Professional Development Grant Report 2023-2024: Graphic Medicine and More

I am grateful for the financial support from NCNMLG in the form of the professional development grant for 2023-2024. The monies helped cover the expense of my Provisional AHIP application and my participation of several virtual education sessions of my choosing that have helped augment and expand my Health Sciences Librarianship knowledge and skills throughout the past year. The content touched upon several topic areas with the greatest emphasis on support/services for systematic and other reviews, the Health Humanities and some web-design principles for LibGuides and beyond.  

The areas around which I have the greatest persistent engagement these days are diversity/equity/inclusion values and principles, the discipline of Health Humanities and community engaged teaching or service learning. These three areas consistently intertwine to inform my priorities and pedagogical and lived positions.

A standout event I found particularly enlightening and of high relevance to my research interests was the annual Graphic Medicine Conference – Toronto 2023. I participated online and found the session program consistently compelling and engaging. While I do wish there were some hybrid or virtual workshops, I found the online sessions useful and beneficial. The session called “Weaving our Worldview Using Graphic Medicine: Panel Discussion on the Generational Experiences of First Nation Health Research” from Justice Seidel, Greg Spence, Rachel Corston, Jane Zhao, Sahr Wali was particularly illuminating. Their team used the structure of a sharing circle in Moosonee, Ontario during May of 2022 to engage with the local community to identify opportunities to better access heart health care in ways that are culturally safe. They used story and graphic medicine to carry out this work. The panel provided both description and emphasis on the unique values and potentials possible when leveraging graphic medicine to support a broad range of age and ethnicity positions to highlight care solutions that are accessible, safe, inclusive, creative and useful.

This event is organized by the Graphic Medicine International Collective and their next conference will be in Ireland. I intend to join virtually again for this subsequent program, but hope to attend an in-person iteration in the near future. I recommend anyone interested in the use of comics in health take a look at their website where you can find useful resources like a syllabus repository, read their blog, see past and future conference information, and find opportunities to get involved.  

Next time you see this grant opportunity announced, consider taking a little time to apply!

I am delighted I made the effort to pursue this award and feel quite lucky to have received the support and opportunity to participate in these sessions. Thanks again, NCNMLG!


— Submitted by Lara Katrina Schott

Support Your NCNMLG Colleagues at MLA 2024

These NCNMLG members will be presenting at MLA 2024 in Portland, OR from May 18-21. Whether you are attending virtually or in person, please try to support our members and attend their presentations.

Sunday, May 19

The 100 Top-Cited Articles in Osteopathic Medical Education: a Bibliometric Analysis
Lori Fitterling, Kansas City University, Sloane Kelley, Arkansas State,  Kyle Robinson, California Health Sciences University, Mary Ying-Fang Wang, Laura Lipke, Binghamton University,  Adrienne Brodie, A.T. Still University

Marketing with AI: Creating a Marketing Team Prompt Library
Amanda Woodward, Web Services Librarian, Lane Medical Library, Stanford Medicine; Sonam Soni, Resource Management Librarian, Stanford Medicine; Katie Stinson, Reference Librarian for Outreach and Engagement, Bellack Library, MGH Institute of Health Professions; Nicole Chiodo Soares, Privileges Specialist, Lane Medical Library, Stanford Medicine

Doing It Together: Integrating a Clinical Education Librarian into a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Team
Michelle Lieggi, Dignity Health, Lindsey Gillespie, Dignity Health

Strength in Numbers: Using Data on Library Literature Searches to Measure Impact on Evidence-Based Patient Care and Hospital Policy/Procedure Changes 
Michelle Lieggi, Dignity Health, Lindsey Gillespie, Dignity Health

Lightning Talk
Artificial Intelligence: Your Library Event Planning Assistant
Boglarka Huddleston, Lane Medical Library, Stanford Medicine, Colleen Cuddy, Lane Medical Library, Stanford Medicine, and Samantha Wilairat, Lane Medical Library, Stanford Medicine

Lightning Talk
Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) Assessment in US Allopathic and Osteopathic Undergraduate Medical Education: Initial Results from a Scoping Review

Katie Hoskins, Touro University Nevada

Monday, May 20

Strengthening Our Understanding of Librarian Roles in Supporting Medical Image Consent Standards
Sarah McClung, University of California, San Francisco, Rachel K. Stark, California State University, Sacramento,  Megan DeArmond,  Touro University Nevada

Poster Presentation
Reaching Pediatricians at the Point-of-Care via ClinicalQ, an EHR-Embedded Clinical Question Support Service
Christopher Stave, Lane Medical Library, Stanford Medicine

Tuesday, May 21

Textbook and Board Exam Prep Resources: Trends in Academic Health Sciences Libraries Serving Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
Lori Fitterling, Kansas City University , Molly Montgomery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Hal Bright, A.T. Still University of Health Sciences Joanne Muellenbach, California Health Sciences University and Kyle Robinson, California Health Sciences University

Creating Research Culture in a Physician Assistant Program
Megan DeArmond, Touro University Nevada,  Katie Hoskins, Touro University Nevada, Julie Horwath, Touro University Nevada, Sherli Koshy-Chenthittayil, Touro University Nevada , Oksana Matvienko, Touro University Nevada

Project management level up: How the right tools and training can improve collaboration in your library
Tiffany Garrett, Roseman University of Health Sciences

Poster Presentation
The Ongoing Struggle to Get It Right: Teaching Information Fluency to the First-Year Medical Students with a Case-Based Approach
Connie Wong, Lane Medical Library, Stanford Medicine


— Submitted by Sara Pimental

Professional Development Grant Report: Internet Librarian 2023

Thank you to NCNMLG for awarding me the professional development funds to attend the Internet Librarian Conference in 2023. This year, the conference was held online from October 16 – 19, and included access to the session archives through the end of December.

One of my favorite sessions was titled ‘Decision-Making Dartboard: Watch your Aim’ and delivered by M.J. D’Elia, Associate Chief Librarian, University of British Columbia, Okanagan and Scott Hargrove, CEO, Fraser Valley Regional Library. During the session, they shared a graphic dartboard that can be used to identify what type of decision you are making and what type of method should be used (for instance: an emergency in the library may require immediate executive decision-making by the Library Director whereas other types of decisions may be more appropriate for seeking a consensus). I found this presentation extremely useful and am planning to share these concepts in my library in 2024.

Due to my professional role (which includes supporting library technology), a few sessions that I especially found relevant were ‘Fostering Tech-Savvy Staff,’ which was delivered by Nick Tanzi, Assistant Director & Library Technology Consultant, South Huntington Public Library as well as ‘Readying Staff for Innovation,’ by Eric Kokke, Marketing Manager, Go School for Information. An element of Tanzi’s session included best practices for delivering tech instruction to library staff plus specific tips for how to format training materials and evaluate tech-related proficiencies. The presentation also included a discussion of soft skills and ideas for developing a work culture that encourages interest in technology. Kokke’s session shared some different types of innovation, reasons to innovate, as well as insight into why we and our teams may be resistant to innovation and change. Kokke also discussed drivers of successful innovation and provided specific tips for encouraging innovation in the library setting.

Many of the sessions for this year’s Internet Librarian Conference were focused on exploring artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications in libraries. One of the workshops I attended that discussed AI (including a chat conversation around how librarians and library staff are experiencing AI along with their patrons) plus many other technologies was ‘Tech Trends for 2024’ hosted by David Lee King. King discussed how different technologies are being used in libraries as well as how they are impacting our larger world.

In previous years, I have attended the Internet Librarian Conference in-person, but this was my first time attending virtually. I learned a lot and was so grateful to NCNMLG for providing me with the funds to participate! For any librarians or library staff who are in technology-related roles or just have an interest in technology, you can check out the 2023 program and see if it looks like a conference you may be interested in attending in the future: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/ILC23/conference/schedule

And for any NCNMLG Members, I highly recommend applying for one of NCNMLG’s Professional Development Grants to support your own professional growth!


– Submitted by Marina Aiello

Nominate a Colleague for the Louise Darling Medal for Distinguished Achievement in Collection Development in the Health Sciences

The Louise Darling Medal for Distinguished Achievement in Collection Development in the Health Sciences is seeking nominations or applications! *Applications are due October 15th, 2023.*

The Louise Darling Medal is presented annually to recognize distinguished achievement in collection development in the health sciences. The medal honors Louise Darling’s significant accomplishment in this professional specialty. The jury reviews nominations and awards points based on achievements, leadership, cooperative efforts, and service.

Please consider applying or nominating a colleague. Full information on the award, criteria, and the nomination form can be found through the Louise Darling award page: https://www.mlanet.org/p/cm/ld/fid=242

Link to: Louise Darling Medal for Distinguished Achievement in Collection Development in the Health Sciences


— Submitted by Sara Pimental

In Memoriam: Naomi Cordero Broering (1929-2023)

Alan F. Carr, M.L.S., M.P.H., AHIP

Former MLA President Naomi Broering passed away on January 11, 2023, in La Jolla, CA, after a two-year battle with cancer. During Naomi’s remarkably long and distinguished career in health sciences librarianship, she served in a number of key leadership positions. Born in New York City, Naomi lived throughout her career in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. (Georgetown), Houston, and finally, La Jolla.

Naomi received her MLS from UCLA, followed by a one-year NLM Postgraduate Fellowship at the UCLA Biomedical Library. She also completed all coursework for a PhD in history at UCLA, and earned an MA and BA (cum laude) from California State University, Long Beach. Naomi served as Reference Librarian at the USC Norris Medical Library and completed a year of law school from West LA University in 1970-71, while also serving as Hospital Librarian at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

Naomi’s last position was the Dean of Libraries at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM) in San Diego, beginning in 2001. Previously, she was Director of the Herrick Library at Grossmont Healthcare District in La Mesa, CA. Prior to her relocation to the NNLM Pacific Southwest Region in 1999, Naomi was the Executive Director of the Houston Academy of Medicine–Texas Medical Center Library in Houston and Director of the NNLM South Central Region for nearly five years. Before that she was the Director of the Biomedical Information Resources Center and Medical Center Library at Dahlgren Memorial Library, Georgetown University Medical Center, for 22 years. Naomi announced her retirement in March 2018.

During her tenure at PCOM and at the Grossmont Healthcare District, Naomi and I developed a close working relationship. Naomi could be counted on to participate in an NNLM focus group, assist at an NNLM exhibit, contribute to any NIH or NLM Request for Information, or provide other needed assistance to the RML. Naomi had an exceptional track record of successfully applying for NNLM and NLM outreach awards. She highly valued and respected the work of both organizations. Naomi conducted a number of projects involving extensive outreach to various communities in San Diego County. The projects ranged from 12-18 months, targeting both health care professionals and consumer audiences. In these projects, Naomi developed collaborations with many community organizations, including public libraries, churches, community centers, veterans centers, and HIV/AIDS clinics. She reached underserved communities populated by Hispanics, African Americans, Native and Pacific Islander Americans, and areas of high HIV incidence. Naomi was well known and respected for her efforts promoting access to NLM and NIH health information resources.

A particularly notable result of Naomi’s successful efforts with the Senior Health Project: Access to Electronic Health Information in San Diego was the PCOM Library being named one of the top ten finalists for the 2006 U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) Health Information Awards for Libraries. In addition to NNLM outreach awards, Naomi also successfully competed for several NLM HIV/AIDS Community Information Outreach Program awards, furthering outreach penetration in the San Diego area. She also received an NLM Disaster Health Information Outreach & Collaboration Award in 2012, to conduct a project reaching out to San Diego County’s Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). To enhance the visibility of these significant outreach contributions, Naomi highlighted them as an author of many scholarly articles and presenter of papers and poster sessions, such as three articles in the Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, including “HIV/AIDS Health Information Outreach Service in San Diego” in 2012.

Naomi accumulated an extensive list of professional honors, awards, and contributions during her long career. She served as President of the Medical Library Association (MLA) in 1996-97. Naomi received MLA’s Marcia Noyes Award in 2003, the association’s highest professional distinction. She was named an MLA Fellow in 1995 and a Distinguished Member of MLA’s Academy of Health Information Professionals. Naomi was the 21st editor of the Journal of the Medical Library Association (formerly the Bulletin) from 1991 to 1996. In 1986 she received MLA’s Frank Bradway Rogers Information Advancement Award. In service to the National Library of Medicine, Naomi was a member of a Planning Panel for the NLM Long Range Plan (2000-2005) and a member of the NLM Biomedical Library and Informatics Review Committee. In 2015, Naomi received MLA’s first Hispanic Heritage Award in recognition of her past accomplishments in medical librarianship and library informatics. She co-founded the Friends of the NLM and served as Secretary of the Board of Directors.

Naomi was the Principal Investigator of the Georgetown University IAIMS Program, an NLM grant program. She oversaw development of the Georgetown University Library Information System, which included a “Mini-MEDLINE” search system component. She authored over 200 scholarly journal articles, two books, and presented papers at national and international library conferences. At other related associations, Naomi was Secretary and Board member of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) from 1992-1996 and was elected Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics (ACMI) in 1989-90. Other professional honors include the Special Libraries Association (SLA) 1999 Winifred Sewell Award, the SLA 1987 Professional Award, and the Vicennial Award from Georgetown University in 1995. She was an active ALA member her entire career and was a lifetime member of ALA, MLA and retired member of AMIA/ACMI.

Personally, it was a joy to collaborate with Naomi. I especially relished her volunteer assistance at NNLM exhibits and the chance to hear some of her many tales about the profession. Her fluency in Spanish often came in handy! When I encountered her at MLA Annual Meetings, she would gladly introduce me to people in her vast network of colleagues, including current NLM director Patti Brennan. These contacts were invaluable to me as the NNLM PSR Associate Director.

Naomi was very generous. She endowed the MLA Naomi C. Broering Hispanic Heritage Grant. Never forgetting her roots at UCLA, she donated to a scholarship fund at the Graduate Program in Library and Information Studies. Naomi was always invited to the annual dinner honoring the contributions of donors and the scholarship recipients. She often had scheduling conflicts with the dinners, and offered me her ticket to attend in her stead. I always appreciated this opportunity to maintain contact with the faculty and students.

The totality of Naomi’s career had a tremendous impact on the profession. Her considerable knowledge and boundless enthusiasm were priceless assets, which will be greatly missed by many. I will always treasure the memories of Naomi as a friend and colleague.

Naomi is survived by her husband, Gregory Chauncey, and two nieces, Emily Albrecht and Jaye Meyer. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Naomi Broering’s honor to the Gregory A. Chauncey and Naomi C. Broering Engineering Veterans Scholarship at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), or to the Naomi Cordero Broering Endowed Scholarship Fund (#31359C) at the UCLA Foundation.


Alan F. Carr, M.L.S., M.P.H., AHIP,  acarr@ucla.edu, is the retired Associate Director, NNLM Pacific Southwest Region, UCLA L. Darling Biomedical Library, Los Angeles, California, 90095.