Yoshie Louise Ohara
September 12, 1925 – September 18, 2008
Honored Alumnus, California State University, Los Angeles Nursing Class of 1965
Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Yoshie Ohara survived the atomic bombing in 1945—a defining moment that ignited her lifelong commitment to healing and public service. She later immigrated to the United States, determined to make a difference through nursing.
In 1965, Yoshie earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Cal State LA, where she was named to the Dean’s List and honored at the University’s 4th annual Honors Convocation. She advanced her training at UC San Francisco in 1973, becoming one of the earliest Family Planning Nurse Practitioners authorized to prescribe medications—a pioneering achievement in the field.
Yoshie began her career in rehabilitation and orthopedics at Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center and Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital, where she co-led the Spinal Bifida Clinic with leading specialists. After relocating to Santa Barbara in 1968, she served as a Public Health Nurse, providing essential care across school health, family planning, immunization, and genetic counseling programs.
In 1982, she became Coordinator of the Rehabilitation Institute at Memorial Hospital of Santa Barbara, where her leadership revitalized outreach and care delivery. Her work earned her national recognition as “Continuing Care Coordinator of the Year” in 1985.
Throughout her career, Yoshie was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Tau Delta, and Deltra Tau Upsilon, and held credentials as a Registered Nurse, Public Health Nurse, School Nurse, and Family Planning Nurse Practitioner.
Her husband, Yoshiharu “Yosh” Ohara (1923–2019), a Nisei and World War II U.S. Army veteran, reunited with Yoshie in Dayton, Ohio, after the war, where both pursued education and service.
The Ohara legacy of resilience, compassion, and innovation lives on through the Yoshie and Yoshiharu Ohara Virtual and Augmented Reality Immersive Learning Center at Cal State LA—training the next generation of nurses using the very technologies Yoshie championed.