2015 Medical Librarians Month Profile – Andrea Ball

Posted by Patricia Devine on October 19th, 2015 Posted in: News from Network Members

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Andrea Ball, our next featured profile for Medical Librarians Month, is the Care Management and Population Health Librarian at the University of Washington Health Sciences Library.

1. What is your library’s mission and who do your serve? I have been the Care Management and Population Health librarian for the University of Washington Health Sciences Library for the past six months. This is a new position created to support the organization as it moves through this current transformation in healthcare. Our mission is to advance scholarship, research, education and health care by anticipating information needs, providing essential resources, and facilitating learning for the greater health sciences community.

2. Is there a time when you made a difference or someone was grateful for your help you’d like to tell us about? There have been quite a few ‘making a difference’ moments for me mainly because I think every interaction is a chance to share knowledge and information that will help that person solve a problem, clarify a direction, or possibly even save a life. Patrons are always grateful for the assistance, many of whom exclaim “I’m so happy you’re here!”

3. What was your path to becoming a medical librarian? I’ve always been a fan of medicine, so going into health sciences librarianship was a natural fit (plus I didn’t have to go to med school.) I got my MLS from the University of Pittsburgh, and have worked there as well as in other academic and clinical settings. Additionally, I was fortunate enough to be one of the first librarians to participate in a medical informatics fellowship at Oregon Health and Sciences University. After about ten years in the profession, I felt the pull of grad school once again and went to the University of Washington iSchool for a masters in information management. I thought I was done with the library world, but, after a few years consulting and then working with a learning management system, I realized I missed the healthcare world and libraries. When my current position opened I jumped at the chance. In an academic setting, I focus on supporting the clinical side of our patron population, and I support the organization through its transformation as an Accountable Care Organization.

4. What would you like other NN/LM Network members to know about your job that they might not know? Much of what I do is fairly traditional library service – reference, instruction, etc. But my position also focuses on the care management side of healthcare. This has led to many new relationships tied to management, patient safety, process improvement and transformation of how healthcare is delivered, managed and assessed. The questions I’m asked may be used for policy formation, analysis of processes and procedures, and patient-centered care. It’s so timely and relevant – you can hear something in the national news and then see it at work in your organization. It’s exciting to be part of this transformation.

We will continue to highlight our Network members through October and beyond. Please let us know if you would like to be profiled! No special accomplishments are required, we just want to share what you do. Contact Patricia Devine, devine@uw.edu or 206-543-8275.