THURS-029 - Immersive Learning with Indigenous Communities: Cultivating Public Health Leadership Through Practicum Experience in Rural Alaska

Brief Abstract Summary: Discover how a short-term immersion program can transform workforce readiness while advancing equity for rural and Indigenous communities. This session highlights the Alaska Immersion Program, a 12-day experience beginning in Anchorage with interprofessional simulation cases and continuing in Bethel with hands-on learning across clinical and public health departments. Participants will explore how mentorship, reflective practice, and cultural humility are embedded to strengthen leadership, resilience, and collaboration. Key takeaways include strategies for integrating interprofessional education into practicum experiences, fostering student advocacy, and building authentic partnerships that improve health outcomes and trust among Indigenous populations. By the end of the session, attendees will recognize how immersive learning rooted in local contexts cultivates globally relevant skills and offers a replicable model for preparing equity-driven public health professionals.

Detailed abstract description: Health education professionals must prepare the next generation of leaders to address increasingly complex challenges in public health. Traditional practicum experiences often fall short in building leadership, mentoring, and cultural humility skills needed for diverse and underserved contexts. Rural and Indigenous populations face persistent inequities in access, outcomes, and workforce representation, making authentic, practice-based learning essential.

This presentation introduces the Alaska Immersion Program, a 12-day initiative that fulfills the MPH Applied Practice Experience while strengthening workforce competencies. Conducted in partnership with the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Rural Immersion Institute of the North, the program begins in Anchorage with interprofessional simulation cases reflecting rural and behavioral health realities. Students then transition to Bethel, Alaska, where they engage directly with clinical and public health departments, Indigenous health organizations, and community leaders. This design integrates classroom learning with on-the-ground practice while embedding faculty mentorship and reflection to support resilience, leadership, and cultural humility.

Attendees will see how the program bridges academic requirements with meaningful workforce development, emphasizing collaboration, mentoring, and self-care strategies for real-world practice. Evaluation data and student reflections show growth in leadership confidence, cultural competence, and readiness to serve rural and Indigenous populations. Importantly, the program’s community-engaged approach builds trust with Indigenous organizations and contributes to improved health outcomes, offering a model of reciprocity that values both student learning and community benefit.

By attending this session, participants will be able to:

- Identify at least three strategies for embedding leadership and mentoring into short-term immersive practicums.

- Evaluate how interprofessional simulations and fieldwork enhance student readiness to address rural and Indigenous health inequities.

- Describe two approaches for building partnerships with Indigenous and rural communities that foster trust and improve outcomes.

- Apply lessons from the Alaska Immersion Program to design experiential models that strengthen equity-driven workforce development.

This session provides a compelling case study of a transformative practicum model and actionable strategies for integrating interprofessional education, mentoring, and equity into teaching and practice. Grounded in local roots yet globally relevant, the Alaska Immersion Program demonstrates how public health education can cultivate leaders prepared to transform health through education, advocacy, and culturally responsive practice.