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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
October 24,  2013
Announcements 
Interested in a health care career? Don't miss the Health Care Professions Fair

Wednesday, October 23rd
10:00 - 2:00 pm
Student Union Upper Hallway

Information Session
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Lyla Richards Conference Room (SU 103)

Presentation by: Dr. Jane Shelby
Director of WWAMI School of Medical Education

Refreshments provided.
Curriculum Committee

The College Curriculum Committee will meet Wednesdays, 12:00-2:00 PM in PSB 213. Submission deadlines for committee review are 9:00 AM Mondays, the week prior to
the committee's review.

Reviews of curricular documents follow guidelines in the UAA Curriclum Handbook (the latest revision is June 2013). The committee identified the issue of duplication of courses across academic units. The Interprofessional Education Committee has a preliminary listing of courses which may be duplicated across academic units. This listing is not complete but is an initial attempt to identify courses where the opportunity for interprofessional education exists. Identifying existing and new courses for interprofessional education will continue during this academic year.

Unit Updates
Center for Human Development (CHD)  
 

CHD hosted the 2013 Full Lives in Rural Alaska Conference "Building an Empowered Workforce for Healthy Rural Communities"

 

This conference for Direct Service Professionals* just completed its third year in Bethel on September 24-25, 2013. In 2011, the Trust Training Cooperative (TTC - a program within the Center for Human Development) was asked to collaborate with Bethel providers and bring a smaller version of the "Full Lives Conference" that is offered in Anchorage every April. The TTC coordinated this effort through a planning committee and local/state sponsorship. These partners and sponsors included: Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, Association of Village Council Presidents, Donlin Gold, GCI, and Coastal Villages Region Fund. 

 

A total of 75 participants attended the conference. Keynote Speaker Dr. Mary Bartlett from Faulkner University in Alabama gave a national perspective in her presentation, "Understanding Suicide Prevention and Growth Through Preparedness".

 

To learn more about this conference, visit:  www.fulllivesconference.org

 

*Direct Service Worker is a position that requires a bachelor's degree or less and works at least 75% directly with consumers.

 

Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities

 

Rain Van Den Berg, Training Coordinator for LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities), and Laura Andersen, Alaska Health and Disability Program (AHDP), presented a session on Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities at the NASW conference in Anchorage on October 12, 2013. The training previewed the soon to be released Get Ready! Toolkit, a preparedness toolkit for people with disabilities and their families. The new toolkit was developed in collaboration between LEND and the AHDP.

Interprofessional Simulation Committee 
 
ISC has a new name! 

 

Formally, the committee with too many initials (ICSFSC), we have voted and our new name--the Interprofessional Simulation Committee (ISC).   

 

ISC awarded grant on substance use screening 

 

The ISC Committee applied for and was awarded a College of Health Interdisciplinary Research Grant and will be completing research this fall. The purpose of this study is to assess whether interdisciplinary education, training, and simulation improve student knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to performing screening and brief interventions.


The Interdisciplinary Research Study on Substance Use/Abuse and Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Implementation in Alaska project will provide an interdisciplinary learning opportunity about evidence based substance use screening in adults for students from MEDEX, FNP, RN, Social Work, OT, Dietary and Ethics programs. Interdisciplinary College of Health faculty will deliver education on the current state of Alaska with regards to substance use and misuse. Faculty will introduce the SBIRT knowledge, training, and performance feedback to interdisciplinary students. This study will include education and simulation training to elevate awareness regarding prevalence of substance use/misuse in rural and urban Alaska, as well as current treatment standards and practice-based interventions that can be provided where treatment resources are limited.

There are four educational interventions that will be presented through this research study:
  1. November 1-30:  Online education for students on the use/ misuse of alcohol and drugs in Alaska and current treatment standards.
  2. November 8- 14:  2-hour interdisciplinary student classroom interactive discussions on SBIRT and screening tools such as AUDIT- AUDITC and DAST 10 provided by College of Health faculty.
  3. November 11-27:  Opportunity for students to practice their new skills. Standardized Patients will be available for practice to facilitate application of screening tools in simulated setting.
  4. December 5th:  530pm to 8pm - Finally a large Interdisciplinary group activity will be facilitated. Small, focused inter-professional student care teams will be created and presented a case scenario. Discussions of students will focus on health risks health promotions and ethical considerations. Patient discussion will focus on the prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in Alaska and the effects that FASD has on the healthcare team in coordinating care, including ethical considerations. SBIRT use will be discussed as a possible tool for health care professionals to use for effective screening and brief intervention.  

Dinner will be served at this event. Students and faculty interested in participating should contact one of the following:   

 

Marianne Murray MSN, RN

Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing 

University of Alaska Anchorage

(907) 786-4541

mmurray13@uaa.alaska.edu 

        

Denise Kolojejchick- Coslett MPAS, PA-C

University of Alaska Anchorage Affiliate Faculty

University of Washington Part time Faculty

MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant Training Program

(570) 479-3068

dscoslett@SouthcentralFoundation.com  

Justice Center 

Prof. Brandeis discusses constitutional issues at Alaska Bar Association continuing legal education program 

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Justice faculty, was a panelist at the October 1 Alaska Bar Association continuing legal education (CLE) program, "Out of the Closet and Into Your Office."He addressed constitutional issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clients in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in U.S. v. Windsor. The program covered serving LGBT clients and their specific needs and concerns related to finance, family law, immigration, and other topics.

 

UAA welcomes Color of Justice - Alaska 2013 College and Career Program  

 Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Justice Center faculty, was one of a group of volunteer Alaska lawyers and judges who met with college students during the "Color of Justice - Alaska 2013 College and Career Program" at UAA on September 19. The event provided students the opportunity to talk with diverse Alaska lawyers and judges and learn about the steps to a successful and rewarding career in law.

Dr. Sharon Chamard, Justice faculty, recently published three articles in the Encyclopedia of Community Policing and Problem Solving published by Sage Reference. The articles are "Community Cohesion and Empowerment," "Involving Local Businesses," and "Neighborhood Associations." This encyclopedia looks at community policing as a philosophy which supports the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues. The work is a collection of over 100 entries by significant figures in the research field. 

 

The results of the 2013 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough were released on October 8. The troubling numbers show that:   
  • 53% of adult women in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in their lifetime;
  • 9% have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in the past year;
  • More than 3 out of every 10 adult women in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; and 
  • More than 4 out of every 10 have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

The results of the 2013 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Kenai Peninsula Borough were released on October 10. The troubling numbers show that:

  • 52% of adult women in the Kenai Peninsula Borough have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in their lifetime;
  • 6% have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in the past year;
  • More than 3 out of every 10 adult women in the Kenai Peninsula Borough have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; and 
  • More than 4 out of every 10 have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

Alaska Victimization Survey results show that half of adult women in Ketchikan Gateway Borough have experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence or both 

The results of the 2013 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough were released on October 15. The troubling numbers show that:   

  • 50% of adult women in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in their lifetime;
  • 9% have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in the past year;
  • More than 3 out of every 10 adult women in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; and 
  • More than 4 out of every 10 have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

Justice faculty present at statewide retreat for Alaska Department of Law personnel 

Professors Deb Periman, J.D., Kristin Knudsen, J.D., and Ryan Fortson, J.D., Justice faculty, provided continuing education presentations at the recent Alaska Department of Law Statewide Retreat in Anchorage. The two-day program included training for attorneys, paralegals, and other professional staff. Prof. Fortson spoke about  issues involving "Evidence and Trial Process;" Prof. Knudsen discussed techniques for  "Advanced Legal Research;" and Prof. Periman outlined standards and strategies for effective "Legal Writing."

 

The 5th annual Women in Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair sponsored by the Women Police of Alaska (WPA) was held on October 2, 2013 at the UAA Student Union and attracted numerous UAA students interested in law enforcement career opportunities. Women, and also a number of men, attended the fair to talk to representatives from a dozen federal, state, and local law enforcement agency. Explosives Detection K-9 "Elvis" from the Anchorage Airport Police & Fire Department attended the event. The event was presented with the support of the Alaska State Troopers, the Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police, and the UAA Justice Center. Dr. Brad Myrstol was the faculty liaison for this program.

 

Dr. Chamard makes presentation on relationship between education and crime to Partnership for Public Education
Dr. Sharon Chamard
, Justice Center faculty, and Anchorage Police Department Sgt. Derek Hsieh, president of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association, made a presentation on October 16 to the Partnership for Public Education on the relationship between education and crime. Dr. Chamard and Sgt. Hsieh presented data on the effects of increasing average educational attainment and high school graduation rates on arrests, and the savings to Alaska if the high school graduation rate for males were increased by a small percentage.  The Partnership for Public Education is a coalition of dozens of Alaska business, community, and education organizations.
The Summer 2013 issue of the Alaska Justice Forum includes articles on reducing sales of alcohol to underage persons, leading causes of death including homicide and suicide, experience of racism in Anchorage, selection and evaluation of Alaska judges since 1984, and an update from the Criminal Justice Working Group.
Calendar

 

Upcoming Events/Deadlines

  • October 25 - Curriculum training workshop, 10-12, PSB 216 
  • October 28 - Sabbatical requests due to OAA  
  • November 4 - UAA Alumni Association Board Meeting, 6-8 pm, HSB
  • November 14 - Leadership Team at DPL 402 
  • November 15 - UNAC non-retention notices to 2nd year tenure-track faculty
  • November 28-29 -- Thanksgiving holiday
  • December 5 - UAFT P & T files due to Dean's office
  • December 25-January 3 - Christmas & New Year's holiday
  • January 6 - UNAC P & T files due to Provost
  • January 13 - Spring semester begins


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