The Department of Public Health and Social Services has announced the addition of Dr. Joel J. Paulino, M.D., to the Guam Community Health Center (CHC) team as a full-time internal medicine physician. Dr. Paulino will support both the Northern and Southern Region CHCs, with his primary assignment at the Southern site.
A CHamoru physician returning home, Dr. Paulino brings more than 20 years of internal medicine experience. He previously owned a private practice in Arizona and worked with national health organizations, focusing on underserved populations. He also volunteered as a physician in New York during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Paulino is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served as an internal medicine consultant with the 18th Medical Group at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, holding the rank of major. He completed his residency at Keesler Medical Center in Mississippi and earned his medical degree from the University of Hawai‘i’s John A. Burns School of Medicine. He is also a University of Guam alumnus.
“Coming home to care for our people is deeply meaningful to me,” Dr. Paulino said. “My focus will always be on providing high-quality, compassionate care that makes a difference in the lives of our patients.” His appointment supports DPHSS’s mission to expand access to comprehensive, community-based primary care for Guam residents.