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This Faculty & Staff Newsletter is published 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
Leading Toward a Healthier Tomorrow

COH in the News  
COH Deans Hogan and Kaplan Featured in ADN

Dean Hogan & Sr. Assoc. Dean Kaplan 
Dean Bill Hogan and Senior Associate Dean Susan Kaplan were featured in the August 31, 2013 edition of the Anchorage Daily News. The article, written by Kathleen McCoy, talked about the creation of the College of Health, its emphasis on interdisciplinary/ interprofessional teaching, and research and the future. The article can be downloaded (pdf) or found at: http://www.adn.com/2013/08/31/3053742/hometown-u-dean-of-new-college.html.

 

Diplomacy Building Move

 

In June 2013, UA Statewide sold the UAA Diplomacy Building to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and purchased the Bragaw Office Complex, which includes:

  • 1815 Bragaw Street (currently UA Statewide offices)
  • 1835 Bragaw Street (currently commercial leases)
  • 1901 Bragaw Street (future UAA office and classroom space)

Over the next two years, all UAA units in the Diplomacy Building will be moving to 1901 Bragaw (just north of East High School). These units include: Office of Health Programs, Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, Department of Health Sciences, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Alaska Center for Rural Health, Institutional Research,Center for Economic Development, 

BOB (BOC3) 
MEDEX Physician Assistant program, and the Child Welfare Academy. Although the official designation of this building is BOC3, we are affectionately referring to it as BOB (Bragaw Office Building). Plans are currently underway to designate space and plan the move.

 

Therapy Apartment Constructed in PSB 

 

A mock apartment was constructed in the Professional Studies Building to serve as a portion of the Occupational Therapy (OT)/Physical Therapy (PT) lab. The apartment includes a non-functioning bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen, and is used to teach therapy students how to assist patients in functioning successfully at

home. The assistance can focus on mobility, functional activities, and recommendations for modifications or adaptive aids. Most of the fixtures for the apartment were purchased at Habitat for Humanity Restore.
 

Potential Doctor of Pharmacy Program 

 

Susan Kaplan, Jan Harris, Christine Lidren, and Nancy Davis (Executive Director of the Alaska Pharmacists Association) traveled to Meridian, Idaho to explore the possibility of a collaborative arrangement between UAA and Idaho State University to provide a Doctor of Pharmacy program in Anchorage. Idaho State operates a distance/hybrid pharmacy program between the main campus in Pocatello and the health campus in Meridian. Although it is only in the exploratory stages, the collaboration has potential for success. A search is underway to identify sufficient space in which to operate the program.

 

NRC 3-Year Grant Renewed

 

The National Resource Center (NRC) for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiian Elders received renewed funding of $197,000 for three years from the Administration of Aging, US Department of Health and Human Services. The NRC program, also known as "Voices of Our Elders" has had nine successful years of serving the health needs of Alaska Native Elders. It is a moving force in addressing the fragmentation of health care for Alaska Native Elders through creating and updating the Alaska Title VI Directory, convening meetings with Title VI Directors, and including Elders in the process of improving health delivery to their age group. The NRC focuses attention on the needs of this particular aging population. Activities during the renewal period will concentrate on developing an Alaska Native Aging and Disability Resource Center (AN-ADRC).

 

Interprofessional Simulation Committee Has a New Name

 

Formally the committee with too many initials (ICSFSC), the ISC is now called the Interprofessional Simulation Committee. The committee has been charged with a revised purpose: to develop and implement interprofessional clinical simulation activities for students, faculty, and our community partners. It will also design processes to develop and support the advancement of clinical simulation as part of program specific and interprofessional education curricula. A portion of this charge includes providing clinical simulation oversight, evaluation, sharing of best practices, faculty development, and research throughout the University of Alaska system. The committee is encouraged to explore innovative and creative approaches to this charge.

 

COH Making Steps
COH "Top Five" Identified in Strategic Directions 

 

The results of the COH faculty/staff ranking of recommendations from the 2013-2014 strategic directions have been compiled. The top five recommendations are:

  1. Promote a wide range of collaborative opportunities
  2. Fully develop career pathways
  3. Take a leadership role in health research
  4. Innovate
  5. Develop an interdisciplinary curriculum

Download the full list of rankings: COH 2013 Strategic Planning Strategic Directions Recommendations Prioritization. Faculty and staff feedback regarding these recommendation will be incorporated into the College of Health Strategic Plan. 

 

COH Academic Assessment Task Force Report Available 

 

The COH Academic Assessment Task Force reviewed the status of academic assessment in the College of Health and provided the Dean with impressions and recommendations for improving academic assessment in the College. Of special interest to the Task Force were the data and data collection efforts by which the programs evaluated their respective Program Student Learning Outcomes. Download the COH Academic Assessment Task Force. 

 

Academic Decision Review Committee

  

In response to concerns voiced over the past two years, the College of Health made changes to the structure and procedures of the COH Academic Decision Review Committee (see COH Formal Hearing Procedures). The flowcharts (informal process, formal for grades, and formal for denial or dismissal of admission) are largely based on those created by Susan Kalina's office, and reflect the procedures outlined in the UAA Student Fact Finder and the BOR policies. Having a student complete a form to request a formal hearing helps to organize the information as the process moves ahead, as well as requires that the student understand and articulate the problem.   

  

The following is a summary of the changes this year:

  1. COH will have a standing committee each year (rather than ad-hoc). The full committee will consist of one member from each department, plus an alternate. Larger units, such as the SON and AHS, will be asked to provide two members.
  2. There are two co-chairs, and either one can chair a hearing. This helps to eliminate any problems related to conflict of interest or availability.
  3. A subset of the full committee will be formed to hear individual cases. This smaller committee will consist of five voting members and may be determined based on availability, avoidance of conflict of interest, and/or type of program involved.
  4. Students requesting a formal hearing must now complete the form Request for Formal Review. Students will be able to obtain this form from our website, or obtain a hard copy from the Office of Advising and Student Advocacy in PSB 101 or in the Dean's office (PSB 205).
  5. Susan Kaplan will contact each instructor and student before the hearing, explain the hearing procedures, and answer any questions about the process. Susan serves as a neutral party and does not attend the hearings.

COH Establishing a Compliance Program

 

The COH has been moving forward on establishing a compliance program. Compliance programs are formal efforts to inform and continually assess an organization's compliance with law and ethical commitments. The COH compliance program will initially focus on:

  • General compliance
  • Health information privacy and security
  • Research regulatory compliance

Read more about the COH Compliance Program.

 

New Interdisciplinary Education Project Funded by the COH

 

The College of Health funded a new interdisciplinary education project. In November, the College solicited submissions from faculty for creative and innovative proposals to advance the College's interdisciplinary mission.

 

This new effort funds revisions to a module within the course HS 220: Core Concepts in Health Sciences taught by Bree Kessler. This GER course is a large survey of topics related to the health sciences, including one module on "Health and Law." The revision will involve organizing a mock trial related to a health care topic, which will incorporate students from LEGL 385 Health Care Law taught by Kristin Knudsen. For more information, visit: http://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2014/01/prof-knudsen-and-prof-kessler-receive.html
Professor Knudsen in the classroom. 
 
Upcoming Opportunities & Events

RFA from the Mountain West Research Consortium CTR-IN

 

Support of up to $50,000 may be requested from the Mountain West Research Consortium Clinical Translational Research Infrastructure Network (CTR-IN). The CTR-IN expects to support between 12 and 20 new awards predicated on scientific merit. Proposals meeting the NIH definition of clinical or translational research are welcome from faculty. In addition to financial support, Pilot Grant recipients will benefit from substantial Core services, including mentoring, education, and biostatistics help. For further details, please go to the organization's website http://mountainwestconsortium.org/training.shtml

Applications Now Accepted for NIDDK Diversity Program

 
The NIDDK/Office of Minority Health Research Coordination is now accepting applications for the NIDDK Diversity Summer Research Training Program (DSRTP) and the Short-Term Education Program for Underrepresented Persons (STEP-UP). The DSRTP is a 10-week residential program for undergraduate students from racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research and disadvantag
ed backgrounds. The NIDDK/OMHRC is an 8-10 week program for high school or undergraduate students from racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Students will be matched with a research mentor at their choice of research institution when possible.

 

The purpose of these two programs is to expose student participants to research in the NIDDK mission areas, including diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, nutrition, obesity, and digestive, liver, urologic, kidney, and hematologic disease. Program descriptions and applications can be found at http://dsrtp.niddk.nih.gov.

 

"Disability and Public Health" Course Offered in Summer 2014


The Department of Health Sciences will be offering the distance delivered summer course "Disability and Public Health" (HS A690, 3 cr.). The course will run May 19 - August 2, 2014. For more information, download the course flyer:
http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/healthsciences/mph/curriculum/upload/disability-summer-course-2014_final.pdf.

 

Curriculum Committee Meets on Wednesdays 


Every Wednesday, the College Curriculum Committee meets from 1:00-3:00 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 Curriculum 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.


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