NLM Musings from the Mezzanine
Innovations in Health Information from the Director of the National Library of Medicine
One of the great joys of being the Director of the National Library of Medicine is the many opportunities for me to express gratitude. In the past, I have given thanks to NLM staff who are veterans (2021), for progress during my tenure (2020), and to our amazing NLM staff members (2019). This year, I … Continue reading Giving Thanks Where Thanks is Due
Right at this very moment, the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 2022 Annual Symposium is underway in Washington, D.C., and we encourage you to visit NLM @ AMIA 2022 for updates on NLM's products and programs. Now this may sound quite familiar to those of you who have attended AMIA annual symposiums in Washington, D.C., … Continue reading The More AMIA Changes, the More It Stays the Same . . .
Well, this is a question too big for even the largest biomedical library in the world to answer. Our users are everywhere, and in fact, the same user may approach us with very different needs or personas, such as the brilliant cell biologist who is also the mother of a sick toddler. Today, I am … Continue reading Who Really Are Our Users, and How Can We Help Them?
Over the past month, students across the country started their first day of school—it’s a day of excitement, promise, and the hope of new growth. For some students, including those who were at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, it’s a challenging time—how to reach for the future without the pain of the past. Importantly, … Continue reading Engaging with Purpose: Libraries as Healing Spaces
This blog contains my remarks from the 2022 Lindberg-King Lecture and Scientific Symposium: Science, Society, and the Legacy of Donald A.B. Lindberg, M.D., which took place on September 1, 2022. Watch a recording of the event here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTDPTxjL6oc&t=10617s I had the great fortune of becoming the director of the National Library of Medicine immediately following … Continue reading When You Stand on the Shoulders of a Giant, What Do You See?
I have spent much of the last year deeply involved in the creation of the very first NIH Digital Strategy Plan—an effort that requires listening across myriad NIH institutions and our stakeholders to glean what each finds important to our mission of seeking out and applying fundamental health care knowledge. I am proud to serve … Continue reading The Importance of Listening—and Listening More—in Strategic Planning
Meet my close colleague, Dr. Dina Demner-Fushman! This brilliant researcher is the face behind what many of you have already accessed on NLM’s websites. Many of you will agree with me when I say that having one PhD is extremely impressive–but would you believe she has TWO?! In addition to her master’s degree, Dr. Demner-Fushman … Continue reading Meet the NLM Investigators: Dr. Demner-Fushman Knows the Answers to Your Questions!
Last week I turned 69! Can you believe that??? This is so amazing to me—how could I be THAT OLD?? Two years ago (when I was just 67!), I shared that… In midlife, I think I’m where I’m supposed to be, because I feel like I’m 39, think I look like I’m 49, believe I … Continue reading Is Age Really Just a Number?
In mid-May, at their 2022 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition in Houston, Texas, I received a great honor from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN): the AACN Pioneering Spirit Award. I was delighted to receive this prestigious award, which recognizes significant contributions that influence progressive and critical care nursing worldwide and … Continue reading How Being an ICU Nurse Prepared Me to be NLM Director
As we start year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s time for NLM to take stock of the parts of our past that will support the next normal and what we might need to change as we continue to fulfill our mission to acquire, collect, preserve, and disseminate biomedical literature to the world. Today, I … Continue reading The Next Normal: Supporting Biomedical Discovery, Clinical Practice, and Self-Care