Visit the:

Center for
Alcohol and
Addiction Studies

ANSRPH has a three-pronged approach to enhancing Alaska Native health research capabilities throughout the state. First, Alaska Natives will be mentored and trained to initiate and conduct health science research. Second, non-Native researchers will be trained to work effectively and respectfully in cross-cultural settings. Third, ANSRPH will develop agreements that foster health science research partnerships among various Alaska Native associations, health care delivery systems, and research organizations. In its initial stages, ANSRPH will partner with the Copper River Native Association for this purpose.

The ANSRPH Research Core will work with an Alaska Native community-based health organization to identify research areas to address disparate conditions, provide a working relationship with multiple Alaska Native organizations that desire to conduct health research for their communities, and provide technical direction and oversight to the program's research projects. The Training and Mentoring Core will forge intern and mentor relationships for students to achieve successful research experience dealing with Alaska Native health topics. The Outreach Core will actively foster dialogue among members of the ANSRPH network, enhance community awareness regarding the need for research, and encourage students to enter and pursue careers in health science research.

ANSRPH complements a number of new health science programs and initiatives at UAA. This fall, the University received an award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging to establish a National Resource Center to enhance knowledge about and services to older Alaska Natives. The Alaska Geriatric Education Center trains health care faculty, students, and practitioners in the diagnosis and treatment of seniors' health problems. This Center is also funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. UAA's Raven's Quest program recruits young people interested in behavioral health career fields. The Arctic Health web site provides information on Arctic and Alaska health issues to a worldwide audience. The website is funded by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, and is a joint effort of the UAA Health Sciences Information Service and the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies.

ANSRPH is closely linked with the Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR). CANHR was established through a five-year grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The purpose of CANHR is to investigate weight, nutrition, and health in Alaska Natives. CANHR approaches this thematic focus from a genetic, dietary, and cultural-behavioral perspective. CANHR is also examining and mining other Alaska Native health research data sets, such as the data produced by the NSF-funded Comparative Study of Social Transition in the North: Alaska and Russian Far East, OPP-9496351; and data from the Infant Morbidity and Mortality Cohort study. In addition, CANHR provides seed grants to investigators looking at Alaska Native health disparity issues.