As discussed in previous Biomeditations posts about my colleagues Sherry Morgan and Maylene Qiu, the staff of the Biomedical Library not only work with Penn students and faculty, but also partner with various groups within Penn Medicine.

As the Nursing Liaison Librarian, I work closely with the students and faculty at the School of Nursing, and within Penn Medicine, my focus is still on the nursing community. For example, I hold regular “office hours” at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (although my “office” is a table outside the cafe!) and starting this month, weekly drop-in availability at the Nursing Renewal Center at HUP, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, I do regular instruction and quality improvement project support for the Nurse Residency Program and support various evidence-based nursing and policy evaluation groups around the health system. These are incredible opportunities to interact with different professionals, engage with new topics, and contribute to the “Triple Aim”.

Most recently, as a development of the Biomedical Library’s ongoing health information literacy initiatives mostly driven by my colleague, Aman Kaur, we were both invited to become members of HUP’s Patient and Family Education Committee which works to improve the quality and accessibility of patient education resources. Since we became members, we’ve assisted with a variety of new and ongoing projects, including reviewing the committee’s website layout and content and participating in outreach initiatives during Health Literacy Month. We’re looking forward to a long and productive relationship with the committee, and hope to bring our skills to their projects and learn from the other members. This interprofessional committee includes patient education specialists, nurses from a number of specialties, pharmacists, nutritionists, and others.

Contact the Biomedical Library if there ways in which you’d like to partner with our team of librarians in serving the Penn academic, health system, and neighborhood communities.