NLM Musings from the Mezzanine
Innovations in Health Information from the Director of the National Library of Medicine
One thing I’ve learned as a federal employee is that nothing at work ever happens all alone. As I look to retirement from NIH and federal service at the end of this month, I invite you to look backward at what we have accomplished together and look forward to the next journey for NLM!
This summer the United States is experiencing an unprecedented heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees for days on end across the country. When health challenges emerge, people often turn to libraries as sources of information and support. NLM is proud of its resources that link people to the trusted health information they need.
Recently, Meryl and I visited in person with the trainees at Gallaudet University, where we were challenged to consider how language affects terminology and knowledge formalization, especially when engaging with the Deaf community.
The ”Jerry Jar” crept into our lingo as a shorthand way of letting me say, “Here’s something important to handle—I am not quite sure what to do with it and I believe that it needs your expertise.” As we planned for his departure, I sought his advice about what to do with the “Jerry Jar” that had become so invaluable to our operations. “Smash it,” he said!
Meet Dr. Michael Chiang! After he planned for a career as an engineer, he found that his interest in machines could be applied to medicine and help treat people with disease. So he switched his focus (if you will!) to vision science before joining NIH as Director of NEI in November 2020.
I have been taking some time recently to talk with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Leadership Team about the values that guide what we do at NLM and the way they influence our work.
As part of our ongoing Meet the NLM Investigators series, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Nash Rochman, PhD, an Independent Research Scholar in NLM’s National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Computational Biology Branch and member of the NLM Intramural Research Program.
Right now, I am reading The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. One quote that struck me the most is, “Libraries are lungs. Books the fresh air breathed in to keep the heart beating, to keep the brain imagining, to keep hope alive.”
On February 7, I had the honor of attending and speaking at a Celebration of Dr. Roger I. Glass in the Ruth Kirschstein Auditorium on the main NIH campus to pay tribute to my dear colleague, Dr. Roger Glass. Read more about how his work at the NIH Fogarty International Center advanced global health research.
NIH leadership recently gathered for its annual planning and evaluation retreat, and for the first time since late 2019, we all sat together in one large room. I cannot capture in words how inspiring and energizing it was to be together—but let me tell you, it really was! Through masks and with appropriate physical distancing, … Continue reading Working to Innovate the Future of Work