Newsletters

Your contributions to the Friends of the National Library of Medicine (FNLM) are vital to the success of this organization and are greatly appreciated. With your help, the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM’s) instrumental role in the distribution of biomedical information will continue to be recognized and valued by the public, the biomedical and informatics communities and Congress.

The NLM is an invaluable institution that researchers, clinicians and patients around the globe rely on for up-to-date information on diseases, conditions, medicines, treatment options and healthy living.  NLM provides a wealth of biomedical information from 86 databases, 24 hours-a-day at https://eresources.nlm.nih.gov/nlm_eresources/.

NLM Strategic Plan • 2017-2027

Following is an excerpt of a note written by the Director of the NLM, Dr. Patti Brennan, to the National Network of Libraries of Medicine about NLM’s Strategic Plan over the next ten years, 2017-2027.

Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD
Director, National Library of Medicine
Bethesda, MD

I am pleased to present you with A Platform for Biomedical Discovery and Data-Powered Health, the NLM Strategic Plan for 2017-2027. As it approaches its third century, the National Library of Medicine will do for data what it has done for the literature – create the tools to make it FAIR, guide the development of repositories to store it in a safe and accessible manner, and develop the linkages that makes seamless pathways between the literature, models, data, visualization tools, and people. The NLM will play a critical role in driving the shift to data-powered research and the inherent growing demand for access to our resources. We will foster new kinds of scientific communication while preserving the world’s biomedical knowledge in sustainable ways. In partnerships across NIH and around the world we will bring together the people and processes that create biomedical knowledge for health care, health, and economic growth.

This plan will guide us as we expand and enhance our research, development, training, and or literature and data resources to make more biomedical data easier to find, use, and understand. In doing so, we are fully committed to partnership with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, the NIH Institutes and Centers, NIH grantees, scientists, health professionals, and members of the public. Over 1700 NLM staff members, hundreds of national and international librarians, informatics professionals, biomedical scientists, data scientists, clinicians, public health specialists, and other stakeholders advised us as we charted a pathway for the next ten years…

Science Day at NIH
The 5th annual Science Day at NIH will be held on April 25th in the Natcher Auditorium at NIH.  The NLM, FNLM, Mentoring in Medicine (MIM) and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) host this day of science to inspire and prepare kids from diverse backgrounds to become health care and science professionals. Last year, 450 middle and high school students from the Washington metropolitan area attended this event.  Not only did they learn about biomedical career options, they also enjoyed hands-on activities at more than 20 science exhibit tables.

This year, more than 500 students are expected from the Washington metropolitan area. Once again, they will meet leading scientists, ask questions, learn about careers in science and medicine, explore resources of the world’s largest medical library and hands-on science activities, such as studying the muscular skeleton system of the chicken wing, similar in structure and design to a human arm.
Please mark the date on your calendars!  We would be delighted to see the see FNLM Board members at the April 25 Science Day at NIH.

June 13-14, 2018 • Annual Conference: Data Science Innovation

FNLM and NLM are pleased to announce their 2018 conference: “Data Science Innovation at the Intersection of Biomedical Research and the Library.” Biomedical research is increasingly data intensive and intertwined with data science. As the largest provider of digital information services used by scientists, health professionals and members of the public worldwide, the NLM’s role is ever more critical to the future of biomedical research. NLM’s concept of “a push library” is one that proactively engages, breaks new ground and redefines its role in the 21st century.

This conference will bring key stakeholders including researchers, government, industry, publishers and health care consumer representatives, together to provide a forum for presentations and discussions around: supporting data sharing, the changing role of journals and peer review, use of “FAIR” (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data sets, trends in mining big data to yield knowledge, opportunities for trans-NIH data science activities, and more.  The constructive and practical outcomes will benefit producers as well as users of scientific discoveries. Click here to register.

September 25, 2018 • FNLM Awards Gala
The FNLM Awards Gala will be held on September 25, 2018 at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC, 20004.  The evening will begin with a cocktail hour at 6:30 pm, followed by dinner and acceptance of awards at 7:30 pm.Awards to be presented are:  the Paul G. Rogers Communications Award presented by Dr. George Noon; the Donald A.B. Lindberg Distinguished Health Communications Award presented by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn; the Michael E. DeBakey Library Services Outreach Award presented by Julie K. Gaines; and the Nursing Informatics Award presented by Dr. Suzanne Bakken.  Save the Date announcement coming soon.  We hope to see you there.

FNLM Welcomes Two New Board Members

John Glaser, Ph.D.
As the senior vice president of Population Health at Cerner, Dr. John Glaser advances Cerner’s population health solutions, innovative health care, and helps clients maximize their investment in health care information technology.  Prior to Population Health, he was chief executive officer at Siemens Health Services and vice president and chief information officer at Partners HealthCare. He also previously served as vice president of information systems at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  Dr. Glaser was the founding chair of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and the past-president of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). He has served on numerous boards including: eHealth Initiative, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). He is a fellow of CHIME, HIMSS, and the American College of Medical Informatics. He is a former senior advisor to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

Dr. Glaser received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He has written over 200 articles and three books on the strategic application of IT in health care, including the most widely used textbook on the topic, “Healthcare Information Systems: A Practical Approach for Health Care.” He is on the faculty of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the Medical University of South Carolina, the School of Biomedical Informatics at the Texas Health Science Center and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Clarion E. Johnson, M.D.

Clarion E. Johnson, M.D. is a consultant for Safety, Security Health and Environment, Exxon Mobil Corporation. He is the former global medical director of the Medicine and Occupational Health Department for ExxonMobil where he was responsible for the health care of 80,000 employees and affiliate employees worldwide.  His other professional experience includes: attending physician at Fairfax Hospital; senior medical officer and researcher, Evaluation Research Corporation International (ERCI); director, Critical Care Support Laboratory and assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Howard University School of Medicine; assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F. Edward Hebert Medical School; staff cardiologist, Walter Reed Army Medical Center; staff researcher (postdoctoral fellow), Department of Microwave Research, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; and director, CCU/ICU, staff cardiologist, and director, Echocardiography Laboratory, Kimbrough Army Community Hospital.

Dr. Johnson received his M.D. at Yale University School of Medicine and completed his residency at Kings County Hospital Center.  Dr. Johnson is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiology, and occupational medicine. He received his B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College.  Dr. Johnson has published numerous articles in various fields and served on numerous boards.  He is the 2012 recipient of the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Health, Safety, Security, Environment, and Social Responsibility Award.

Transitions

Naomi C. Broering, AHIP, FMLA, Retires
After a long and distinguished career in health sciences librarianship, Naomi C. Broering, AHIP, FMLA, announced her retirement in March 2018, after having served in a number of key leadership positions in biomedical and healthcare community for nearly 50 years.

Broering was the director of the Biomedical Information Resources Center and Medical Center Library at Dahlgren Memorial Library, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, for twenty-two years. She was most recently the dean of Libraries at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM) in San Diego. She currently serves as secretary of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the National Library of Medicine (FNLM).

Broering received her master’s of library science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), followed by a one-year National Library of Medicine (NLM) postgraduate fellowship at the UCLA Biomedical Library. She also completed all coursework for a doctorate in history at UCLA and earned a master’s and bachelor’s (cum laude) from California State University, Long Beach.

Broering is well known and respected for promoting access to health information resources of NLM and the National Institutes of Health. She has conducted outreach to underserved communities populated by Hispanics, African Americans, Native and Pacific Islander Americans, immigrants, refugees, and individuals with HIV.  She has accumulated an extensive list of professional honors, awards, and contributions during her long career.  She served as MLA president in 1996/97 and, in 2003, received MLA’s Marcia C. Noyes Award, MLA’s highest professional distinction. She was named an MLA Fellow in 1989 and a Distinguished Member of MLA’s Academy of Health Information Professionals. In 1986, she received MLA’s Frank Bradway Rogers Information Advancement Award. In 2015, she endowed and received MLA’s first Naomi C. Broering Hispanic Heritage Grant in recognition of her past accomplishments in medical librarianship and library informatics.

Editor’s note: Thanks to Alan Carr, AHIP, Louise Darling Biomedical Library, University of California, Los Angeles, for providing the announcement in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Latitudes, from which this announcement is condensed. 

Celebration of the Life of H. Kenneth Walker, MD

FNLM Executive Vice Chair and Professor of Medicine at Emory University passed away on February 23, 2018. Dr. Walker’s obituary speaks to the remarkable life he led. He leaves a legacy in the seeds he planted with the residents he trained; they have seen a global flowering in healing and healthcare improvements. Dr. Walker’s observations, comments and questions during meetings of NLM’s Board of Regents were informed by a knowledge and lore only held by some. Seamlessly on point and often with humor, he focused on the issue at hand and was never distracted.  As Executive Chair, Dr. Walker’s advice and input were invaluable to the FNLM Board. His insightful guidance, whether whispered as an aside or delivered in an unexpected call, was always welcome and helpful. He eloquently only needed few words to share his profound, great knowledge and experience.  Dr. Walker was a man of true humility, admired and loved by people around the world.  The ever- present twinkle in his eyes, his gentle and homespun sense of humor and his dedication to the teaching and healing arts remain an inspiration. He saw much change and transformation over his 81 years. He was also a change agent, one whose life benefited untold numbers of people. During these challenging times, we need more people like Dr. Walker walking this earth. We are fortunate that he trained so many to follow in his footsteps.

In closing, thank you for taking the time to read our news and events. We are very appreciative of your ongoing support.

With best wishes,

Glen P. Campbell
Chair, Board of Directors
Friends of the National Library of Medicine

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