Vin Gupta, MD, MPA, MSt is a practicing pulmonologist, public health expert, and healthcare innovator whose career spans clinical medicine, global health, health technology, and public communication. A physician with more than a decade of service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, he has held roles with the CDC, World Bank Group, China CDC, and the Pentagon's Center for Global Health Engagement, focusing on pandemic preparedness and global health security. His research has been published in leading medical journals, including The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, and BMJ.
Dr. Gupta has also held leadership roles across the health technology sector, contributing to the development of health features for Apple Watch and serving as Chief Medical Officer for Amazon Pharmacy and New Health Initiatives. He is currently Managing Director of Healthcare Innovation at Manatt Health, where he advises healthcare systems on digital transformation and generative AI adoption.
A medical analyst for NBC News, MS NOW, and CNBC, Dr. Gupta is a trusted national voice on healthcare, public health, and innovation. He holds degrees from Princeton University, Columbia University, Harvard Kennedy School, and the University of Cambridge, and completed his medical training and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He's a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sits on the National Board of Directors of the American Lung Association.
Emily Junck, MD completed medical school at the University of Michigan, residence in Emergency Medicine at the University of Washington, and then an EMS fellowship in Auckland, New Zealand.
She has previously worked as an ED physician in Juneau, Kodiak, and Bellingham, Washington. Dr. Junck currently works at Providence Alaska Medical Center and is the medical director for LifeMed Alaska.
She has an interest in rural and remote EMS, community paramedicine, telemedicine, and flight medicine. Outside of work, she enjoys skiing, mountain biking, international travel, and ballroom dancing.
Joelle Hall is the President of the Alaska AFL-CIO. Elected in 2020, she is the first woman to hold the role. Prior to her election, she served as Political Director of the Alaska AFL-CIO for 15 years.
Joelle has worked in Alaska politics for nearly 30 years with emphasis on electoral campaigns and advocacy work. She has built and managed large campaigns and community coalitions.
In a previous life, Joelle was an interrogator and paratrooper in the U.S. Army and an AFS exchange student to Honduras.
Joelle received a Bachelor's Degree in Foreign Language from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She and her husband Mallie have two grown children and live in Peters Creek.
Angelia Trujillo, DNP, MS, WHNP-BC has more than 20 years of experience in women’s health, public health, forensic nursing, and nursing education. She currently practices as a board-certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, supporting women’s health across the lifespan through comprehensive gynecologic, reproductive, sexual, and preventive care.
Dr. Trujillo is a Professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage School of Nursing, where she has taught since 2007. She has served as the Primary Nurse Planner for the Alaska Nurses Association’s continuing education program since 2013. She is a frequent presenter at the local, state, and national levels and has contributed extensively to peer-reviewed literature, clinical references, and professional guides.
Dr. Trujillo has an expansive background in forensic nursing and founded the Alaska Comprehensive Forensic Training Academy in 2019. She worked with Senator Murkowski’s office to develop legislation based on the academy’s work that was included in the 2022 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. She is also a founding board member and Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Forensic Nursing.
In 2025, Dr. Trujillo was inducted into the Alaska Nurses Association Hall of Fame in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the nursing profession in Alaska.
Dr. Trujillo earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice with a focus on Forensic Nursing from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 2008. She also holds a Master of Science in Advanced Community Health Nursing from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a Master of Science in Nursing as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner from Frontier Nursing University.
Betty K. Anderson, MD is a fellowship-trained board-certified addiction medicine physician, holds a Masters in Bioethics and Compassionate Care, and was trained in full-spectrum family medicine.
She currently practices both inpatient and outpatient addiction medicine, serves as faculty for the Alaska Addiction Medicine Fellowship, is passionate about teaching, and has lectured for various organizations across the state.
She is passionate about public policy, public health, and increasing access to addiction medicine care in Alaska, as well as the intersection between women's health, addiction, and obstetric care.
Dr. Anderson currently serves as President-Elect of the Alaska Chapter for the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
Jacob Kelly, MD, MHS, FACC is a board-certified cardiologist and advanced heart failure specialist with over a decade of clinical, research, and leadership experience spanning academic medicine, community cardiology, and telehealth. His current clinical practice focuses on heart failure, cardiac transplant, and cardiovascular prevention.
Dr. Kelly is the Governor of the Alaska Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and serves on the board of the Alaska Cardiovascular Research Foundation. He previously served as Medical Director of Alaska’s largest heart failure program. He is also the founder and Medical Director of ROOL Health, a multi-state cardiovascular prevention and performance medicine practice.
Dr. Kelly has served as site principal investigator for more than 15 clinical trials and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles. His professional interests include cardiovascular prevention and longevity, digital health, and performance-based health optimization.
Terra Colegrove, RN is a registered nurse with 40 years of experience and currently serves as President of AaNA's Providence Registered Nurses Bargaining Unit. She has dedicated a majority of her career to the operating room, where she's had the privilege of caring for patients during some of their most critical moments. Throughout her nursing journey, she developed a deep commitment to patient advocacy, compassionate care, and excellence in surgical nursing.
On October 31, 2025, Terra's life took an unexpected turn when she underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured colon. During that procedure, she was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent Hartmann's procedure. Her treatment journey after surgery and hospitalization included 12 rounds of chemotherapy infusions and six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy.
Experiencing healthcare from the patient's perspective has given Terra a deeper appreciation for the strength, courage, and resilience required to face serious illness. Today, she draws upon both her professional experience and personal journey to encourage, support, and inspire others facing similar challenges.
Joey Peacott, BSN, RN, OCN, CRNI, CHPN is a registered nurse with over 25 years of oncology experience. He began his career at Boston City Hospital in 1979, where he spent two decades in a variety of nursing roles. He later worked in inpatient oncology at the University of Kansas Hospital, caring for medical, surgical, and gynecologic oncology patients, including those receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants.
After relocating to Alaska in 2002, Joey worked on the inpatient oncology unit at Providence Alaska Medical Center for two years before joining the outpatient Cancer Center, where he continues to work in both the Infusion Center and Radiation Oncology.
Throughout his career, he has presented on oncology topics to nurses, pharmacists, providers, and the general public, including as an instructor for the Oncology Nursing Society Chemotherapy/ Biotherapy two-day course for a number of years.
Joey graduated from Newton-Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing in 1979 and received his BSN from the University of the State of New York in 1984. Since his first year as a nurse, he has been actively involved in union work, serving in roles including union representative, steward, and negotiator.
Britteny M. Howell, PhD, FAGHE, CPG, CDP is Associate Professor and Chair of Health Sciences at UAA, where she also directs the Healthy Aging Research Lab and the certificate program in Gerontology. Her research focuses on healthy aging, social determinants of health, community-engaged research, and health promotion among older adults and people with disabilities, particularly in Alaska and other circumpolar settings. Dr. Howell serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology and has published extensively on aging, physical activity, and community health. Her work emphasizes translating research into practical strategies that improve health, well-being, and quality of life for all Alaskans.
Nathan T. West, PhD is a Research Assistant Professor of Behavioral Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) within the Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services. Dr. West’s research is focused on applying community-engaged approaches to health promotion and chronic disease prevention in nontraditional spaces (e.g., faith-based organizations, barbershops).
Alexandria Preston is the the Provider Outreach Strategist at Alzheimer's Resource Alaska. She leads statewide provider outreach efforts to improve access to proactive brain health information, dementia support, and educational resources for healthcare providers. She also assists with other outreach efforts to improve community-wide dementia education and brain health awareness. The Outreach team is focused on strengthening partnerships across Alaska and expanding access to evidence-based education, with a focus on serving rural, Tribal, and other historically underserved communities, including our Veteran population.
Settling here in 2025 after retiring from her career in the United States Air Force, Alexandria is new to Alaska. She has extensive experience researching, developing, and delivering tailored presentations and trainings to a variety of audiences. She has embraced her new role, engaging with the full spectrum of healthcare providers and their staffs, providing them with practical tools to support brain health, dementia risk reduction, and quality dementia care. She is passionate about helping Alaskans access the knowledge and resources they need to live well and support one another across every stage of the dementia journey.
Kevin Myrick, RN, BS, CPAHA began his healthcare career as a ground transport EMT in the mid-1980s. He completed paramedic training and nursing school simultaneously and began working in an emergency department in 1987. After becoming a paramedic, he worked as an ED technician before later joining the same emergency department as an RN.
After several years in emergency nursing, Kevin became a Level I flight RN, completing more than 2,500 hours in rotor aircraft. He later served as Director of Nursing for an infusion pharmacy while continuing to work per diem in the emergency department and an outpatient surgery center.
Kevin moved to Hawaii in 2004, where he worked in emergency and surgical settings on the Big Island, Oahu, and Kauai. His roles included Perioperative Manager at a children's hospital and Emergency Department Manager at a Level III trauma center and primary stroke center. He later served as Director of Emergency Department, ICU, Respiratory Therapy, and Hospital Operations.
After relocating to Anchorage in 2023, Kevin joined Alaska Regional Hospital as its Stroke Coordinator and later became Director of Stroke, Trauma, and Telehealth. He then worked at Providence at Home with Compassus Hospice before joining Providence Alaska Medical Center, where he currently serves as Stroke Coordinator.
In March 2023, Kevin founded the Alaska Stroke Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Kristin VanderEnde, PhD joined the Anchorage Health Department as an epidemiologist in September 2025. She trained as a disease detective with the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service, deploying twice to Liberia in response to the West Africa Ebola outbreak. Kristin has worked as an epidemiologist for the CDC and the World Health Organization. Her most recent posting was in New Delhi, India.
Paul Asicksik Jr. (Iñupiaq and Yup’ik) is a Cultural Programs Manager at the Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC). Paul received his Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, and a minor in Alaska Native Studies from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In his role at ANHC, Paul assists with summer tourism management, managing Indigenous Awareness Workshops throughout the year, and creating ANHC's Throwback Thursdays video series.
Paul is from Shaktoolik, a small village 104 miles from Nome on the Norton Sound Peninsula. Growing up in the Bering Straits, rural Alaska taught Paul many values about respecting the land and elders of all nations.
He was part of a team of panelists for NORADS Arctic Survival Summit at JBER in 2022. Paul was also a featured storyteller at the Anchorage-based National Storytelling Conference in 2002.
