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Region 5 Blog April 19th, 2024
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06

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PNR Weekly Digest: April 6, 2021

Posted by on April 6th, 2021 Posted in: PNR Weekly Digest


Items regarding COVID-19 information are indicated with an *

In the Dragonfly:

Understanding End-of-Life Matters
Whether your focus of concern is on a family member or yourself, this April the NNLM Reading Club suggests three books that may help with your understanding of end-of-life matters and those conversations you probably have been putting off…read the post to see the book selections

Professional Development:

NNLM CE Opportunities:
NNLM offers training on a variety of topics related to health information. A complete listing of NNLM educational opportunities is available. Please note you need to create an NNLM account prior to registration if you don’t already have one. This is not the same as being a member of NNLM.  Learn how to register for classes and create a free account.

*Responding to the COVID-19 Infodemic: An NNLM Virtual Symposium: We are excited to announce that registration is open for a new NNLM virtual symposium focused on addressing the COVID-19 Infodemic in our communities. The NNLM Virtual Symposium is an opportunity to address misinformation and mistrust, raise awareness about the pandemic and efforts to combat it. Symposium attendees can expect to come away from this experience with a better understanding of COVID-19 as well as strategies and programs that can be used to engage with communities. April 8-9, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. PT. (5 MLA CE available for each day’s attendance) Learn more and register

From Being to Doing: Anti-Racism as Action at Work: In this session, we will focus on anti-racism as action, rather than using the word anti-racist as an identity. Can changing how we define organizational culture in library workplaces be an example of anti-racist action? We will take a critical look at how certain hallmarks of white supremacist culture inform our notions of professionalism and workplace norms. These commonly accepted norms can actually contribute to low morale, the prevalence of microaggressions, retention issues, etc. This session will present specific actions to resist these norms, which libraries can then implement to create more equitable workplaces. April 13 at 11:00 a.m. PT. (1 MLA CE) Register 

Tips and Tools for Closing the Digital Health Divide Webinar Series
Join NNLM All of Us, Wisconsin Health Literacy, and community subject experts to discover health literacy insights, best practices, videos and guides, designed for meaningful and effective engagement with diverse populations. These tips and tools for your health literacy toolkit are available in both English and Spanish. If you work with patients, community members or library patrons, this training is for you! This free, four part webinar series will be held April 19, 20, 21, 22. 4.0 MLA CE Contact Hours will be awarded for successful completion of this series. Learn more and register 

Additional Educational Opportunities:
These learning opportunities are provided by organizations beyond NNLM. All are free unless otherwise indicated.

Recent and upcoming enhancements to NCBI BLAST and Primer-BLAST services!: Join the webinar to learn about new web BLAST and Primer-BLAST enhancements that improve your BLAST experience. You’ll also see a preview of some planned improvements to the databases that make it easier to find relevant matches. April 7 from 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. PT. Register

U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 Data Summit Series: Over the coming months, the U.S. Census Bureau will have a series of webinars for their 2021 Data Summit Series. Designed for novice to intermediate data users, the series will present high-level overviews of several data products and demonstrate how the products can assist organizations and businesses identify data-driven solutions to challenges. First session is April 8. All sessions begin at 11:00 a.m. PT. Visit the Hawaii.gov website to learn more and register

*Tackling Inequities in Digital Care: The rapid expansion of telehealth during the COVID-19 response has spotlighted the challenges of digital access for populations who have been marginalized. This webinar will present innovative interventions that improve digital equity and potentially lower health disparities. April 12 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PT. Register

*Understanding COVID-19 Vaccines: A REALM Project Webinar: The REopening Archives, Libraries and Museums (REALM) project is hosting a webinar to explore the topic of COVID-19 vaccines and how they impact the reopening and ongoing operations plans for organizations. Presenters will provide information on vaccine education, including resources available to help address vaccine misinformation in the community. They will also share aspects of what is known and unknown in the scientific community about vaccines, along with a general update about the REALM project. April 15 from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. PT. Register

Engaging Diverse Communities in Complementary and Integrative Health Research: The purpose of this National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health hot topic webinar, held as part of National Minority Health Month, is to highlight successful strategies and lessons learned by researchers and community partners in engaging diverse communities in complementary and integrative health research. April 27 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. PT. Register

News from the National Library of Medicine & National Institutes of Health:

“One Year of Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics, and Anticipating New Challenges”, from the NLM Director’s blog

Public Health Rhymes, 1918

*“New Initiative Puts At-Home Testing to Work in the Fight Against COVID-19”, from the NIH Director’s blog

Alzheimers.gov, a new educational resource and portal to federal information on Alzheimer’s and related dementias, hosted by NIA

The April issue of NIH News in Health focuses on sleep and health

*CDC and NIH bring COVID-19 self-testing to residents in two locales

The 2021 National Minority Health Month theme is #VaccineReady

National Institutes of Health Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan 2021-2025

Check the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences’ new infographic which shows how translational science is improving the process to get more treatments to more patients more quickly

Battling Misinformation Through Health Messaging

FYI: 

*COVID-19 Resources 

National Library Week 2021: Welcome to Your Library
The theme for National Library Week (April 4-10, 2021), “Welcome to Your Library,” promotes the idea that libraries extend far beyond the four walls of a building – and that everyone is welcome to use their services. During the pandemic libraries have been going above and beyond to adapt to our changing world by expanding their resources and continuing to meet the needs of their users. Whether people visit in person or virtually, libraries offer opportunities for everyone to explore new worlds and become their best selves through access to technology, multimedia content, and educational programs. Visit the American Library Association’s website to learn about upcoming events and how your library can celebrate. 

April is Citizen Science Month
Citizen Science Month offers thousands of opportunities for you to turn your curiosity into impact. There’s something for everyone, everywhere! Join a project or event from wherever you are to help scientists answer questions they cannot answer without you. Visit the SciStarter website to learn more

2021 AAHSL Leadership Diversity Scholarships
The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries is pleased to announce the availability of AAHSL Leadership Diversity Scholarships. The scholarships support career development opportunities for persons from diverse and under-represented racial and ethnic backgrounds who are interested in leadership roles at all levels in academic health sciences libraries. The scholarships are also designed to increase the diversity of leaders in health sciences libraries, strengthen the profession’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and develop a more diverse pool of new and emerging library leaders. These scholarships are part of the continuum of AAHSL leadership programs. Deadline to apply is May 14, 2021.

NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) is pleased to announce the opening of applications for the 2021/2022fellowship. The application information has full program details, and details about past years’ cohorts and program reports are available. Submit your application by June 15th  to be considered for the 2019/2020 cohort.

Healthy Beverages Community Action Guide
The Indian Health Service Healthy Beverage Community Action Guide outlines a process for American Indian and Alaska Native communities to promote healthy beverages and decrease consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and caffeinated energy drinks. It outlines steps for starting a healthy beverage community action campaign, including sample assessment forms, meeting agendas and focus group activities. Visit the Resources webpage and scroll to the bottom to access the guide and the presentation.

Do I Have Prediabetes?
One in three Americans is at risk for significant health complications like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. It’s better to know than wonder. Take the Do I Have Prediabetes? test, available in English and Spanish, to find out. With early diagnosis, and by making small changes like altering your diet and exercising more, prediabetes can often be reversed. Do I Have Prediabetes? is a collaboration between the CDC, the American Medical Association and the Ad Council. 

*iHeartMedia Launches Educational Podcast Around COVID-19 Vaccines
In Partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services and Hosted by ABC’s “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts, “COVID-19 Immunity in Our Community” will feature experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci and offers listeners trusted information on COVID-19 vaccines. Designed to separate fact from fiction, “COVID-19 Immunity in Our Community” will arm listeners with the tools they need to make educated decisions about COVID-19 vaccines. The new podcast will also draw perspectives from Americans across different communities including health care workers, journalists, and skeptics, who each share their unique and personal experience with vaccination.

STEM Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity
Black and Hispanic workers remain underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce compared with their share of all workers, including in computing jobs, which have seen considerable growth in recent years. The long-term outlook for diversity in the STEM workforce is closely tied to representation in the STEM educational system, particularly across the nation’s colleges and universities. STEM workers are about twice as likely as other workers to have earned a bachelor’s degree or more education (67% vs. 34%) and roughly three-quarters of these workers hold a degree in a STEM field. Read the Pew Research report

*Open Iterations Improve COVID-19 Data Quality
Data for COVID-19 is being monitored and improved constantly. In this blog, learn about the techniques that HHS uses to identify issues with input from the American public. Read the Healthdata.gov blog post

2021-2022 Medical Library Association’s Rising Stars
The MLA Rising Star program gives members the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge, and personal characteristics needed to become a leader in MLA. The newly announced recipients include our own NNLM PNR Research and Data Coordinator, Nancy Shin as well as:

  • Jacqueline Freeman, Taubman Health Sciences Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Chelsea Misquith, Brown University Library, Brown University
  • Laura Wright, Rudolph Matas Library of the Health Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

Register for IHA’s 20th Annual Health Literacy Conference
“The Role of Health Literacy in Perilous Times” is the theme for the 2021 virtual conference. The world has changed. We cannot continue to work using the same perspectives, approaches, and beliefs we had a year ago. During this conference, we will examine how world events have put inequities into the spotlight, how a changed world has affected those we serve, and how we can best address their evolving needs as they try to navigate an altered landscape. For 2021, IHA will once again waive conference registration and continuing education fees. May 25-27, learn more and register

Image of the author ABOUT Carolyn Martin
Carolyn Martin is the Outreach and Education Coordinator for the NNLM Region 5. She works with various libraries and community organizations to increase health literacy in their communities.

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Developed resources reported in this program are supported by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH) under cooperative agreement number UG4LM012343 with the University of Washington.

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