Alaska's rural and multi-cultural environment calls for multidisciplinary approaches
to defining health problems and identifying appropriate solutions. The Institute for
Circumpolar Health Studies (ICHS) was established by the Alaska Legislature in 1988 to improve the health of peoples
of Alaska and other circumpolar areas through instruction, information services, and
basic and applied research in health and medicine.
Our applied research focus supports public health planning and provides opportunities
for students to gain research experience. Our faculty and staff have expertise in epidemiologic study design, quantitative and
qualitative analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), community engagement,
evaluation, and facilitation.
Briana Moffat, an alumna of UAA’s School of Justice and Human Services and a new employee at the Alaska Justice Information Center, shares her passion for both justice and emergency medicine.
The Alaska Victimization Survey, conducted by the UAA’s Justice Center, shows a rise in domestic violence and sexual assault rates, leading advocates to argue that, despite Alaska allocating millions of dollars to combat these issues, the funding is still not enough to meet demand or address the root causes.
UAA’s Alaska Justice Information Center researcher, Rus’sel Sampson is quoted in an Alaska Beacon article about merit-based Alaska Performance Scholarships.
The Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) released a new report about the health of women who have experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Physical violence is a part of IPV, but it also includes things like controlling behaviors, threats of harm, and inflicting harm against people and things an intimate partner cares about. Dr. Ingrid Johnson with AVS told the Alaska Beacon these sorts of behaviors can have a lasting impact.
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.