Healthy Aging laB
Everyone living in the Circumpolar North should have the opportunity to live a long and healthy life. However, we live in an environment that can be challenging as we get older. The physical environment may be difficult to navigate (extreme weather, changing climate, high costs of living, etc) but it is important to remember that the social environment also changes for us as we age. As more adults are choosing to age-in-place and retire at home here in Alaska, we are noticing real gaps in our knowledge about what healthy aging means to our elders and how we can achieve it in our Arctic environment.
The Healthy Aging Lab at UAA works to understand the shifting sociocultural landscape for aging adults and identify service needs to facilitate healthy aging-in-place. We do this in a variety of ways, from Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) projects, to community-engaged courses in health sciences, to individual service-learning projects—our work aims to benefit not only the student (and future geriatric workforce), but the senior community as well.
FEATURED PROJECTS
NEWS & Stories
A poster by Medical Laboratory Science program director Grace Leu-Burke and her team has been selected as a Blue Ribbon Finalist by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) 2025 Annual Meeting. The poster, “Public health risk assessment from Cryptosporidium colonization in Alaskan urban wildlife,” explores the prevalence of Cryptosporidium, a microbial parasite that infects humans and animals and causes diarrhea.
The UAA College of Health proudly celebrated the recent renovation of Sally Monserud Hall with a ribbon-cutting ceremony showcasing the new high-tech labs and simulation center, expanded allied health programs, growth of the WWAMI program and critical partnerships addressing Alaska’s growing health care needs.
School of Allied Health student Lisa Reed is a lifelong Alaskan and former floral manager, now pursuing a career in medical coding.
Darren Tivnan, valedictorian and radiologic technology graduate, speaks at commencement May 7, 2025, at Kachemak Bay Campus in Homer, Alaska.
Grace Leu Burke, associate professor and program director of the Medical Laboratory Science program, brings a deep passion for research, diagnostic testing, and student mentorship to the classroom and beyond.
The UAA Healthy Aging Research Laboratory is partially supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under grant number 2P20GM103395. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official views of Alaska INBRE.
Upcoming Events
Contact Us:
Associate Professor Britteny Howell
Phone: (907) 786-6565
Email: bmhowell2@alaska.edu
UAA Professional Studies Building
2533 Providence Dr., Suite 204
Anchorage, AK 99508
Mailing Address:
UAA Healthy Aging Lab
3211 Providence Dr., PSB 206B
Anchorage, AK 99508
