Posts are written by library staff and reflect their personal opinions not necessarily those of MSK.
Listen to Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH and others who gave TEDMED talks this year.
Dr. Desmond-Hellman became the ninth Chancellor of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in August 2009. An oncologist and renowned biotechnology leader, she holds the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor appointment at UCSF and oversees all aspects of the university and medical center’s strategy and operations.
I was drawn to a recent article (April 18, 2013) published on the American Cancer Society website entitled “Can you trust that medical journal?” written by Dr. Ted Gansler. It seems that Dr. Gansler’s article was the end result of a piece he read in the New York Times which questioned the ethics of some journal publishers.
A national survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project reported that “Thirty-five percent of U.S. adults say that at one time or another they have gone online specifically to try to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have.” This represents one in three American adults who have used the web to retrieve information about a medical condition. The report refers to these individuals as “online diagnosers.” Continue reading
Conference season has arrived for many of us in the Library and as we plan who should attend what conference this year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the reasons why staff should attend. Are there any benefits? Do the benefits outweigh the cost?
Perhaps the key for me is ensuring that the conference will support at least one of our yearly goals. I see this strategic approach as a critical factor. While the conference can certainly be positioned as a learning experience, it really is about the “takeaways” and how they will be implemented when the staff member returns. Innovation and providing cutting-edge services cannot happen without the opportunities to see what is beyond the walls of the Library.