DELLA KEATS
Della Keats is a four (4) week, residential program for high school students on the UAA Anchorage campus. This program is fully funded, including travel, food, and accommodations. Students will experience university residential life, complete health science-related pre-college coursework, carry out health-related research projects, and complete at least four different medical or health care professional job shadows.
Named after Della Keats, an Alaska Native Inupiaq traditional healer from the Kotzebue region. Della Keats provided both educational and medical services to her people throughout her life, and believed strongly in the importance of expanding, maintaining, and sharing medical knowledge in ways that would benefit both Alaska Native people and the broader Alaskan community. The Della Keats Program is administered by the UAA WWAMI School of Medical Education (Alaska WWAMI).
NEWS & Stories
In January 2026, students from the College of Health showcased their public health research at the Alaska Public Health Association Summit’s annual poster session. Their projects spanned topics ranging from food security to environmental contamination, contributing valuable insights that help shape the evolving conversation around Alaska’s public health landscape.
Almost half of UAA students have experienced food insecurity. UAA offers several resources to combat hunger and food insecurity, including the Seawolf Food Pantry, which supplies non-perishable foods, as well as three-day emergency food support.
Dr. Corrie Whitmore, an associate professor in the Division of Population Health Sciences, and her team at UAA’s Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services are celebrating the recent publication of a new article. The paper, which was published in the Dec. 2025 issue of Nursing for Women’s Health, offers a framework and actionable strategies for nurses to improve communication and patient experience in discussions around substance use and contraception.
School of Social Work Assistant Professor Amana Mbise and ISER Research Assistant Professor Nathan West are exploring the relationships that Black barbershops play in men's health. Their community-based research prioritizes the lived experiences of the men they talk to, and is revealing how barbershops function not just as grooming spaces, but as social and cultural hubs.
As a neonatal nurse practitioner at Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital and adjunct faculty member for the UAA School of Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice alumna and graduate student hooding ceremony speaker for the fall Class of 2025 Stacy Brunquist weaves education into everything she does — training new caregivers, guiding parents learning to care for their newborns, and sharing knowledge with professionals from Utqiaġvik to Sitka.
Contact Us:
Phone: 907-786-4789
Fax: 907-786-4700
Email: uaa_wwami@alaska.edu
UAA Health Sciences Building
3795 Piper Street, Suite 301
Anchorage, Alaska 99504
Mailing Address:
3211 Providence Drive, HSB 301
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
