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This Leadership Team Newsletter is published every two weeks by the Dean's Office in the College of Health at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

To submit content, email: slsmith@uaa.alaska.edu
The UAA College of Health advances the health and well being of people and communities
July 23, 2015
Announcements
Dr. Chris Kavelin Speaks on Indigenous Knowledge of Medicine and Health, Available on YouTube

With support from the College of Health and the Department of Health Sciences, Dr. Chris Kavelin spoke on "A Debt of Gratitude: Honoring the Origins of Medicine from Indigenous Communities" at the UAA Campus Bookstore on June 18, 2015. Dr. Kavelin was also a plenary speaker at the ANTHC's 2015 Alaska Plants As Food and Medicine Symposium. From Australia, Dr. Kavelin has a wide-ranging expertise in intellectual property law, protection of Indigenous knowledge on medicine and health, and the ethical basis on which these are currently functioning internationally, regionally, nationally, and more crucially at the local levels. This event is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/t7xt3yZ-ndI. For audio only, visit: https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/guest-speakers-expanding-minds/id752107884?mt=10

 
Unit Updates
Alaska Center for Rural Health - Alaska's AHEC - -
   

Alaska AHEC Pilots Behavioral Health Camp in Barrow

 

The Alaska AHEC Program Office and NW AHEC hosted by Ilisagvik College partnered to pilot a behavioral health camp in early July. The camp, which focused on engaging students into career path in the field of behavioral health and human services, welcomed 19 students from across the state of Alaska. The program took place in Barrow where all 19 students earned Mental Health First Aid certification, and 18 students earned college credit. The Center for Human Development Trust Training Cooperative and Mental Health Trust Authority contributed training and funding towards the program. The Alaska AHEC Program would love to expand this camp to other regions in the future. Krystal Madros (age 17) of Anaktuvuk Pass shared her experience: "Overall, I feel as if I learned a lot! And I feel as if the topics that are hardly spoken about were discussed and informed us about different problems others face." If interest in this camp curriculum or other partnership possibilities, please contact Gloria Burnett, 907-786-6705 or gburnett3@uaa.alaska.edu.

 

Department of Health Sciences - - - - - - - - - - - - -
   

The Department Welcomes New BSHS Coordinator  

 

Please join the Department of Health Sciences in welcoming our new Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) faculty and BSHS Program Coordinator Dr. Corrie Whitmore. On August 10th, Dr. Whitmore will be joining the department from Southcentral Foundation where she was a Program Evaluator. Please feel free to stop by and say hello to the department's newest team member!

 

Dr. Nix Promoted in Health Sciences

 

Effective July 1, 2015, Dr. Nancy Nix was promoted to Associate Professor of Public Health with tenure. Her areas of interest are community health, emergencies and disasters, and global and cross-cultural health.

 

Dr. Liz Snyder and Research Team Present to Steering Committee

 

On July 16, a multidisciplinary team lead by Dr. Aaron Dotson (UAA ENG) presented to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's Alaska Water and Sewer Challenge Steering Committee. As one of six teams selected to move on to Phase 2 of a five phase process, the UAA-based team detailed their plan for improving access to water in rural Alaska communities without piped water. As required by the state, the plan must be driven by "design thinking" and address engineering aspects, as well as sustainability, use, acceptance, and health impacts. Department of Health Sciences faculty member Dr. Liz Snyder was one of the team presenters, along with Dr. Dotson, Dr. Kurt Vause (Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility), and Dr. Greg Jones (GVJones & Associates). If selected to move to Phase 3, the team will begin prototype development and pilot testing in the coming year.

 

Justice Center  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
Prof. Knudsen Talks to Students about Impact of the Law on Health Care

Prof. Kristin Knudsen, JD, Legal Studies faculty, spoke to high school students in the Della Keats Health Sciences Summer Program at UAA on July 14. She discussed "Law Is Not Just For Lawyers," which focused on the historical impact of US legislation on the establishment, development, and regulation of hospitals and the practice of medicine in Alaska. This UAA campus residential summer program is named after Della Keats, an Inupiaq traditional healer, and seeks to foster, affirm, and encourage the interest of talented high school and pre-college students from under-represented backgrounds in the medical, nursing, and allied health professions. The program is run by the Alaska WWAMI School of Medical Education in collaboration with the UAA School of Nursing and the Department of Health Sciences. For more information, visit: http://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2015/07/prof-knudsen-talks-to-students-in-della.html.

 

A Look Back at the 7th Annual Women in Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair

 

The 7th Annual Women in Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair was held in April 2015 at the UAA Student Union. Federal, state, and local law enforcement representatives talked to students and the public about careers in law enforcement. Participating agencies included the Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Police Department, Palmer Police Department, FBI, U.S. Air Force Reserve, U.S. Dept. of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration. The event was sponsored by Women Police of Alaska, with the support of the Alaska State Troopers, the UAA Career Services Center, the Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police, and the UAA Justice Center. For more information, visit: http://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2015/07/a-look-back-at-7th-annual-women-in-law.html.

 

Dr. Rivera and Prof. Periman Meet with DEA about Federal Career Opportunities for Students

(l to r) Dr. Rivera, Prof. Periman, Angela Coleman
Dr. Marny Rivera
, Justice Undergraduate Program Coordinator, and Prof. Deb Periman , Legal Studies Program Coordinator, met in April with Angela Coleman, Program Manager, Equal Employment Opportunity Staff for the US Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). They discussed opportunities for federal employment for Justice and Legal Studies students and ways to increase minority participation in federal career paths. For more information, visit: http://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2015/06/dr-rivera-and-prof-periman-meet-with.html.

 

Justice Fact Sheets Noted in National SAC Publication Digest

 

Three Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) Fact Sheet articles by Khristy Parker, AJSAC Research Professional, have been included in the recent online SAC Publication Digest covering July - December 2014. The SAC Publication Digest contains abstracts of reports produced by state Statistical Analysis Centers (SACs), with links to the full reports. These reports cover a wide array of topics and analysis approaches for criminal justice data at the state level. The Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) is the online publisher. For more information, visit: http://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2015/05/alaska-statistical-analysis-center-fact.html.


School of Nursing - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
   

Dr. Trujillo Receives Education Article of the Year Award

 

Dr. Angelia Trujillo is the recipient of the 2014 Journal of Forensic Nursing Education Article of the Year Award for her article "A Practical Guide to Prevention for Forensic Nursing." According to the acceptance letter, "[Dr. Trujillo's] article was selected by the Editorial Board based upon the following criteria: innovation, significance, approach, potential impact, and overall writing."

 

Calendar

Upcoming Events/Deadlines

  • August 10-11 - New faculty orientation
  • August 24 - First day of classes, Fall Semester
  • September 7 - Labor Day holiday
  • October 23 - Faculty development day
  • November 26-27 - Thanksgiving Holiday