The Alaska State Medical Board is the medical governing board in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. It is staffed by the Division of Occupational Licensing.

The board consists of five physician

Physician

A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

s, one physician assistant

Physician assistant

A physician assistant/associate ' is a healthcare professional trained and licensed to practice medicine with limited supervision by a physician.-General description:...

, and two lay members of the public. Board members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature. The board adopts regulations to carry out the laws governing the practice of Medicine in Alaska. It makes final licensing decisions and takes disciplinary action against people who violate the licensing laws. The board meets four times a year and offers a public comment period at each meeting.