. Pedro graduated from the American Samoa Community College in 1988, and that he completed his first three years of primary medical training through the Pacific Basin Medical Officer Training Program before attending Fiji School of Medicine where he graduated with honors.
Dr. Pedro went on to complete a University of Hawaii Surgical Residency Program in Hawaii in 2008. Dr.Pedro served as a Junior General Surgeon for LBJ Tropical Medical Center early in his career. Since 2011 he has worked in Acute Care Surgery at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu.
“His extensive medical training and expertise will make him an outstanding member of this Board,” the governor wrote to Tuaolo and urged the Senate for confirmation of Dr. Pedro to the board.
As previously reported by Samoa News, the governor had initially nominated Dr. Victor Terenuku Tofaeono to replace Dr. Tuiolosega — the current LBJ board chairman — but Lemanu later rescinded the nomination. To date, there’s been no official explanation from the Governor’s Office as to the decision to rescind Dr. Tofaeono’s nomination.