Archive

UAA researchers hope to move child welfare away from separation and toward community building

Kids playing with fallen leaves during fall season

Social Work Assistant Professor Dr. Jessica Ullrich and Human Services Professor Dr. Yvonne Chase 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.

Pharmacy and nursing students to administer health screenings in rural Alaska

A Project PAK team arrives in a rural Alaska community to administer free health screenings to Head Start students.

This March, students from UAA’s pharmacy and nurse practitioner programs will travel to Pilot Station and Akiak to administer free health screenings to Head Start students and the wider community. This trip is the first of two planned to rural Alaska communities each year, one in spring and another in fall, referred to as Project Partnership for Alaska’s Kids (PAK).

MSW alumna Vanessa Salmon publishes article about the challenges rural women experience delivering babies

Photo of Vanessa Salmon

Vanessa Salmon, a 2019 MSW program graduate, published an article in the Journal of Rural Mental Health, titled "When delivery means departure: Describing the practice and impacts of mandated maternal transport in Alaska," which was her capstone project for the program. This research is about the challenges rural women experience delivering babies and the demands of having to move into hub communities to await delivery. Salmon was the lead author, alongside UAA School of Social Work professor Dr. Heidi Brocious and UAF Dept. of Social Work associate professor Dr. Laverne Demientieff.

UAA’s Center for Human Development releases results of COVID-19 accessibility survey

covid testing center

Recently, the UAA Center for Human Development (CHD) released the results of a survey conducted in August focusing on individuals 18 and older with disabilities in Alaska and their access to the COVID-19 vaccine, including barriers, motivators and trusted sources of information.

Staffing shortages still hinder Alaska hospitals; nurses among the highest in demand

School of Nursing students in lab

Hospitals need nurses nationwide and across Alaska, as the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated health care workforce shortages.

Dr. Jessica Ullrich to present at Brazelton Touchpoints Center's virtual National Forum

Photo of Jessica Ullrich

UAA School of Social Work's Dr. Jessica Ullrich will be a presenter on March 29 for Brazelton Touchpoints Center's virtual National Forum, which will take place March 29-31.

In Focus: As community members remain split on SROs in Niles Township high schools, the district fails to act

Photo of Matthew Cuellar

UAA School of Social Work faculty member Dr. Matthew Cuellar was quoted in an article about school resource officers.

Alaska Court System faces significant trial backlog as courtrooms reopen from COVID-19 closures

An attorney works at his desk behind a scale

Statistics kept by the Alaska Justice Information Center was featured in an Anchorage Daily News article about how the Alaska Court System faces significant trial backlog as courtrooms reopen.

Bernice Hetherington – Behavioral Health Aide Spotlight

Photo of Bernice Hetherington

Bernice Hetherington—a UAA MSW student—was featured in the Behavioral Health Aide Spotlight for the Tanana Chiefs Conference.

Dr. Ingrid Johnson interviewed for true crime series on Oxygen

Photo of Ingrid Johnson

In the summer of 2021, the Oxygen channel visited Alaska to film a true crime series on homicide and violence against women in Alaska. The film crew interviewed Dr. Ingrid Johnson, Justice Center assistant professor, to give background information on crime and other relevant cultural dynamics.⁠

College of Health News Archive