Della Keats Summer Enrichment Program

The Della Keats programs are named for Della Puyuk Keats, an Iñupiaq woman with no formal education but an interest in human anatomy and folk medicine. She became a traditional healer in the Kotzebue area.

DK1, DK2 (the Della Keats Summer Research Program) and the Alaska Native Community Advancement in Psychology program all provide no-cost opportunities for eligible high school juniors and seniors to spend six weeks of their summer in UAA dorms-supervised, no drugs or alcohol allowed-while working full time to job shadow doctors, nurses and dentists and learn academic skills they'll need if they aspire to become a health care professional.

To be eligible, students applying for one of the programs must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or above in challenging courses, write an essay about why they want to become a health care professional, submit letters of recommendation and meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Come from an ethnic background that is underrepresented in medicine.

• Live in rural Alaska, off the road system.

• Be a first-generation American.

• Be the first in his or her family to go to college.

• Speak English as a second language.

• Be economically disadvantaged.

DK1 students learn anatomy and physiology, microbiology and genetics, biomedical ethics, medical terminology, lab procedures, medical diagnosis and treatment (using SIM manikins), written and oral communication, college survival skills, money management and how to use computers and other technology.

Celeste Kukahiko, left, Tamija Woods, center, and Erik Sheldon are students in the Della Keats Health Sciences Summer Program. Photo by Theodore Kincaid/UAA
Celeste Kukahiko, left, Tamija Woods, center, and Erik Sheldon are students in the Della Keats Health Sciences Summer Program. Photo by Theodore Kincaid/University of Alaska Anchorage

Two other related residential programs take place alongside DK1: the Della Keats Summer Research Program (DK2) and the Alaska Native Community Advancement in Psychology Program (ANCAP).

For the students, ANCAP is almost identical to DK1. The three ANCAP students take part in almost all of the same classes and activities as the DK1 students. Two of their classes are, however, replaced with a psychology course, for which the students earn three hours of college credit.

DK1 and ANCAP students may apply to return for a second summer to take part in DK2, said Cassandra Dale, Della Keats program coordinator. This year, four DK2 students are undertaking mentor-guided research internships in health-related fields ranging from molecular biology to behavioral psychology.

To help students learn money-management skills before college, the Della Keats students each receive a stipend that's doled out in installments over the six weeks. Breakfasts are provided but students are expected to use their stipend to pay for lunches, dinners, entertainment and any other incidental expenses.

Dr. Ian van Tets, the director of the program, says the Alaska WWAMI School of Medical Education and grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) pay for DK1 and a grant from the New York Life Foundation funds DK2. The cost for each student to take the classes and live on campus is approximately $7,000, van Tets said.

"We're committed to making this a residential program, because without that, you can't have the rural students," he said.