Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Gary “Kiki” Takashiro Blum graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1993. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan with highest distinction in 1996, and subsequently returned home to the University of Hawai’i for both Medical School and Orthopedic Surgery Residency. He completed a one-year research fellowship during the course of residency, and has presented his research at numerous local and national orthopedic meetings.

Following residency, he traveled to San Antonio, Texas, where he completed a one-year fellowship in Hand, Upper Extremity, and Reconstructive Microsurgery. He was blessed to have worked with Dr. David Green and Dr. William C. Pederson, both giants in their respective fields. Dr. Blum then chose to supplement his training with an additional fellowship in Congenital Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, where he worked with two more spectacular teachers, Dr. Marybeth Ezaki and another local boy, Dr. Scott Oishi.