Senate committee interviews Dr. Robert Scala and Hannah Milke and recommends both appointees be forwarded to joint session

The Senate Health and Social Services Committee on May 5 heard testimony from two gubernatorial appointees to the State Medical Board and recommended both be forwarded to a joint session for consideration.

Dr. Robert Scala introduced himself as a family medicine physician practicing in Eagle River at True North Medicine and said he applied because the board “was getting short on members” and risked lacking quorums to adopt regulations, conduct fair investigations and discipline providers when standards are not met. He said the board must balance protecting patients with avoiding unnecessary barriers that deter providers from serving Alaska.

"We need qualified candidates to keep the quorum functioning so that we don't fold our medical board and diminish service to the patient and medical community," Dr. Scala said. He described measures to improve access, including streamlined licensure, appropriate telehealth, team-based care and targeted expansion of scope for physician assistants and nurse practitioners where evidence supports that approach.

Committee members questioned Dr. Scala about geographic diversity, women’s health experience and an earlier, contentious board action. Senator Tobin noted the current board membership was concentrated in the South Central corridor and asked how Scala would represent other regions; Scala said his practice draws patients from far away and he would reach out to stakeholders and associations for perspective. When asked about a prior action in which the board drafted a regulation related to gender‑affirming care without a case before it, Dr. Scala said he was not familiar with that action and could not comment without reviewing the record.

The committee then heard from Hannah Milke, who said she is a lifelong Alaskan and would serve as a public member (explicitly unaffiliated with the medical industry). Milke confirmed she graduated high school in 2025 and was homeschooled, and she told senators she does not have medical training or CPR certification. She said maintaining a full, stable board is a chief concern and that she would rely on document review, consultation with board members and the law when evaluating disciplinary matters.

"I will be the only woman on the board as well," Milke said, adding she expects her youth to be an advantage representing younger Alaskans. Milke described volunteer work with TeamPACT Leadership Schools, a nonprofit Christian organization that runs week-long civic programs for teenagers.

Chair Dunbar closed public testimony for the nominees after finding no speakers in the room or online. Under AS 39.05.080 the committee reviewed and recommended forwarding Robert Scala and Hannah Milke to a joint session for consideration, with the chair noting that signing the committee report does not equal an individual member’s approval or disapproval. The committee adjourned at 4:24 p.m.