University of Louisville Magazine

Winter- Spring 2016

The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.

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W I N T E R / S P R I N G U O F L M A G A Z I N E | 51 A C R O S S C A M P U S Alumni Spotlight Christine Roalofs, 94DMD Making the trek Twice now Christine Roalofs, 94DMD, traded in her dental instruments for a team of dogs and the Alaskan wilderness. Roalofs is a two-time competitor in the Iditarod, a two-week Alaskan dogsled race. But racing is not her only passion. Six times a year, Roalofs travels to the remote northwest areas of Alaska to provide dental care for the children of rural residents and natives of the Alaskan countryside, the very places she mushes through with her team of dogs. "It's hard work," she said. "You're using portable gear and travel is hard because the weather can be so unpredictable." Why does she do it? It started in 2002 when Roalofs was looking for a way to see more of rural Alaska outside of her hometown of Anchorage. She now makes the treks annually, leaving her home practice to care for children ages f ve and under in some of the most remote areas of the state. "It's just the reward of providing a service for people that appreciate it…I get one shot at this and we go and try to f x as many things as we can f x," she said. "We keep going back because people are genuinely grateful. They say thank you and you can tell they mean it."

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