Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy

HSLS is offering a new anatomy resource for Pitt users to explore. Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy was developed by the pioneering surgeon, anatomist, and educator Dr. Robert D. Acland. The project began in 1993, sparked by a suggestion made by a student who was impressed with the quality of Dr. Acland’s lecture slides. The atlas offers an immersive learning experience, consisting of a series of videos that guide learners through the intricacies of human anatomy.

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All of Us Research Program Initiative

Envision a vast repository of health data, encompassing insights from a million diverse Americans—especially those often overlooked in conventional research—poised to redefine the medical landscape. The All of Us (AoU) Research Program, backed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), embodies this vision. The extensive AoU datasets comprise Electronic Health Record (EHR) data, surveys, physical metrics, and whole genome sequencing for approximately 410,000 participants. While the program aspires to propel health research forward and elevate precision medicine, its intricate data framework and stringent security measures have sometimes made it appear as an enigmatic treasure to the broader research community.

MBIS to the Rescue!

Our dedicated team at the Health Sciences Library System’s Molecular Biology Information Service (HSLS MBIS) has taken the initiative to demystify these datasets. Through a valuable partnership with the Department of Biomedical Informatics, we have launched a strategic educational initiative that has already yielded positive outcomes and continues to do so. Since February 2023, our efforts have empowered over 52 researchers with the tools and knowledge to access and analyze the intricate AoU data.

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Access Update for PMC COVID-19 Collection

The National Library of Medicine shared an update on access to coronavirus-related articles in the PubMed Central (PMC) COVID-19 collection after the end of the public health emergency on August 29, 2023:

Changes made to address the expiration of article-level license terms following the end of the public health emergency

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) collaborated with publishers and scholarly societies to expand access to coronavirus-related journal articles in PubMed Central (PMC), a digital archive of peer-reviewed biomedical and life sciences literature. Through this collaboration, more than 50 publishers made more than 350,000 coronavirus-related articles accessible under various article-level license terms through the PMC COVID-19 Collection (previously the PMC COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Initiative). This collaboration made a significant collection of coronavirus-related information immediately accessible to researchers to accelerate discoveries about COVID-19.

As COVID-19 emergency declarations expired in the United States and around the globe, so too did article-level license terms for use of some of these articles. Most of the articles deposited in the PMC COVID-19 Collection will remain available in PMC and available for bulk distribution and reuse, and all citations will remain searchable in PubMed […]”

More information is available from the PMC COVID-19 Collection and PMC COVID-19 Collection FAQ webpages.

Treasures from the Rare Book Room: Expanding the Gout and Rheumatism Collection

Antique books lined up so their spines are visible.
The first set of books received from the Osial Collection.

A generous gift is coming to the Rare Book Room at Falk Library. Dr. Thaddeus Osial is donating his extensive library of nearly 150 books on gout and rheumatism, which will expand and enhance Falk Library’s existing collection on the subject. When combined with current HSLS holdings, including the library of Dr. Gerald Rodnan, the incoming donation from Dr. Osial will cement the gout and rheumatism collection as the largest subject collection in the Rare Book Room.

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HSLS Staff News

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

News

Kelsey Cowles, Research & Instruction Librarian, has been nationally recognized by the Medical Library Association for earning a Level I Systematic Review Services Specialization (SRSS) certificate. The SRSS was created by a team of national experts on the medical librarian’s role in systematic reviews. The SRSS certificate indicates that Kelsey has advanced literature searching, communication, and other skills that enable her to play a central role in systematic review projects as a co-investigator.