HSLS Staff News

The HSLS Staff News section includes recent HSLS presentations, publications, staff changes, staff promotions, degrees earned, etc.

News

Carrie Iwema, information specialist in Molecular Biology, was named chair of the Medical Library Association/Medical Informatics Section (MLA/MIS) Career Development Grant Jury for 2009-10.

On Saturday, May 9, HSLS staff members joined with other community volunteers to plant flowers in Shadyside through the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Community Garden Planting Days.

HSLS Participation at the Medical Library Association (MLA) Annual Conference
Honolulu, Hawaii, May 15-20, 2009

Melissa Ratajeski, reference librarian, was an official blogger for the meeting’s Official Blog. Ratajeski was also the convener for the MLA special interest group on Institutional Animal Care and Use.

Contributed Paper Presentations
Mary Jo Dorsey, reference librarian presented “A model of primary care physicians’ consumer health information-seeking behaviors:  working with elderly patients and their caregivers.”

Nancy H. Tannery, associate director for user services presented “Development of a clinical information tool for the electronic health record.” Co-authors were Barbara A. Epstein, director; Frances Yarger, assistant director for computer services; Charles B. Wessel, head of hospital services; John O. LaDue, knowledge integration librarian; and Anthony B. Fiorillo, medical director, ambulatory eRecord, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Carrie Iwema, molecular biology information specialist presented “Measuring our success: assessment of a library-based specialized information service.”

Ahlam Saleh, reference librarian presented “The evidence behind current point-of-care products: a citation analysis.” Co-author was Andrea Ketchum, reference librarian.

Poster Presentations
Mary Jo Dorsey, reference librarian, “Primary care physicians’ consumer health information-seeking behaviors: a model for working with elderly depressed patients and their caregivers.”

Barbara A. Epstein, director; Nancy H. Tannery, associate director for user services; Charles B. Wessel, head of hospital services; Frances Yarger, assistant director for computer services; John LaDue, knowledge integration librarian, “An Innovative Clinical Information Portal.”

Presentations

Rebecca Abromitis, reference librarian, coauthored a poster that won the “Impact of Nursing on Practice” award during the UPMC 2009 Nurses Week Celebration, April 28-30, 2009. Research for the poster “Non-Pharmacological Therapeutic Techniques to Decrease Agitation in the Geriatric-Psychiatric Patient with Dementia in a Psychiatric Hospital Setting” was conducted as part of the Nursing Evidence-Based Practice and Research Council at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Sharing the award are poster coauthors Georgia Patterson1, Lynn Boucek1, Michelle Cain1, Laurel Chiappetta2, and Ann Mitchell3.

1 WPIC Nursing Evidence-Based Practice and Research Council member;
2 University of Pittsburgh Department of Statistics faculty;
3 University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing faculty.

Publications

John Erlen, history of medicine librarian, published “Disability studies dissertation abstracts” in The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 5(1):46-48, 2009 and “Dissertations” in AVISTA Forum Journal, 18(1/2):122-131, 2008.

Melissa Ratajeski, reference librarian, co-authored “New Special Interest Groups (SIGs)” in MLA News, 414:22, March 2009.

Farewell

pat-bookamyer-ret-2009-001bPat Bookamyer, administrative assistant in the Health Sciences Library System’s (HSLS) Office of the Director, retired from the University in April after almost 20 years. In her role as administrative assistant, she utilized her many skills in support of the Director and the operation of HSLS. Bookamyer also volunteered to serve as HSLS United Way representative for 19 years.

A notable memory for Bookamyer was witnessing the growth of staff and services at HSLS over the past two decades. She will also miss her many friends in HSLS.

Bookamyer, and her husband Dan, relocated to York, S.C., where she looks forward to relaxing, gardening and catching up on her reading. She also plans to spend more time with her three grandchildren.

We wish Pat a happy retirement!