2009 Model Father of the Year

Bernard Wah Duong Fong, MD

Dr. Fong was born in Honolulu on May 18, 1926, the son of Leonard Y.K. and Frances Chang Fong. He graduated from St. Louis High School and attended the University of Hawaii briefly before entering wartime military service in the U.S. Navy as a medical corpsman.

Following discharge, he matriculated at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, graduating with a BS degree in 1948. He subsequently attended Jefferson Medical College, graduating with an MD degree with honors in 1952.

He subsequently served as Chief Medical Resident at Germantown Hospital in Philadelphia, following which he was appointed as a Teaching Fellow in Cardiology at Jefferson University Hospital, completing all of his post graduate specialty training at that institution.

He and Roberta W.H. Wat were married in 1950 in Philadelphia. Over the following six years, their two older children, Phyllis and Jeffrey were born. Upon completion of specialty training, the family returned to Honolulu in the summer of 1956 with the goal of establishing a home and to begin the difficult task of building a successful private practice specializing in Internal Medicine and Cardiology.

Since returning home, in addition to practicing his specialty, Dr. Fong has been actively involved in community and professional activities on both a local and national level.

On the national level he has served as both President of the Hawaii Heart Association as well as a National Director of the American Heart Association. He has been a Governor of the American College of Physicians representing Hawaii’s Internal Medicine Specialist and has served as Governor from Hawaii of the American College of Cardiology, serving subsequently as that Body’s Chairperson, which office was followed by his election as a Regent of the College.

Nationally he was appointed to the Advisory Council of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institute of Health by President Ford. He ws selected to represented that body on the NHLBI sub-committee on Minority Health, an office he held for 13 years, serving as that group’s Chairperson on Cholesterol Recommendations. While on the NHLBI Advisory Council he chaired the Second National Minority Health Forum on Cardiovascular Diseases cosponsored by the NHLBI and the National Institute of Health. Through these venues he has been able to serve our minority populations by the furthering of their knowledge of heart, lung and blood diseases and by promoting research aimed directly at addressing cardiovascular health issues unique to minorities.

Dr. Fong has also been active in our local community. He has served as President of the United Chinese Society, the Chung Shan Association, and was for many years Vice-president of Ocean View Cemetery and Vice-president of the Wong Leong Doo Society. Medically, he has served as a volunteer attending physician at the Kuakini Men’s Home and at Palolo Chinese Home where he currently serves as a Director.

He and Mrs. Fong have four children: Phyllis K Fong, an attorney currently the Inspector General at the Dept of Agriculture who is married to Paul Tellier; Jeffrey S. Fong, MD, who is a Rheumatologist and who is married to Linda Au Fong; Camille K. Fong, an attorney who is married to Harold S. Beals; and Allison K. Fong. an attorney at the Dept. of State.

The family has two granddaughters, Elana and Cara Tellier.

Bernard’s father, Leonard was named Model Father in 1965.