The Michael E. DeBakey Librarian Outreach & Community Collaboration Award

2024 Nominations Now Accepted

The Michael E. DeBakey Librarian Outreach & Community Collaboration Award, for outstanding outreach librarians serving rural or underserved populations, was established in the early 1990s to recognize the contributions to medical education and librarianship by Michael E. DeBakey, M.D. (1908 – 2008). A world-renowned American cardiac surgeon, innovator, medical educator, and international medical statesman, Dr. DeBakey worked tirelessly in numerous capacities to improve national and international standards of health care. This award is presented to a practicing health sciences librarian who works in the tradition of the incredible advances and medical innovations of Dr. DeBakey to provide valuable health information to underserved and rural populations.

The award was renamed in 2021 to the Michael E. DeBakey Librarian Outreach and Community Collaboration Award and the selection criteria were expanded to reflect the current focus of the National Library of Medicine strategic plan and the evolving ways health sciences librarians provide outreach to underserved communities and create community collaborations.

The recipient of the Michael E. DeBakey Medical Library Services Outreach Award will be publicly recognized at the Friends of the National Library of Medicine Annual Awards Celebration in September, 2024 in Washington, DC (exact date will be announced in July 2023).

View our past award recipients. You can submit your 2024 nomination electronically below.

Nomination requirements

  • Nominees must be currently employed as a health sciences librarian and have worked in such a position for at least five years immediately preceding the award.
  • The nomination may be made for contributions by the librarian as demonstrated by excellence and achievement in leadership, publications, teaching, research, special projects or any combination of these.
  • Nominations must be in writing and contain at least the following elements:
    • The official nomination form
    • A precise description of the nominee’s achievements, no more than 5 pages please
    • A current resume or curriculum vitae
    • Any additional information that would assist the jury in the evaluation of the nomination and selection of the recipient. Please include no more than ten extra pages.
  • Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged.
  • All nominations must be received by November 1, 2023 via mail, email or the Friends of the NLM website using the form below.

Nomination Form

Michael E. DeBakey Librarian Outreach & Community Collaboration Award 2024, Nomination

Nominee's personal information

Please write below the nominee’s name, telephone number, email address, and current address.

Supporting documentation:

Describe the nature and quality of the nominee’s work along with the impact of this work on the community served, with emphasis on the nominee’s significant professional achievements in the field of library service to rural or underserved communities. Descriptions should be no more than five pages double-spaced.

Maximum upload size: 15MB
Maximum upload size: 15MB
Maximum upload size: 15MB

Submitted by

Please provide your name, title, organization, current address, telephone number and email address.