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.
Savannah Ivanoff, a UAA Division of Population Health Sciences alumna, fondly remembers the supportive environment at UAA as she now pursues her Doctor of Pharmacy.
Dakota Ramirez, an alumna of the Division of Population Health Sciences, serves as the Community Programs Manager for Special Olympics Alaska. She applies her education to create meaningful programs and support families with disabilities, fostering inclusion and empowerment.
Student research assistants taught a 15-week course on healthy living to older adults in the community. Three of those students recently presented at the Gerontological Society of America conference and shared results from a Health Aging Lab project that received funding from the National Institutes of Health.