Hardin Library Staff
Future Plans?
I’ll be moving back to New York to continue into graduate school at St. John’s University. I’ll be pursuing a Master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences while also looking to work at a local library.
What did you like about working at Hardin Library?
I really enjoyed the ability to learn practical skills that I can take with me as I move on forward with my career.
Future plans?
I am working as a medical scribe at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City. Within 2-3 years, I hope to attend medical school.
Future plans?
Looking for the right (librarian) job.
What did you like about working at the Hardin Library?
I always love helping users get what they need or teaching them about the resources that the library provides. Particularly, it’s always satisfying when you find just the right resource after a lengthy search process.
Future plans?
I am continuing to work in the John Martin Rare Book Room and at the Hardin Library reference desk. I am also working in the box office at Riverside Theatre.
What did you like about working at Hardin Library?
I’ve loved learning about medical history and special collections work in the rare book room, and working with all the great Hardin staff.
Megan Deist will graduate this month with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Global Health, a Minor in Portuguese, and a Public Health Certificate. Megan helped conducted research while working at the Hardin Library.
Future plans?
I plan to start Nursing School at Mercy College of the Health Sciences in the Fall of 2018 in Des Moines, Iowa.
What did I like best about working at Hardin Library?
I enjoy the research I am currently doing for Hardin Library and the U.S. National Library of Medicine. I am excited about the collaboration I have done in regards to making medical information available about underserved communities in the United States. This research is made available to medical professionals and the public.
Kaitlin Andersen has worked at the Hardin Library for four years and will be graduating this month with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, a Minor in History and high distinction.
Future plans?
Working full time for a few years before returning to graduate school to get a Master’s of Library Science degree.
What did you like best about working at the Hardin Library?
The staff and my coworkers were a joy to work with. I also loved learning the intricacies of library database and management, which made me more excited to work in the library field.
Mirko von Elstermann, Biomedical Sciences Librarian
Ph.D., Physiology
M.Sc., Biology
M.A., Philosophy (all from the University of Cologne, Germany)
M.A.S., Library & Information Sciences (University of Zurich, Switzerland)
Three years biomedical publishing experience
Areas of expertise:
His interests in biomedicine include metabolism research, cancer biology, and neuroscience.
@biomedrevon is his Twitter account about publications in biomedicine.
Outside the sciences and the library:
Mirko enjoys music and reading, swimming and walking. Before arriving here, he lived in some non-U.S. countries, most recently for more than two years in Peru. In Iowa City he lives with his Peruvian wife and their daughter.
Meet Brittney Thomas, Manager for the NNLM All of Us Coordinating Center. Brittney joined the Greater Midwest Region of the National Network of the Libraries of Medicine in November and has spent the last few weeks learning as much as she can about health librarianship.
In her new role, Brittney will be coordinating outreach and engagement efforts to targeted communities in collaboration with the 8 Regional Medial Libraries on genetics and precision medicine. She’s currently using Jacqueline’s workspace while she waits for her own to be created.
Prior to joining the All of Us National project Brittney worked at the Main Library as the Learning Commons Coordinator where she oversaw programming and outreach, facilities and technology maintenance, marketing, faculty and student support, and much, much more!
Brittney received a Masters in Library and Information Science from The University of Iowa and has a B.A. in Art & Design from Iowa State University. Welcome Brittney!
Originally published in IowaNow online.
The University of Iowa is poised to lead a new national campaign to educate Americans and health care professionals about personalized medicine.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through its National Library of Medicine, awarded the UI $3.6 million over three years to create and distribute educational information for the All of Us Research Program, an NIH-led effort “to gather data over many years from one million or more people living in the United States, with the ultimate goal of accelerating research and improving health,” according to the program’s website.
The UI will be a national coordinating center charged with creating content to prompt people to enroll in the All of Us initiative and to help health care providers—such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and genetic counselors—understand the promise of precision medicine.
The Hardin Library for the Health Sciences will partner with the National Library of Medicine on the funding award, which supplements a $6.5 million award to the Hardin Library in the spring of 2016 to support the National Library of Medicine’s goal to provide U.S. health professionals with equal access to biomedical information and to improve the public’s access to information so citizens can make informed decisions about their health.
“We are excited that the University of Iowa will be part of this very important NIH precision-medicine
initiative that may ultimately improve the health of all,” says Linda Walton, associate university librarian and director of the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences. “We have put together a strong team to develop the educational component for the All of Us research program, keeping in mind the many different biological, environmental, and behavioral influences that affect our citizenry.”
A primary focus of the new award is to demystify personalized medicine through educational materials, online courses, and seminars for the public and health care professionals. Among the ideas being considered are a traveling photographic exhibit, interactive online games, and various apps for mobile devices.
“We look forward to the opportunity to educate and empower all Americans on precision medicine topics,” says Colleen Campbell, assistant director at the Iowa Institute of Human Genetics based in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and a co-principal investigator on the grant. “And, we are very excited to put into action the educational materials and activities we have proposed to help make personalized medicine easy to understand and accessible for the public and health care professionals.”
Campbell, Walton, and Rema Afifi, professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health in the UI College of Public Health, are the supplemental grant’s three co-principal investigators.
Other participants are Liz Hollingworth, professor in the College of Education; Elizabeth Kiscaden, associate director of the regional medical library at the Hardin Library; Edith Parker, professor and chair in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health in the College of Public Health; and Richard Smith, director of the Iowa Institute of Human Genetics.
Jen DeBerg, Reference Services Librarian
Master of Library Science, Emporia State University
Bachelor of Science, Occupational Therapy, Elizabethtown College
Areas of expertise:
Outside the library:
Jen lives in Iowa City with her family: husband and 2 sons, aged 12 and 9. She enjoys music, reading, swimming, hiking, ice skating, snowboarding and watching all sports.