Due to unsafe road conditions for Anchorage and surrounding areas, UAA’s Anchorage campus will be on a delayed start today, Thursday, Dec. 4. Campus will open at 10 a.m. to allow for safer travel.
division of population health sciences
The Division of Population Health Sciences (DPHS) prepares students to confront the root causes of health challenges in Alaska and across the circumpolar North. Through a blend of education, research, and community partnership, DPHS empowers students to create lasting change in population health and to lead efforts that strengthen the well-being of communities statewide and beyond.
Unlike clinical care, which focuses on individuals, population health looks at the big picture—improving health outcomes across communities through policy, prevention, and systems-level solutions. It includes:
Join us to make an impact that goes beyond treating illness to help build healthier communities from the ground up.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Meet the public health challenges of an aging society, including providing competent care in medical settings and essential community resources and end-of-life support.
Set up a successful career in health education and health promotion, public and community health, disease prevention, rehabilitation, or health care delivery.
Meet the challenges of the diverse and complex field of public health, with a particular focus on the needs of Alaska and the Circumpolar North.
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.
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 School of Allied Health celebrates its summer graduates with a memorable pinning ceremony on July 27, 2023, at the Edward & Cathryn Rasmuson Hall of the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Like other animals in the wild, the big animals that roam Alaska’s largest city are carrying bacteria that cannot be killed by commonly used medicines.
The Medical Laboratory Science program participates in the national 2022 ASCP Cell Bowl competition.
INSTITUTES, CENTERS, AND PROJECTS
Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies
The CAAS was established by the Board of Regents in 1972 to address the problem of substance misuse in Alaska.
Our team works to understand the shifting sociocultural landscape for aging adults and identify service needs to facilitate healthy aging-in-place.
Researchers in our lab are working to solve the global plastic pollution problem by developing insulation that is recyclable, reusable, and biodegradable.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies
Housed under the Office of Research, ICHS partners closely with us while conducting applied research that supports public health and offers valuable research experience for students.
Contact Us:
Phone: (907) 786-6545
Email: dphs@alaska.edu
UAA Div. of Population Health Sciences
UAA Professional Studies Building
2533 Providence Dr., Suite 206
Anchorage, AK 99508
Mailing Address:
UAA Div. of Population Health Sciences
3211 Providence Dr., PSB 206
Anchorage, AK 99508
