Hello From NNLM Region 5 Staff: Carolann Curry

Posted by Carolann Curry on July 7th, 2023 Posted in: Blog, Data Science, New from NNLM Region 5, News from NNLM Region 5
Tags: NN/LM, NNLM Region 5

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Coming from an academic health sciences library in central Georgia, I bring a unique perspective to NNLM Region 5. In my former role at Mercer University School of Medicine, I was dually appointed as an Associate Professor of Library and Information Science and Community Medicine. For over 15 years at Mercer, I worked first-hand as a reference librarian providing services to faculty, medical students, residents, and students enrolled in graduate medical programs.

I bring to the NNLM valuable experience from my role as an embedded librarian where I was a teaching faculty member in the school’s population health curriculum. In this position, I promoted an awareness of county, state, & national health statistics, health literacy and the selection of appropriate consumer and patient education materials, and social determinants of health. I also taught evidence-based medicine sessions to students, including how to develop a PICO clinical question, basic and advanced PubMed searching, and how to conduct a literature review. My background in both undergraduate and graduate medical education has given me insights on the importance of evidence-based and data-driven practices.

In my new role at NNLM Region 5, I serve as the Outreach & Data Coordinator. While data science is a more recent area of exploration for me, I’m looking forward to sharing the knowledge I gain along the way, as well as learning from you! Data transcends all areas of health sciences and accordingly, there are infinite opportunities to incorporate data management and data services into the health information field. I hope to serve as a partner for you as you explore how you can develop and refine your data skills at your respective institutions.

Professionally, my research interests include open science, biomedical scholarly communication, health literacy and numeracy, medical education, and population health. In my personal life, I gravitate to spooky things (horror movies, scary novels, collecting horror soundtracks and scores on vinyl, and Halloween). I also enjoy cooking, cats (but not cooking cats), and visiting tropical places. I am beyond thrilled to join NNLM Region 5, and I look forward to working with you all!