UAA hosts a public forum on the challenges to health and healthcare in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Health Research Think Tank (HeaRTT) will hold the second in its series of two-part university/community public forums on health and healthcare entitled Challenges to Health and Healthcare on Thursday, Jan. 18, 7:00-8:30 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 19, 8:30 a.m. in the UAA/APU Consortium Library. Both events are free and open to the public.

Thursday night's forum will feature a distinguished group of university faculty and health care experts from the Anchorage community who will present their views on the various health and healthcare challenges facing Alaskans. An audience question and answer session will follow the panel presentation. Specific concerns the professional panel may address include

• What measures need to be taken to improve the level of health in Alaska
• What cross-cultural differences are commonly encountered in Alaska healthcare
• How to encourage more preventative medicine and behavioral change for healthier lives (both systemically and individually)
• The higher cost of healthcare in Alaska

The panelists for the Jan. 18, 7:00 p.m. forum include:

Introduction: Douglas Causey, Vice Provost, Research and Graduate Studies, UAA

Moderator: Libby Roderick, Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence, UAA

Professional Experts:

Harold Johnston, M.D., Program Director, Alaska Family Practice Residency, Providence Hospital Program

John Riley, PA-C (CV), Instructor of Health Sciences, Physician Assistant Program Coordinator, UAA

Barbara Berner, RN, Ed.D., Associate Professor, School of Nursing, UAA

Karen Perdue, Associate Vice President, Health Programs, University of Alaska

The discussion continues on
Friday, Jan. 19 at 8:30 a.m. in the UAA/APU Consortium Library when a number of faculty engaged in health-related research discuss their own work and identify important areas for future research. Faculty will address issues such as which areas of health-related research need to be most encouraged and what interdisciplinary research needs greatest attention and development.

The panelists for the Jan. 19, 8:30 a.m. forum include:

Moderator: Dr. Tom Buller, Professor and Chair, Philosophy Department, UAA

Professional Experts:

Dr. Eric Murphy, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department, UAA

Dr. John Petraitis, Professor and Chair, Psychology Department, UAA

Dr. Brian Saylor, Director, Circumpolar Health, UAA

Dr. Jean Ballantyne, Director, School of Nursing, UAA

Dr. Kathy Graves, IPY Post-Doctoral Fellow, School of Social Work, UAA

More than 200 people attended the first HeaRTT session entitled "Health: At What Price?", held in November and more than 200 people attended the event. This important series is sponsored by UAA's Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE), which promotes excellence in teaching, service, community engagement, creative activity, and research in an atmosphere of collegiality. The Center is designed to support faculty at the University of Alaska Anchorage, including its Community Campuses, in order to showcase and promote innovations in teaching and research and advance a community of scholars. It also sponsors "town square" events which share UAA faculty expertise with the broader Anchorage and Alaska communities.

For additional information about these events, please call 786-4644.