Every human being has the right to be safe and free from violence in their own homes,
in their relationships, and in their community. Intimate partner violence and sexual
violence are endemic problems. Since 2010, the Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) has
provided comprehensive statewide and regional data on violence against Alaskan women
to guide planning and policy development and to evaluate the impact of prevention
and intervention services.
The AVS is conducted by the UAA Justice Center for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA). We thank each of the approximately 13,000 women in Alaska who have participated
in these surveys. Because of your courage, we know more about the impact of violence
and are better prepared to respond to and prevent it across our state.
Rural Alaskan communities are seeking grant funding to address health risks related to climate change. Associate Professor Micah Hahn from the Institute of Circumpolar Health Studies spoke to Alaska Public Media about her team’s efforts to help communities create climate adaptation strategies.
Alaska is prepared to handle harsh winter weather, but climate change has triggered a new threat – heat. Micah Hahn with the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies (ICHS) is teaming with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Alaska branch to develop the state’s first hot weather warning system based on the local temperature threshold.
Historically, ticks haven’t been a problem in Alaska. But factors like climate change and tourism have created a welcoming environment for new species that can transmit illnesses to humans. Micah Hahn with the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies is tracking them. “Our work over the past six years is to understand the baseline–where we are with the ticks that exist in Alaska.”
UAA Associate Professor of Environmental Health Micah Hahn is leading a research project around climate change, health, wildfire smoke and environmental justice in Alaska that recently received a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to results from research led by Micah Hahn, an environmental epidemiologist here at UAA, Alaskans' health starts suffering when temperatures climb to 70 degrees, and that local and state officials should consider policies to respond to heat-related health problems that are expected to increase as the climate continues to warm.