NLM’s "NIH MedlinePlus magazine” launched in 2006 as a quarterly publication geared toward a consumer health audience. Since its inception, cover photos and related articles feature celebrity athletes, actors, entertainers, and television personalities. The upcoming spring 2021 issue of the magazine will be special in many ways, starting with the featured celebrities. NIH Director, Dr. Francis Collins, and NIAID Director, Dr. Anthony Fauci, will grace the cover putting familiar, trusted faces forward for an issue focusing on COVID-19 research and NIH. Scientists and science are the new “stars!”
This special issue will provide comprehensive coverage of COVID-19-related topics, aiming to provide key information on leading NIH research and initiatives to the American public and NIH communities. The issue will also feature an interview with Dr. Brennan and highlight NLM’s role in the NIH response to the COVID-19 pandemic through its research and delivery of resources.
Look for the spring issue online in early June!
NIH held its 7th annual Science Day for Students at NIH virtually on April 19. This event aimed to inspire the next generation of biomedical researchers and clinicians by engaging high school students in activities and panel discussions with NIH health professionals. This year, NLM participated in the event welcoming 218 students and teachers from eight schools from D.C., Maryland, and New York. Students attended panel discussions and breakout sessions, as well as participated in a virtual escape room.
Designed by NLM’s Office of Engagement and Training, the virtual escape room simulated what an NIH intern might experience in a day and introduce students to some of the institutes and centers within NIH. Students worked together in small groups to solve puzzles as they made their way around the NIH campus.
Thank you to the Science Day planning committee and everyone who took part in this event.
You can now submit content for the “NLM Insider”! Click here to complete the online form. If you need assistance or have questions about submitting an article, please reach out to NLMCommunications@nlm.nih.gov.
See Dr. Fauci in 1984 as he presents on research findings and answers questions related to AIDS. Be sure to subscribe to the NLM YouTube channel for more great content from your favorite health care heroes.
Click the play button above to watch Dr. Fauci!
Renovations on Buildings 38 and 38A continue, as shown in the pictures below.
Construction outside Building 38A of data center secondary cooling and power utility building and underground tunnel. View is from an upper story LHC.
Photo of Building 38A 9th floor renovation finishing touches. Cubicle office with black chair and new carpet is shown.
Photo of Building 38A 9th floor renovation finishing touches. Small conference room is shown.
Photo of Building 38A 9th floor renovation finishing touches. Cubicle offices are shown.
Photo of asbestos abatement in the Director's Office on the mezzanine of NLM Building 38. Sunlight is shining through windows.
Photo of asbestos abatement of the mezzanine level in NLM Building 38.
Photo of asbestos abatement of 1st floor and mezzanine of NLM Building 38. Hallway with hanging wires from open ceiling is shown.
Photo of asbestos abatement of 1st floor and mezzanine of NLM Building 38. Open ceiling is shown.
Welcome back Teresa Zayas Cabán, PhD! Previously on detail at NLM from July 2019-September 2020, she rejoined NLM in March of this year as the Assistant Director for Policy Development. She was drawn to the Institute because of its unique focus on biomedical and health data science research and the diverse mix of NLM offerings.
According to Dr. Zayas Cabán, “NLM’s work touches many important policy aspects, and the role gives me an opportunity to apply my experience in health IT, health informatics research, and health care policy to research that will advance NLM’s mission.”
She looks forward to collaborating across NIH to advance policy priorities and welcomes colleagues to reach out.
The NLM Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI)is pleased to welcome In Hye Cho on a part-time detail as a Program Analyst from April through August. During her OSI detail, In Hye will gain experience in the planning, coordination, evaluation, and management of various NLM programs. She will also continue to work in the MEDLARS Management Section supporting NLM terminology products such as RxNorm.
The NLM Office of Communications and Public Liaison welcomes Robert Pines, who joins the team as a writer/editor. Most recently at NCCIH in the communications office, Robert has been with NIH since 2013. He currently serves as co-chair for the NIH Social Media Collaboration group, a forum for communications representatives from all 27 institutes and centers.
Christine Winderlin comes to the NLM Office of Communications and Public Liaison as a writer/editor. She joins NLM from the Health Resources and Service Administration Division of Transplantation, where she served as a technical writer/editor. In that role, she wrote and edited memos, letters, talking points, and reports to Congress.
After 20 years at the Lister Hill National Center (LHC) for Biomedical Communications, Karen Steely retired from her dream job on April 30. She came to LHC in 2001 while completing a degree in Computer Science and worked on several websites for the Communications Engineering Branch, eventually becoming a usability specialist. Most recently, Karen worked in the Office of the Director writing content and working with the team that developed the LHC website.
Karen served as the coordinator for 33 meetings of the NLM Board of Scientific Counselors and contributed to many special events, including the LHC 40th and 50th anniversaries and the NLM 175th anniversary.
Karen and her husband Bruce will be traveling the country in their RV to visit family and enjoy state and national parks on the way.
Kate Flewelling, the Executive Director of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM), Middle Atlantic Region (MAR), accepted a position as the Director of the Alumni Medical Library at Boston University Medical Center effective July 1. Kate was an alumni Associate Fellow from 2007-2008 and previously held positions at NNLM MAR of Health Professions Coordinator and Outreach Coordinator.
NLM Volunteers for the Unaccompanied Children's Program
Thank you to the following NLM staff for volunteering their time, skills, and expertise to help others. We appreciate your service.
Victor Cid
Marie Collins
Brenna Cox
Sarah Eilers
Jessica Hemphill
Marilu Hoeppner
Douglas Joubert
Jonathan Kans
Elena Leon
Katherine Majewski
Mabel Mendez
Katherine Monroe
Troy Pfister
Victoria Pohlen
Tammy Powell
David Webb
NLM also recognizes Hue Bahn, Dora Deegbe, and Meghan Gunsallus for supporting the volunteers at all hours with travel plans and cards, navigating ITAS, and making this all possible.
IRP Tenure-Track or Tenure-Eligible Investigator in Clinical Data Science
IRP Tenure-Track or Tenure-Eligible Investigator in Biomedical Image Processing
It is with much sadness that NCBI recently learned of the passing of Mark Boguski, MD, PhD, a former Senior Investigator in the Computational Biology Branch. Mark worked at NCBI from 1989-2000 and made a lasting impression on NLM staff.
After leaving NCBI, Mark worked in the genomics and pharmaceutical industries. He held leadership positions at Rosetta Inpharmatics, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. He was also co-founder of PhotoCalorie LLC and Celebrity Diagnosis LLC. Most recently, Mark was the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Liberty Biosecurity LLC and held academic positions at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Mark will be remembered as a terrific teacher. He was most adept at finding the key nugget in any topic and presenting it in such a way that he made you feel that you were learning something new.
Alex Navas, a Contracting Officer within the National Library of Medicine’s Office of Acquisitions, passed away on April 20.
Alex will be remembered as a hardworking, friendly, and committed person. He brought a high-energy and commendable initiative to tackling administrative challenges, such as office-wide contract closeouts and contractor performance evaluations. His unrelenting efforts resulted in significant achievements throughout the office.
Alex had a great sense of duty. In high school, he enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program. He had a sense of service, as evidenced by a career at NLM spanning 20 years. Alex was an organ donor, loved photography, and enjoyed being with friends and family. Above all, he loved his daughter, Gabriela. Alex will be missed, and his family is in our thoughts at this difficult time.
The First Phase of An Updated PubMed Central is Coming
NCBI is working on an update to PubMed Central (PMC) to create a modern and accessible user experience. The first phase of this project is focused on upgrading the PMC platform, along with updates to the look and feel of the homepage, site organization, and article display. Users will soon be able to test and provide feedback on these changes through a Labs site, available in late spring. Further improvements to the PMC user interface will continue to roll out over the next year.
Associate Fellows’ Curriculum Now Available Online
Every year the Library Operations’ Associate Fellowship Program coordinates staff presentations on NLM, its research, products, and services. The presentations that form the Associate Fellows curriculum are organized into “units” coordinated by staff in different divisions at NLM. While the presentations are primarily for the benefit of the Associate Fellows, they are also open to all staff. For the 2020-2021 year all presentations were virtual and are now available on the NIH NLM Engagement and Training group or browsed through this curated list on the wiki.
The Associate Fellows curriculum is a popular way for new staff to get to know about NLM. While we usually average 25 staff attendees total for the curriculum, this all-virtual year saw a sharp increase in staff attendance with 176 staff attending overall.
The recorded presentations offer insight into the depth and breadth of NLM. Sessions include Dan Haft of NCBI on the “Hands On Experience with NCBI Databases. Marie Collins of the Preservation and Collection Management section in Library Operations shared news of a building “envelope study“ in which NIH studies the entire NLM building. We heard from Peng Guo in LHC about intramural research and the AI for Cervical Cancer Screening, and from Alan VanBiervliet in Extramural Programs about What makes a good grant application?
Though there is no substitute for meeting in-person, the generosity of staff in sharing their knowledge and expertise – and allowing for the sessions to be recorded – greatly benefited the Associate Fellows. A big “thank you” to the over 200 staff – from presenters, unit coordinators, and attendees – who made this year’s curriculum a great success.
NLM Town Hall – June
06/30 at 10:30am
Meditations in May, sponsored by the NIH Employee Assistance Program
05/17 at 12:00 - 12:30pm – Session 3
05/24 at 12:00 - 12:30pm – Session 4
NLM Intramural Research Program (IRP) Seminars
05/18 at 11:00am – Bayarbaatar Amgalan
05/20 at 3:00pm – Ghada Zamzmi
05/25 at 11:00am – Arunkumar Krishnan
05/27 at 3:00pm – Po-Ting Lai
06/01 at 11:00am – Xiaoshuang Shi
06/03 at 11:00am – Rezarta Islamaj
06/08 at 11:00am – Sergey Shmakov
Mandatory Implicit Bias Training
Due 05/28 for all staff and contractors
NLM History Talks: Dissecting Gender: Reframing Anatomical History Through the Female Body by Dr. Allison Hill-Edger
06/03 at 2:00pm
More NIH Events
Content Submission Form| View all NLM Insider Issues
Questions or Concerns? NLMCommunications@nlm.nih.gov
