As Liaison to Pitt’s School of Pharmacy, Michele Klein-Fedyshin recently coauthored a poster at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy meeting related to her team’s systematic review project. The poster was entitled, “Coordination and Development of a Collaborative Effort to Assess Global Health Curricula.” It describes the collaboration with pharmacists from eight other universities across the country as part of a systematic review and includes her liaison librarian role. Faculty from Notre Dame of Maryland University, North Dakota State University, Duquesne University, University of Washington, Roosevelt University, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and University of Kentucky joined faculty from the University of Pittsburgh to cooperate on the project led by Sharon Connor from Pitt’s School of Pharmacy.
Among the results noted on the poster is the observation that, “Use of health sciences librarian has been paramount to creation and execution of optimal search strategy and translation across databases.” Using her knowledge of database structure and syntax, Klein-Fedyshin designed, executed, downloaded, and assimilated the search results that undergird the team’s data extraction and analysis. Her contributions continued with team conference calls and writing of the Search Methodology section for any resulting research.
HSLS librarians offer formal support for systematic reviews teams at the University of Pittsburgh.
Klein-Fedyshin finds working with the School of Pharmacy a rewarding experience and an opportunity for expanding her expertise on drugs and pharmaceuticals. Being the “point person” for literature research enables her to develop collegial relationships with the faculty and students.
Systematic reviews require a concerted effort over an extended period. Librarians are a recommended part of the team. HSLS librarians’ collaboration adds rigor to enhance the outcome.
~Michele Klein-Fedyshin