Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce
The Alaska Center for Rural Health & Health Workforce (ACRH-HW) is dedicated to strengthening
Alaska’s health workforce, with a focus on rural communities and addressing workforce
shortages. The Center oversees various programs, including the Alaska Area Health
Education Centers (AHEC), which operate through six regional community-based centers
across the state. As part of the University of Alaska Anchorage's role as the state's
health campus, the Center supports health program planning, community partnerships,
and intercampus collaboration. It provides a statewide framework to support health
workforce development, from career exploration and training to continuing education.
When human services and social work alumna Cass Pook says she has always been a helper, she’s not just referring to her nature as an empathetic and compassionate listener. “Culturally, it's in my DNA to be a helper,” said Pook. “Looking back on it throughout history, 100 or 200 years ago I would have been doing the same thing. I was born to be a social worker.”
After serving a year as the President-elect of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Yvonne Chase is now the president. Dr. Chase shares some of her vibrant background in human services that led her to UAA.
The Housing Action Summit in Anchorage featured a week of events that draw attention to Anchorage’s housing crisis. Faculty and staff from across UAA spoke to Alaska’s News Source about barriers some students face, including food insecurity and homelessness.
Yvonne Chase, Ph.D., associate professor with the Dept. of Human Services under the UAA College of Health, is the new president-elect of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).
Human Services Professor Dr. Yvonne Chase and Social Work Assistant Professor Dr. Jessica Ullrich were featured in an Alaska Public Media article about a study they co-authored in the International Journal on Child Maltreatment, titled "A Connectedness Framework: Breaking the Cycle of Child Removal for Black and Indigenous Children." The study explores alternative child welfare strategies to limit family separation.