Coh Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice committee
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.
NEWS & Stories
The UAA Hunger and Homelessness Support Network (HHSN) was created to identify and combat housing insecurities that students face. UAA Alumni and current Academic Advisor Jennifer Spencer is one of the three people serving as HHSN Chair. She explains how she uses her personal experiences with homelessness to help find solutions for students.
Ever since she was six years old, Panikaa Teeple, B.S.W. Social Work ’21, knew that spreading love was her life’s purpose. Next year, Teeple will have the opportunity to spread love internationally as UAA’s latest recipient of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant, which provides students in more than 140 countries the opportunity to pursue graduate study and research abroad.
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.”
UAA alumna and associate professor Holly Martinson hopes the new Biomed U-RISE program "lights a fire" in Alaska's research community by empowering undergraduate students with lab experience, mentorship and financial assistance. Martinson and co-PI, Professor Tracey Burke, welcomed the first cohort this academic year and will soon open applications for cohort two.
Restorative justice is a form of resolution that allows victims of crimes to work with the criminal justice system to address and correct the harm caused. UAA’s Ingrid Johnson from the Justice Center and Rei Shimizu from the School of Social Work spoke to the Alaska Beacon about how restorative justice can be used in cases of domestic violence.
Upcoming Events
Contact Us:
Email: uaa_cohdeijteam@alaska.edu
Mailing Address:
COH Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Committee
3211 Providence Drive, PSB 205
Anchorage, AK 99508
