The College of Health Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) Committee was
established to address systemic barriers, promote social justice, and create a culture
of inclusivity that supports the success of all students, staff, and faculty of the
college. Through shared values of respect, accountability, and cultural humility,
as well as our commitment to DEIJ initiatives, we strive to create greater cohesion
across our college to deliver and promote the health and well-being of the communities
we serve.
We acknowledge and honor the ancestral lands of the Dena'ina, Ahtna, Alutiiq/Sugpiaq,
and Eyak/dAXunhyuu Peoples on which the UAA College of Health campus resides in Southcentral
Alaska. We recognize the importance of DEIJ principles, both in our community and
in the ways in which we approach health and well-being. We commit to working in partnership
with Indigenous communities to promote health equity and cultural humility, and to
recognize the unique knowledge and contributions of Indigenous Peoples to health and
holistic healing.
Social work master’s student Jay Greene (pronouns: they/them, he/him) believes in system reform through policy, as evidenced in their work with UAA’s LGBTQIA2S+ Committee and Gender Inclusive Housing Committee. Greene was a recipient of the Student Diversity Scholarship.
In December and January, UAA’s Alaska Airlines Center (AAC) became a focal point for two critical COVID-19 mitigation efforts. In the same time frame, several UAA faculty, staff and students contributed to a report on the effects of Anchorage’s COVID-19 emergency orders. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) announced on Dec. 9 that the AAC had been established as the state-run infusion center for two new monoclonal antibody therapies that can reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections.