Hello From NNLM Region 5 Staff: Kathryn Vela

Posted by Kathryn Vela on May 8th, 2024 Posted in: Blog, New from NNLM Region 5, News from NNLM Region 5

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Hello!  My name is Kathryn Vela, and I am honored to serve as the Executive Director of the Regional Medical Library (RML) at the University of Washington. In this role, I am dedicated to supporting the NNLM network members in Region 5, which includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, U.S. Territories, and Freely Associated States in the Pacific. I am committed to advancing data-driven health, health equity, and health literacy by offering NNLM services, funding, and training through national and regional partnerships.  

Although this is my first year working directly for the NNLM, I have a long-standing relationship with the organization. As a grant recipient and an attendee of NNLM training, I have been part of this community for over eight years. After graduating from San Jose State University with my MLIS in 2016, I started my first professional position as a Health Sciences Librarian at Washington State University in Spokane. The NNLM jointly funded this position, and I spent half my time developing a successful program promoting HEALWA to nurses and other allied health professionals around Washington State.  

After spending three years in Spokane, I moved back to my hometown in Vancouver, WA, and joined the Portland VA as an embedded librarian as part of the Evidence Synthesis Program. My family then moved to Boise, ID, where I continued to work remotely for the VA before accepting a position as a medical librarian at St. Luke’s Health System. I worked at St. Luke’s for over three years before being appointed Executive Director of Region 5; in this role, I conducted literature searches for healthcare providers and managed our electronic and print collections. I also received funding from NNLM Region 4 to distribute culturally appropriate health books to the refugee community in Boise through Little Free Libraries.   

My husband and I welcomed our first child in December 2023, and we love taking him on adventures in our free time! We also enjoy a good wine tasting and take frequent trips to the Oregon Coast. My interests include going on long runs, watching terrible romcoms, and cross-stitching.  

I am excited about the potential for future collaborations and the impact we can make in addressing health information needs in your communities. Please feel free to reach out to me directly at kvela2@uw.edu!