Alaska Native Epidemiology Center

Our goal is to support ANTHC’s mission of “Optimizing health and well-being through collaborative partnerships and services”, by monitoring and reporting on health data, providing technical assistance, and supporting initiatives that promote the health and wellness of Alaska Native People.

The Alaska Native Epidemiology Center (EpiCenter) is located within the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s (ANTHC) Community Health Services, in Anchorage, Alaska. ANTHC provides the highest quality health services for Alaska Native and American Indian people at the Alaska Native Medical Center and across Alaska through training, health education, disease and injury prevention, and rural water and sewer construction. ANTHC, along with the regional Tribal health organizations, comprise the Alaska Tribal Health System, which has the primary goal of improving the health of Alaska Native people.

Established in 1996, the Alaska Native Epidemiology Center (EpiCenter) is one of the twelve Tribal Epidemiology Centers established by the Indian Health Service. The EpiCenter provides public health and epidemiologic services to Alaska Tribal Health Organizations and the Tribal communities they serve.

Alaska Native Epidemiology Center Strategic Plan

Core Purpose

Providing epidemiologic and other public health services to Tribal health organizations and the Tribal communities they serve.
4 Core Functions

Long-term Goals   

Target: 2032
  1. Be the epidemiological resource for data analysis, translation, and dissemination for the Alaska Tribal Health System.
  2. Be recognized as a trusted public health training and technical assistance resource in the Tribal Health System.
  3. Obtain recognition of ANTHC as having limited public health authority at the state level for the purposes of data sharing.

Short-term Goals

Target: 2027

1. Improve Tribal public health by identifying gaps and opportunities

  • Objective 1: Conduct assessment to identify gaps and opportunities.
  • Objective 2: Select and address gaps and opportunities.  

2. Increase EpiCenter’s internal effectiveness and strengthen our infrastructure

  • Objective 1: Foster a work environment where staff are encouraged and have opportunities to share their expertise.
  • Objective 2: Foster an empowered workforce and cultivate development opportunities for staff.
  • Objective 3: Incorporate cultural responsiveness into work throughout the department.
  • Objective 4: Determine how to measure and track internal effectiveness and infrastructure.

3. Build EpiCenter’s external relationships and reputation to expand our reach across the Alaska Tribal Health System

  • Objective 1: Implement the communications plan to share our value and expertise across the public health system.
Operating Principles
  • Cultural Responsiveness
  • Excellence
  • Service
  • Data-driven Approaches
  • Capacity Building
  • Sustainability
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Events & Resources

Tribal Public Health Summit

February 18-19, 2026

The goal of the first Alaska Tribal Public Health Summit is to bring together Tribal leaders and staff from across the state to work on creative, collaborative solutions in a changing public health landscape.

Attendee Registration

TPH Careers Training Module

We have created an interactive training module to teach you about Tribal public health and career options.

Access the Module

Success Stories

ANEC Success Story

Basic Applied Epidemiology Training

In September, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s (ANTHC) Alaska Native Epidemiology Center hosted a Basic Applied Epidemiology for Public Health Workers training to strengthen public health capacity and infrastructure. 

Recent Publications

Recommendations for Providing Health Care Services to People Living with HIV within the Alaska Tribal Health System

After 40 years, the HIV epidemic continues to be a serious public health challenge in the US. The HIV National Strategic Plan for the United States: A Roadmap to End the HIV Epidemic (2021-2025) identifies “stigma, discrimination, medical mistrust, safety and lack of access to mental health care” as barriers to seeking HIV service. Research on the experiences of stigma and discrimination among Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) peoples living with HIV (PLWH) in Alaska is currently very limited. To address this gap, ANTHC conducted a study to capture the lived experiences of Alaska Native and American Indian individuals living with HIV who receive care within the Tribal health system, as well as to gather insights from health care providers. The result is a report with recommendations that are intended to foster a safer and more supportive environment for AN/AI people living with HIV. We extend our sincere gratitude to all participants for their valuable input and constructive feedback.

Please reach out to Connie Jessen (cmjessen@anthc.org, ANTHC Research Services) with any questions.

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