On August 13, 2016, I became the first woman, nurse, and industrial engineer to serve as director of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). From its beginning in 1836 as a small collection of books in the library of the U.S. Army Surgeon General’s office, NLM has become a global force in accelerating biomedical discovery and fostering evidence-based practices. I am proud to direct this esteemed organization and delighted to guide it towards its third century beginning in 2036.
This has been an exciting five years for NLM.
We accelerated data-driven discoveries and advanced training in analytics and data science across NIH and around the world. Our genomic resources played a crucial role in supporting NIH and the scientific community’s ability to understand a novel virus and address the COVID-19 pandemic. NLM investigators developed innovative uses of deep learning and artificial intelligence and applied them to a wide range of problems – ranging from interpretation of clinical images to improving search and retrieval of highly relevant citations from NLM’s PubMed biomedical literature database.
NLM pioneered strategies to link data sets to articles through our PubMed Central (PMC) digital archive, and doubled the size of the NLM-supported Network of the National Library of Medicine—reaching almost every congressional district in the United States with the capacity to connect NLM resources to communities in need.
We provided technical expertise to develop a secure single sign-on to a wide range of controlled data resources, and redeployed our research infrastructure to help public health authorities detect foodborne outbreaks and track the emergence of coronavirus variants. We also advanced our use of automated-first indexing to make sure that the published literature is available to our stakeholders as quickly as possible.
With the support and collaboration of other components of NIH, we are building a 21st century digital library that uses our collections to offer literature, data, analytical models, and new approaches to scientific communications that are accessible, sustainable, and available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
NLM’s archival collections continue to grow and evolve as the archival records of individuals, organizations, and other communities in health and medicine are increasingly created and communicated electronically or digitally. We expanded the formats and types of records we collect—and make accessible and usable— to include born-digital formats such as websites, social media, and data sets. For example, NLM deployed innovative techniques to prospectively curate and add COVID-19-related information from traditional news, social media, and other sources to our Digital Collections. These collections preserve for future research the ephemeral online record of modern health crises, documenting the work and experiences of health care providers, researchers, government agencies, news agencies, patients, and caregivers.
As a nurse and an industrial engineer specializing in health systems engineering applied to patient self-management, I bring a perspective to NLM that expands its mandate from supporting biomedical researchers and clinical practitioners to one that aggressively supports the health of the nation.
During my tenure, NLM’s footprint has expanded by:
- Growing our research enterprise in support of data-driven discovery;
- Supporting key priorities of the NIH in data science, access to secure data repositories, and community engagement;
- Strengthening the integrity and efficiency of our internal resources to accelerate the acquisition, preservation, and dissemination of biomedical data; and
- Expanding our commitment to public outreach and engagement.
Two guiding principles have shaped my work:
One NLM
I initiated the One NLM concept as an organizing framework during my first year as director of NLM. One NLM creates a rallying point, making explicit that all our offices and divisions work in concert and in support of NLM’s mission. As described in my January 2017 blog post entitled, One NLM:
One NLM emphasizes the integration of all our valuable divisions and services under a single mantle and acknowledges the interdependency and engagement across our programs. Certainly, each of our stellar divisions . . . have important, well-refined missions that will continue to serve science and society into the future. The moniker of One NLM weaves the work of each division into a common whole. Our strategic plan will set forth the direction for all of the National Library of Medicine, building on and augmenting the particular contributions of each division.
Strengthening the NLM Senior Leadership Team
I employ a team model of leadership—engaging the deputy director, four division directors, and four office directors in biweekly meetings. With the support of external consultants, we engaged in a one-year leadership development activity focused on building capacity for joint decision making, improving risk tolerance, and creating an environment that supports trans-NLM collaborative problem solving. I found that continued engagement with individual members and the leadership team established an organizational milieu that led to improved trust in each other. And the team, which held up in good stead during a period of maximum telework in response to COVID-19, ensured the innovative mobilization of NLM resources to help NIH rapidly assume new research programs, respond to public health needs, and most importantly serve as a trusted source of information.
What I’ve Learned
While I remain true to my core values and beliefs, I’m not the same Patti Brennan as I was when I entered the ‘Mezzanine’ floor of NLM’s Building 38 nearly five years ago. I’ve learned to mobilize and reward the talents of the 1,700 people working at NLM to achieve common goals. I figured out how to work with a boss, something few academics ever actually face. I’m better at finding the niche into NIH conversations and policy-setting meetings where the talents of NLM and our deep understanding of data science accelerate NIH’s mission to turn discovery into health. I’ve created space in conversations for the voices of others, particularly the members of my leadership team with whom, I’ve learned, complement my vision and drive with their knowledge and discernment. It’s been a great ride!
How does the you of 2021 compare to the you of 2016?
Brava!
Thanks, Sister!