UAA students to train inside ANTHC facilities under new workforce partnership

University of Alaska Anchorage students will train inside the facilities of Alaska's largest Tribal health care organization under a newly launched partnership that places students in clinical settings and other professional areas at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

The agreement routes students toward an employer with more than 4,000 workers, one of the largest in the state, whose clinical operations center on the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage and extend to disease research, wellness programs, the Community Health Aide Program, and the design and construction of rural water and sanitation systems. Students from all backgrounds will be encouraged to participate; the initiative is meant to support employment pathways across many professional disciplines at ANTHC.

The timing follows a period of capital commitment. In July, the U.S. Department of Justice settled long-running litigation with ANTHC for $400 million over contract support costs, the administrative expenses the government owes Tribes that run their own health programs. ANTHC is directing settlement resources toward the largest expansion of the Alaska Native Medical Center and a new 80-bed Skilled Nursing Facility on the Alaska Native Health Campus, on track for completion in January 2027.

"ANTHC is expanding to meet the health needs of Alaska Native and American Indian people. Our Board has made historic, multi-year investments to grow and modernize clinical facilities, as we also build critical infrastructure in rural communities that supports healthy Tribes," said ANTHC President and CEO Natasha Singh. She described the partnership as part of a commitment to "becoming an employer of choice for mission-driven Alaskans."

UAA will provide the academic preparation and help connect students with hands-on clinical, research and other professional experience at ANTHC. "With UAA being the primary provider of health education in Alaska, UAA is thrilled to partner with ANTHC," said UAA Chancellor Cheryl Siemers, adding that the arrangement expands access to "clinical and research environments they might not have had access to before."

Whether placements translate into rural staffing is a separate question the announcement does not address. The Alaska Rural Health Transformation Program narrative notes that every community in the state carries at least one Health Professional Shortage Area designation, and that rural areas see high turnover and heavy reliance on temporary workers. A 2024 Indian Health Service facilities assessment found most Alaska Tribal health facilities undersized for the populations they serve. For rural Alaska Native patients, that means limited provider availability, heavy reliance on community health aides for primary and emergency care, and long travel distances to reach facilities such as the Alaska Native Medical Center. For the Tribal health workforce already in place, persistent shortages and financial pressure translate into higher patient loads and continued dependence on temporary staff.