The last frontier of Ohio State global education is a bit closer to home right here in the U.S. – Alaska.

For the first time at Ohio State, a global education program was based in the United States. Students on the Exploring Medical Care Delivery and Education from a Global View: Circumpolar Communities program departed for Anchorage, Alaska, for one week in July 2022. Developed and instructed by Lorraine Wallace and Steven Mousetes in the College of Medicine, and led onsite by Mousetes and Jenny Bickley in the Office of International Affairs, students experienced linkages between medical care delivery, population health metrics and health disparities in circumpolar communities.

“The course goals were for students to understand the historical, cultural, political and environmental influences that have shaped Alaska’s development since the 1958 Statehood Act,” Wallace explained. “We wanted students to grasp how Alaska’s remoteness, climatic environment and inaccessibility contribute to unique population health challenges, opportunities and resilience.”

Site visits included the Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center, Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services, Providence Alaska Medical Center, Alaskan Native Tribal Health Consortium and more.

 “My time in Alaska greatly increase the respect I have for Alaskan Native cultures, and it showed me the importance of culturally competent healthcare delivery,” molecular science major Bradley Butsch reflected. “I will use the lessons I learned on this trip in my future as a healthcare provider.”

This global education program will be traveling again to Alaska in May 2023. For more information, visit go.osu.edu/AlaskaMedical.