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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
August 11, 2016
Announcements
All-College Meeting Only Two Weeks Away! 

The College of Health All-College meeting will take place Thursday, August 25th, 11:30-2:30 pm. Preliminary plans include an opening address by the chancellor/provost and sessions on various topics of interest to faculty and staff, including a faculty development workshop with faculty from the University of Washington on interprofessional education. In the next few weeks look for a save-the-date notice, more information, and a request for volunteers to help with the event. 
 
Unit Updates
Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
Alaska AHEC Wraps Up Busy Summer of Outreach

This summer, the Alaska AHEC completed a series of outreach projects focused on improving the diversity and distribution of healthcare professionals in Alaska. The programs, with a range of target audiences from youth to undergraduates, provided a unique perspective into rural healthcare and career pathways in the field. Thank you to all COH faculty and staff who helped make these projects a success! Here is a brief rundown of the work that kept AHEC staffers busy throughout the summer:



ANSEP Health Science Strand
 
AHEC led three groups of ANSEP students in health science career exploration this summer, including 53 middle school students and 43 high school students. The theme for these sessions was built around traumatic brain injury. It helped students explore career opportunities by highlighting the role of these professionals in the tumultuous journey of stabilization and recovery from these injuries, along with an underlying public health message regarding injury prevention.

 

Rural Immersion Institute of the North (RIIN)
 
The AHEC Program piloted the Rural Immersion Institute of the North in June with 14 undergraduate participants from the Lower 48 and Alaska. Students took part in the 3-week program, which provided them with rural healthcare shadowing, cultural attunement, and Alaskan outdoor recreation. The experience was eye-opening for all involved, and the AHEC looks forward to continuing RIIN in the future. Applications for the 2017 RIIN Program are currently open: bit.ly/2017RIINApplication. For more information, download the RIIN brochure: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/academics/college-of-health/departments/ACRHHW/_documents/RIINBrochure7-26-16.pdf.  
 
Behavioral Health Career Pathways
 
The AHEC program expanded the 2015 pilot Behavioral Health Camp to include two new locations in summer 2016 (Anchorage and Fairbanks). Forty-four participants took part in the camps which focused on careers in behavioral health, self-care, mindfulness, and Mental Health First Aid certification. Plans are underway to rotate the camps to three new locations in 2017, including Ketchikan, Bethel, and Nome.



Junior Scrubs Academy
 
The SC AHEC, in partnership with the Municipality of Anchorage, held a Junior Scrubs Academy at Spenard Recreation Center with 24 participants ages 6-12. The academy provided an overview of the following disciplines via hands on and engaging activities and sessions: Medicine, Nursing, Behavioral Health, Veterinary Medicine, and Public Health. SC AHEC is currently planning for more informal "Pop-Up Camps" to take place at both Fairview and Spenard Rec Centers in the future.
 
For more information, or for potential opportunities to partner with the AHEC program on outreach efforts, please contact Gloria Burnett at gburnett3@alaska.edu or 907-786-6705.
 
Center for Human Development - - - - - - - - - - -
 
Suicide Interventions: A Tribal and University Partnership between the Tanana Chief's Conference and the Alaska Training Cooperative
 
The Alaska Training Cooperative (AKTC) is a training branch of CHD, coordinating accessible opportunities for professionals working with Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority beneficiaries statewide. Beneficiaries include people with: mental illness; developmental disabilities; chronic alcoholism and other substance related disorders; Alzheimer's disease and related dementia; and traumatic brain injuries. The AKTC is dedicated to collaborative training with rural Alaska behavioral health care providers by blending traditional wisdom and evidence-based practices.
 
Between 2013-2016, AKTC and the Tanana Chief's Conference (TCC) worked together on suicide prevention and intervention efforts by training staff, health aides, and village public safety officers using the evidenced-based curriculum, "Question, Persuade, and Refer." In turn, trainees taught other community members, making modifications for particular communities. If invited, AKTC staff traveled out to villages with an Elder and offered support while the local community trainer delivered the course:
 
 
Alaska Training Cooperative (AKTC) trainers Sarah McConnell (left) and Elizabeth "Kaviaq" Nictune Fleagle (Iñupiat) at local health fair table with, "I Will..." words of people to prevent suicide.
 
Resources:
AKTC Funder: State of Alaska Department of Behavioral Health; Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
 
Consultant Opportunity: Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan
 
The national Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is seeking a Consultant to lead work on a Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan, and a Training Action Plan for the network. The consultant will make a 13-month commitment (Oct 2016 - Sept 2017), with a total potential budget of $100,000 for all activities, and will deliver a 5-Year Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan. The application is due August 31. Please distribute widely within your networks, particularly to tribal organizations, faith congregations, community agencies, etc. For more information, visit: http://www.aucd.org/template/opportunity.cfm?opportunity_id=1508&id=158&parent=158%E2%80%8B 
 
 
Department of Health Sciences - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
MEDEX Northwest Graduates Class 6
 
On August 18 at 1 pm, the UAA/UW MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant Program will present certificates to Anchorage Class 6 in the Wendy Williamson Auditorium. After 27 months of training, our 21 graduates will now move on to the next step, taking their Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam. The ceremony will be followed by a small reception in the lobby. Please join us in celebrating the newest Physician Assistants in Alaska.
 
MPH Grad Accepts Position with SEARHC
 
Congratulations to soon-to-be MPH graduate Jessika Beam who accepted a position with the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC). As a Health Educator II, Ms. Beam will be responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based and promising health education strategies, interventions, and programs. She will also serve as a resource for health education. This position addresses chronic disease risk factors in group settings and one-on-one lifestyle coaching in partnership with SEARHC providers. This is public health practice at work!
 
Department of Human Services - - - - - - - - - - - -
   
Complex Trauma and Addiction Conference to Take Place August 26th
 
Don't miss the one-day Complex Trauma and Addiction Conference: Impact and Resolution. This conference is in collaboration with Providence Health Services and Elements Behavioral Health.
 
August 26th, 8 am - 5 pm.
Providence Cancer Center,
3851 Piper St., Bldg. U, Rm #2281
 
For more information, visit http://www.ebhevents.com. Or download a brochure (pdf).

Justice Center  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
Justice Center Welcomes Elaine Main 

Elaine Main has joined the staff of the Justice Center as Academic Program Specialist. Most recently, Elaine worked for the UA Statewide Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration in Fairbanks as Executive Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer. For more information, visit: http://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2016/08/justice-center-welcomes-new-staff.html.

Dr. Blumenstein to Present on Intimate Partner Violence and Resilience in September

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice faculty, will be presenting at the 2016 Alaska Maternal Child Health & Immunization Conference in Anchorage on September 27 at 10:30 am. She will be discussing "Intimate Partner Violence and Resilience." For more information, visit: http://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2016/08/dr-blumenstein-presents-on-intimate.html.

 
AJSAC Fact Sheets Included in Recent SAC Publication Digest
 
The Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) has released the online Jan - June 2016 SAC Publication Digest, with abstracts of reports from the nationwide statistical analysis center (SACs). The volume includes three abstracts for Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) Fact Sheets. For more information, visit: http://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2016/08/ajsac-fact-sheets-included-in-recent.html
.   
Research Report by Dr. Rosay Cited in White House Blog   

Research from a recent National Institute of Justice (NIJ) report by
Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, was cited in the White House blog in a July 25, 2016 post by Carrie Bettinger-Lopez, White House Advisor on Violence Against Women. The report by Dr. Rosay is titled Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. For more information, visit: http://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2016/08/national-institute-of-justice-research.html.

 
Calendar
Upcoming Events/Deadlines
  • August 15-16 - New faculty orientation
  • August 25 - Fall COH All-College Meeting, 11:30-3, Lucy Cuddy Hall
  • August 29 - First day of classes, Fall Semester
  • September 5 - Labor Day holiday
  • November 24-25 - Thanksgiving Holiday