Overview

Outreach_rural_community

Our One Health research and education is most visible in community outreach programs across Alaska and throughout the circumpolar North.

Through outreach we seek to work with communities through a One Health lens to understand community needs and collaboratively build strategies to help mitigate problems and support adaptation and resilience with a goal of framing a sustainable future.

These outreach programs provide a platform for applying information gleaned from community-based research projects and designing educational programs that fit the context of the students they engage.

If you would like to join one of our One Health outreach teams please register here for more information and updates as they become available.

Hub Outpost Program

A collaboration between University of Alaska Fairbanks, Colorado State University and PetSmart Charities 

The HOP team is dedicated to providing preventive veterinary care to animal owners in the YK Delta of Alaska who experience financial and geographical barriers in access to care for their pets. The remote nature of the villages in the YK Delta provides challenges for veterinarians to access the communities, and barriers to transportation of the animals to Bethel or Anchorage for veterinary care. The care provided by the HOP team is free of judgment of owner lifestyle and financial situation and intended to support the health of communities through the health of the animals. This is primarily accomplished by controlling transmission of zoonotic disease through vaccination and parasite treatments and managing population through spay/neuter surgery. Additionally, this program engages veterinary students who are interested in practicing in rural communities, fostering skills and interest in breaking down barriers to care as they pursue their professional aspirations.  

Learning Library

The Hub Outreach Program provides vaccination and parasite treatment to nearly 50 communities in the YK Delta region, traveling by plane, boat or snow machine to reach isolated communities. Rabies is an important public health concern in this region, affecting wildlife, humans and pets. 

While traveling to villages, Dr. Meythaler-Mullins prioritizes community outreach whenever possible. This includes talking with the community about rabies and other common pathogens, growing dog populations and spay/neuter, being safe around dogs, and reporting dog bites. Dr. Laurie and veterinary students visit local schools in the community to talk to students about veterinary medicine and animal care. 

Information for two-week externship rotation opportunities for fourth year  veterinary students at Colorado State University. The CSU student sharepoint site with application information and information for accepted students can be found here.

Students will be based in Bethel, Alaska and help provide free spay/neuter, vaccination and deworming services to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Region.  On rotation, students will travel to villages with Dr. Laurie Meythaler-Mullins to perform spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinate and deworm at no cost to the community. 

The One Health Veterinary Intern (OHVI) position will be located in Bethel, Alaska, and Dr Meythaler-Mullins will directly oversee the intern. For the first two months of the OHVI, the intern will work directly alongside the Community Outreach and Public Health Veterinarian (COPHV). The intern will then be required to complete an educational rotation at the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital and an additional rotation with another surgical program. These training experiences will provide additional opportunities for surgical skill and development. The OHVI is an important piece in the long-term goal to relieve the veterinary shortage situation in this and other regions, with the OHVI serving as a potential feeder program to these underserved communities.