In an effort to regain its financial health, the University of Hawaii athletic program is looking to … its medical school?

As part of its restructuring of fundraising, athletics has called on Jerris Hedges, dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, for a consultation.

“Dr. Hedges and his people” were singled out by UH athletic director David Matlin at Friday’s Board of Regents Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics meeting as among the people athletics is hoping “to learn from” in its promised recasting of ‘Ahahui Koa Anuenue, its fundraising arm.

At this point — finishing a seventh consecutive deficit year pegged at $2.3 million to $2.6 million (and more than $11.4 million in accumulated net deficits since 2014) while being held to a pledge to balance its books in 2020 by UH President David Lassner — athletics is willing to look far and wide for answers to its financial struggles.

And, the drive to Kakaako is a trip it can afford.

JABSOM, according to a report in March’s Hawaii Journal of Medicine &Public Health, derives just 17 percent of its revenue from the Legislature and university, a figure less than that of athletics.

Hedges, a tireless financial drum beater, and JABSOM rely heavily on fundraising and, in partnership with the UH Foundation, have raised more than $36 million over the past 15 years to bolster operations and support students, according to the report.

In addition to hitting up the community and alumni with success, the JABSOM effort also solicits faculty and staff to donate as part of its “Starting from the Inside Out” campaign that Hedges initiated.

“There is a difference between being paid for the work you do — your job — and your personal commitment,” Hedges is quoted as saying. “We believe in this school enough to actually invest in it, to give of our personal resources.”

While most of the schools it competes against in the Football Bowl Subdivision also do not balance their books, UH athletic department fundraising has been cited in critical audits as an underperformer compared to its peers in recent years.

That and being at or near the bottom of the Mountain West and Big West conferences in other key financial components — including student and school subsidies — while attendance dips are contributing reasons the deficit gap remains. Ticket sales and media deals going only so far when the needs — including cost of attendance and year-around training tables — surpass the resources.

Despite high initial hopes for an entrepreneurial start, fundraising has lagged below projections. Since its last director left 16 months ago, athletics has been casting about for a new game plan and a new captain.

At Friday’s meeting, regents pointedly queried Matlin about when the plan was coming. “We do have a plan,” Matlin assured regents. “A lot of it comes down to the devil in the details. We’ll move forward very shortly.”

Regent Stanford Yuen urged athletics “to be creative … to get more.”

Apparently the trip to the doctor’s office is part of doing just that.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.