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The College of Health Newsletter is published every two weeks by the UAA COH Dean's Office.

To submit content, email: slsmith@alaska.edu
Mission Statement ~ ~ ~
Advancing the health and well-being of people and communities
March 22, 2018
Announcements
Academic Insight Day, March 30
 
Please help spread the word about the College of Health Academic Insight Day, an exciting event for prospective students. The number of attendees who have RSVPed is still very low so we need your help! The Academic Insight Day will be held Friday, March 30 from 5:30-8:30 pm in Rasmuson Hall, Room 101. Prospective students will have an opportunity to take part in an "Amazing Race" exploring the wide array of health programs--from Allied Health and Nursing to Social Work and Justice. Students can earn prizes and meet faculty and students while exploring all the College of Health has to offer. Download the Academic Insight Day flyer (pdf). Students can RSVP at: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/admissions/academic-insights.cshtml .
 
Free Workshop on Fulbright Opportunities, April 19

Discover how you can make an impact abroad! Athena Fulay, Outreach and Recruitment Specialist at the Institute of International Education, will offer a workshop on Fulbright opportunities for administrators, faculty members, and professionals. The workshop will take place Thursday, April 19, 11:30 am - 1 pm in the ICHS Conference Room, 2nd Floor of the Bragaw Office Building. For more information, download the Fulbright Workshop flyer (pdf). Space is limited! Please RSVP by Friday April 13 to Dr. Rhonda Johnson, rmjohnson2@alaska.edu.
 
Don't Miss the Faculty File Preparation Session, April 6

A file preparation session will be offered by the College of Health Peer Review Committee for submitting files for promotion and tenure. Join us Friday, April 6 from 8:30-10 am in AHS 147. This session is not intended to replace the trainings OAA regularly offers, but will instead draw on several years of experience reviewing files to offer insights and tips about how to tell a compelling story of professional accomplishment.

Unit Updates
Alaska Center For Rural Health and
Health Workforce - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2018 Spring Geriatric Healthcare Series - Dementia Care and Alzheimer's
 
The Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce and the Center for Human Development are coordinating the 2018 Spring Geriatric Healthcare Series - Dementia Care and Alzheimer's. This series will run Tuesdays, March 27 - May 29 from 3:00-4:30 pm Alaska time via University of Washington Interactive Virtual Classroom through host sites across Alaska. Registration is $10 per session or $60 for the entire series (students who don't need credits or certificates can attend free!). Optional CEUs are available for an additional $45. Register online at the Alaska CACHE (Clearinghouse for Alaska's Continuing Health Education) at: https://www.akcache.org/. Download the Geriatric Healthcare Series flyer (pdf). For information about participating, contact: Pat Sammartino, plsammartino@alaska.edu / 907-786-6589. For information about becoming a host site, contact Betsy Chivers, betsy@alaskachd.org / 907-264-6233.

Department of Health Sciences - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
Open House for National Public Health Week to Take Place April 2
 
The Department of Health Sciences Programs (BSHS, MPH, and MEDEX) will be kicking off National Public Health Week with an Open House . Please join us on Monday, April 2 from 3-5 pm at the Bragaw Office Building (1901 Bragaw Street), Room 290. The new Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society awardees will be announced at 4 pm. Light refreshments will be served. 
 
NPHW Free Movie Event Features Four Teens with FASD, April 5
 
A free movie will be offered as part of National Public Health Week (NPHW) on Thursday, April 5 from 6-8 pm in Room 113 of the UAA Health Science Building. Moment to Moment: Teens Growing Up with FASDs is a compelling hour-long documentary that shares the powerful stories of four individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) and their families. This event is sponsored by the Alaska Center for FASD and the Department of Health Sciences. For more information, download the FASDs movie flyer (pdf) or email Travis Hedwig at thhedwig@alaska.edu.
 
Rhonda Johnson Awarded Fulbright-NSF Arctic Research Award to Iceland
 
Dr. Rhonda Johnson, Professor of Public Health in the Department of Health Sciences, recently received a Fulbright-NSF Arctic Research award to Iceland for 2019. Dr. Johnson will be hosted by the Research Center Against Violence at the University of Akureyri, Iceland in spring/summer 2019, and her project is titled "Participatory Approaches to Resilience Research." Learn more about the University of Akureyri at http://english.unak.is/ , and about the Fulbright-NSF Arctic Research Award at https://eca.state.gov/highlight/us-iceland-fulbright-commission-and-national-science-foundation-collaborate-support-arctic .

Department Of Health, Physical Education & Recreation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
UAA Recognized as Silver Level Campus by Exercise is Medicine on Campus Committee
 
UAA has been recognized as a Silver Level Campus by the Exercise is Medicine on Campus Committee ( https://www.exerciseismedicine.org/support_page.php/eim-on-campus/ )! This award recognizes distinguished achievement in a campus' involvement and engagement of Exercise is Medicine principles and goals in making physical activity a standard part of campus culture. Congratulations to the EIM-OC club, Dr. Jean Marcey, Professor Maryanne Hoke, and everyone else involved in supporting Exercise is Medicine at UAA!
 
HPER Students Lead Successful PLAAY Day Event
 
On February 22, three HPER students led 20,000 Elementary school students in Alaska, Ohio, and Kentucky in 30 minutes of organized exercise via live streaming for the second annual PLAAY Day. PLAAY (Positive Leadership for Active Alaska Youth) Day is Alaska's first simultaneous student physical activity event. Schools and other organizations from across Alaska engaged elementary students in a half hour of organized and synchronized physical activity. This is the second year that HPER students have developed, rehearsed, and led the group exercises.
     
Center for Human Development - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
Alaska Training Cooperative Hosts Interactive Outreach Table at Convention Health Fair
 
Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) invited the Center for Human Development's Alaska Training Cooperative (AKTC) Fairbanks Office to host an interactive outreach table at their 2018 annual Convention Health Fair March 12-13. The TCC Convention brings together delegates from 39 villages throughout the six Interior Alaskan subregions (https://www.tananachiefs.org). It was an honor to have Inupiaq Elder Dr. Elizabeth Fleagle join AKTC's outreach efforts with Sarah McConnell, LCSW. The TCC Health Fair theme Healthy People for a Strong Future guided the activity, encouraging participants of all ages to reflect on "What will you do to stay healthy?" Elizabeth and Sarah talked with over 260 people who shared their written responses to post on the Athabascan beadwork themed display. Frequent health responses focused on walking, sobriety, eating healthy, stopping smoking, drinking water, smiling more, spirituality, gratitude, friendship, working, and laughter. Participants identified cultural activities as vital to their health and well-being, including hunting, fishing, trapping, drumming, Native dancing, traditional foods, and protecting salmon and caribou habitat. As providers and educators, it is essential to listen to the voice of the people. We are grateful to TCC Health Services for this exceptional opportunity.
 
Dr. Elizabeth Fleagle and Sarah McConnell at the CHD's Alaska Training Cooperative interactive outreach table.
 
Justice Center - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
Results of 2014-15 Alaska Victimization Survey Released for Aleutian/Pribilof Island Region

The results of the 2014-2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for the 
Aleutian/Pribilof Island region were released on March 13 to the Unalaska City Council. The troubling numbers showed that:
  • 45% of adult women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime;
  • More than two out of every five adult women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime; and
  • One in four women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.
The survey was designed to measure the lifetime exposure to sexual violence and intimate partner violence, and estimates are considered conservative. It was conducted through a contract with the  Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA). For more information, visit: https://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2018/03/alaska-victimization-survey-results.html.
 
Cravez Speaks at Women's History Month Event

Pamela Cravez,
 editor of the  Alaska Justice Forum  and author of  The Biggest Damned Hat: Tales from Alaska's Territorial Lawyers and Judges , presented with lawyer and historian Barbara Hood on Alaska's early women lawyers. Cravez and Hood had both been coordinators of Alaska's Joint State-Federal Gender Equality Task Force. More than 50 lawyers attended the presentation in honor of Women's History Month. Their presentation was sponsored by the  ACLU of AlaskaAnchorage Bar Association's Young Lawyers Section, and the Anchorage Association of Women Lawyers.

 

Brad Myrstol Provides Alaska Results First Data at Smart Justice Conference
 
Alaska Judicial Council Director Susanne DiPietro and Brad Myrstol
Justice Center Director Brad Myrstol presented Alaska
Results First data at the 13th Annual Reducing Recidivism Conference - Smart Justice in Alaska in Anchorage on March 12. The two-day conference brought together policy makers and service providers from around Alaska. Melissa Threadgill, keynote speaker and senior policy specialist with the Crime and Justice Institute, provided an overview of criminal justice reform from the national and local perspective. 
 
Center for Community Engagement and
Learning
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Judith Owens-Manley Presents on Community Engagement
  
In March, Dr. Judith Owens-Manley was an invited presenter at a meeting of the Executive Directors in The United Way of Anchorage. The presentation was on community engagement at UAA.
 
Initiative on Resilient Communities Provides grants with Upcoming Student Internships
 
CCEL is spearheading a new initiative on Resilient Communities with four $4500 grants available to faculty for community-based projects, with an additional four student summer internships for the projects at $2,000 each. Faculty proposals were due March 19, and student internship proposals will be advertised after April 1 when winning faculty proposals are determined. An additional faculty grant will be advertised in April for a formative evaluation of the initiative, with particular attention to community impact.
 
RFPs for Faculty Mini-Grants Coming in April
 
Early Bird Request for Proposals will be out later in April for Faculty Mini-Grants for Summer/Fall 2018, and Community-Engaged Student Assistants (CESAs) for Fall 2018.
 
Cole Murphy Receives Second Bridge Award
 
The CCEL Second Bridge Award was given to Cole Murphy, an International Studies major with a concentration in Japanese. He is perhaps an unusual choice due to his major and his interest in food systems and work with Alaska Seeds of Change on a Capacity and Services Development project. His faculty mentor is Dr. Elizabeth Hodges-Snyder, Health Sciences. Mr. Murphy will receive up to $2,000 for his work with Seeds of Change, with a final project report due at completion. The Second Bridge Award is given annually to a student who designs a growth experience for him or herself in concert with providing a benefit to and with a community partner.
 
Faculty Intensives to Feature Presentations in Early May
 
Dr. Patti Clayton
A Faculty Intensive in May will bring Dr. Patti Clayton here for several presentations during and following the last week of faculty contracts. Dr. Clayton will give a 90 minute presentation on Tuesday, May 8 during GER training days. Thursday and Friday will focus on High Impact Practices (HIPs) with invited speakers, including Dr. Clayton. The primary targeted audience for Thursday and Friday are faculty who teach first and second year students to learn about implementing HIPs in their courses. However, all faculty are invited to attend. Dr. Clayton and Dr. Owens-Manley will host a Writing Retreat for Community-Engaged Scholarship beginning Friday evening, May 11 and ending Monday noon. The workshop is full, but CCEL will begin a wait list if faculty are interested.
 
2-Day Faculty Intensive to Focus on "Deep Learning and Engagement with Community"
 
Faculty are invited to attend a two-day Faculty Intensive focusing on "Deep Learning and Engagement with Community." It will take place Tuesday, May 15, with a day-long session on Resilient Communities on Wednesday, May 16th. Faculty, students, and community partners who accept the Resilient Communities Awards are required to attend on May 16, and all other faculty are invited. Dr. Patti Clayton and Dr. Judith Owens-Manley will facilitate both days. Details and registration will be available on the CCEL website soon.

WWAMI - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
WWAMI As a Concept
 
Alaska's Medical School is a competitive, nationally-renowned program based out of the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM). UWSOM extended its program to the Western United States of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho, thereby establishing the name WWAMI. The idea of expanding the medical school to remote campuses in states with a high rural population was to create a medical foundation that encourages more advanced practitioners to remain in those rural states, ultimately elevating healthcare across communities in both cities and villages. To this day, Alaska prides itself on its vast spread of physicians across the state. From Barrow to Unalaska to Ketchikan, healthcare in our communities is ever-growing--one WWAMI student at a time.

Calendar
Upcoming Events/Deadlines
  • April 2 - UNAC workloads due to dean
  • May 1 - UNAC workloads due to faculty
  • May 6 - Spring Commencement