NAHSL '07 - Building Bridges:

Speakers and Events

John Abramson, M.D is an award-winning family doctor, on the clinical faculty at Harvard Medical School, and author of the book "Overdosed America". In his book Dr. Abramson criticizes American health care, particularly the way drug profits infect medical studies. He states "American health care may not be the best at improving health most effectively and efficiently, but it is certainly the best in the world at generating profits for the drug industry". He will speak on October 29th.

Roy Tennant, M.L.S is another award winner as well as a internationally recognized pioneer in digital library development and internet training. He is the columnist of Library Journal's "Digital Libraries"; developed UC Berkeley's Digital Library; and is author of the books "Crossing the Internet Threshold: An Instructional Handbook and "Practical HTML: A Self-Paced Tutorial" as well as numerous other journal articles. Roy speaks to the challenges and potentials for libraries in using new technologies.

Building Bridges That Last: Libraries and the Long Haul
The reason many wooden bridges are covered is to protect the wood with which they are made; similarly, the reason libraries exist is to protect the information they collect. So while information is now available from many different sources, only libraries have a perspective that includes long-term needs, services tuned to particular audiences, and a focus on quality. The impact this perspective has on library services will be explored, with particular attention paid to information services within a medical library context.

Lori Alvord, M.D  was the first Navajo woman to be board certified in surgery. She bridges the two worlds of medicine- traditional Navajo healing and Western medicine- to treat the whole patient. She attempts to provide "culturally competent" care to restore balance in her patients' lives. Lori Alvord received her medical training at Stanford University School of Medicine, and now practices at Dartmouth College.

Helene Langevin, M.D., Research Associate Professor of Neurology and Orthopaedics, University of Vermont.
Described by colleagues as an unlikely West-meets-East trailblazer, Helene Langevin conducts innovative research into the "ancient therapy" of acupuncture. She has gained worldwide attention, and, most recently, a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. A recent article stated "in the acupuncture field, she's a celebrity". Langevin's research has evolved from investigating the mechanisms of acupuncture to examining connective tissue physiology.
 

Breakout Sessions:

The Magnet(ic) Attraction -

Moderated panel with three hospital librarians at varying stages of achieving “magnet status” for their hospitals. One hospital is beginning the process, one is awaiting the results of their application, and one has achieved magnet status and is in the process of renewal. Come and learn from those who have hands on experience what it takes to help your hospital become a prestigious “magnet” hospital. Learn the benefits for your library, and the best practices for interacting with the accreditors …..

What is the Magnet Recognition Program©?
The Magnet Recognition Program® was developed by the American Nurses
Credentialing Center (ANCC) to recognize health care organizations that
provide nursing excellence. The program also provides a vehicle for
disseminating successful nursing practices and strategies.

Moderator: Janis Silver, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, Nashua, NH
Panelists: Arlene Freed, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT
Nancy Goodwin, Tremaine Library, Middlesex Hospital, Middletown, CT
Deborah Clarke, Stephens Memorial Hospital, Norway, ME

The Librarian's Role on the Patient Safety Team-

The famous 2002 Johns Hopkins incident where a lack of information resulted in the death of a young clinical trial volunteer indicates that collaboration with librarians is crucial to patient safety. In addition, the Institute of Medicine's 2002 "Crossing the Quality Chasm" report emphasized that efficient and timely access to information is an important factor in providing safe patient care. Enter the librarian....

This breakout session will discuss the librarian's role in patient safety and highlight key print and online information resources. We will incorporate the use of small group discussion for sharing and brainstorming ways to play a role in patient safety initiatives at home institutions.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• list the ways librarians assist in assuring patient safety, and the various groups served in this process;
  
• identify a few innovative patient safety programs;
  
• identify ways health sciences librarians in the North Atlantic region are involved in patient safety initiatives;
  
• identify possible avenues for involvement in patient safety in their own institutions.

Free and Easy Collaborative Tools-

Collaborating virtually (across the globe or across campus) is easy! In this session, we'll demo a virtual meeting including: an online group conference call (voice as well as chat); a jointly-edited paper; shared search results; and calendaring across time zones. We'll then explore each tool individually - and provide information about additional collaborative tools, as well.
Presenters:
Karen Odato and Pamela Bagley, Research and Education Librarians, Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries  

Special Event:

Nursing Practice Court: A Play About Evidence-Based Information
Created by the Evidence Based Nursing Practice Group,Cheshire Medical Center (written by Jean Slepian) and presented by the RAC Players from the NN/LM NER's RAC Hospital Library Subcommittee, this 35 minute play is intended to be a humorous but insightful look at the way nurses practice evidence-based nursing in a hospital environment. Set in a "Judge Judy" format, the play depicts a nurse who is on trial for her crime... see the play to learn the verdict!
 

Photo of Woodstock bridge courtesy of FreeFoto.com