Happy Halloween!

Looking for something to get you into the Halloween spirit? Check out this adorable comic by artist Heather Franzen Rutten!

http://www.heatherfranzen.com/scaredycat/

Possession or epilepsy? A Halloween podcast featuring the history of exorcism

I can give or take most podcasts, but this episode from Sawbones was fantastic! Physicians Sydnee and Justin McElroy dig into the subject of medical illnesses throughout history masquerading as "possession". History, intrigue, and creepiness? Perfect for your Halloween listening! 

Listen here: http://www.maximumfun.org/sawbones/sawbones-possession

Here's what we're reading, part one

We asked, and you answered!  I've gotten so many responses, I'll be splitting them into multiple posts!   If you haven't chimed in yet, feel free to email me at annie dot lipski at aurora dot org.  Here are some books recommended by our library colleagues:

The Circle by Dave Eggers AND Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton

Both for the bad librarian that has a deep uneasiness about social media.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

A fun horror novel with lots of great 80s nostalgia (think Stranger Things).

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
This book is like reading a well written textbook. You learn so much with every sentence, but it is best 20 minutes at a time. What I love is how well it gives you a history lesson while catching you up on current events. You will find you feel smarter and have more things to talk about with people.  Five stars! 

What Do They Do With All That Poo by Jane Kurtz
Educational, entertaining, AND disgusting.  Perfect for the toddler or scatalogical enthusiast in your life.

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
Since I have a two year old, and it's almost Halloween...this is what I have been reading (every single night).  From the publisher: "this enchanting story of quick wits and friendship is full of humor and adventure-and just the right amount of spookiness."

Depth of Winter by Craig Johnson

I just finished reading “Depth of Winter” by Craig Johnson, the latest in the mystery series featuring my favorite modern day cowboy Sherriff Longmire.   I enjoy the characters and the humor that emerges even in the darkest moments.

Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran

Featured in ProHealth Care's Culture Competence club.  It's about an undocumented Mexican-American woman and Indian-American woman and their love for the same child.  I have just started it, but I am enjoying the writing so far.

Plant Them Deep by Aimee and David Thurlo

Someone is stealing native medicinal plants from the Navajo nation.  Rose, a spry septuagenarian, looks into the mystery.  Perfect for anyone who likes western mysteries a la Tony Hillerman or Longmire.

WHSLA Librarian of the Year - Brenda Fay, Librarian Specialist at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI

WHSLA Librarian of the Year: Brenda Fay

By Michele Matucheski, WHSLA President

At the WHSLA Board Meeting on Friday, October 19, 2018, at Todd Weir Library at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, I had the honor to present our own Brenda Fay with the prestigious WHSLA Librarian of the Year Award.

This award is bestowed upon a professional (MLS or equivalent) Librarian in recognition of outstanding leadership, achievement and commitment to the library profession. It is awarded to a Librarian who is currently employed in a Wisconsin health science library and must be an active member of WHSLA.

Brenda is one of the most active members we have!

Karen Hanus and Barb Ruggeri nominated Brenda and had these kind words to say about her (submitted June 2018):

Brenda Fay is truly a valuable member of the health sciences library profession. Brenda has taken on multiple roles within WHSLA. 

·         She launched our WHSLA Blog in 2016, thereby transforming our WHSLA Newsletter and communications.

·         She’s been managing our WHSLA Website for several years.

·         She was co-chair of our first annual WHSLA Web Conference in the fall of 2017.

·         She is currently co-chair of the 2019 combined WHSLA/Midwest Chapter-Medical Library Association Meeting scheduled for Fall of 2019.

·         She is currently President-Elect of WHSLA and soon-to-be President in 2019.

When Brenda was interviewed for the WHSLA Spotlight, she said she was very “wishy-washy” over what major to choose. A vocational test suggested that she either become a Librarian, biologist, or chemist.  She earned a degree in conservation biology, but after working in a public library and high school library, she realized that she wanted to become a Librarian.  She came to Aurora after working in a public library.  That started her path in health sciences librarianship.

Brenda can always be counted upon to offer great ideas and provide positive energy and vitality to any project.  One example is her enthusiasm for Graphic Medicine.  In 2011, she attended a graphic novel conference in Chicago.  After that, she started following blogs and thought about how it could be applied to her work as a health science librarian.  The result was that she developed and taught an honors course at Marquette University on Graphic Medicine-Illness, Disease and Health in Comics.  She later presented a brief version for WHSLA – after which I purchased all the recommended graphic medicine titles for my own Library. 😉

Brenda is collegial, thoughtful, dedicated, and always finds ways to give back to our profession.  She is very deserving of the WHSLA Librarian of the Year Award. 

This award is one that our administrators and non-Librarian health care colleagues will recognize for quality and excellence.  It’s great PR for the recipient and our profession.

Congratulations, Brenda!  We’re so glad you are part of WHSLA!

[Scroll down for more pictures …]

Left to Right : Karen Hanus, Brenda Fay, and Barb Ruggeri

Michele Matucheski, WHSLA President, present Brenda with the award

What are you reading?

Not ready to commit to being a WHSLA blogger?  We hear you.  We know you're busy, and the thought of adding one more thing to your already packed schedule is about as appealing as eating a packet of lukewarm applesauce that's been sitting in someone's purse.

So how about I write the post for you?  Email me at annie dot lipski at aurora dot org and let me know what you're reading for fun or otherwise.  Give me a brief description of the book.  Are you enjoying it?  Would you recommend it?  

Next week, I'll compile all your answers into a blog post! 

Is our social media use influencing our health insurance rates?

I recently heard a story on NPR about the interest in patients social media use by insurers and data brokers. I don't know about anyone else, but the older I get the more gun shy I am about posting anything on social media. This story makes me wary of even shopping online or "liking" someone else's posts, or retweeting anything I find interesting. Does this story make you feel that way, too?

Health Insurers Are Vacuuming Up Details About You — And It Could Raise Your Rates by Marshall Allen July 17, 2018

• "To an outsider, the fancy booths at last month’s health insurance industry  gathering in San Diego aren’t very compelling. A handful of companies pitching “lifestyle” data and salespeople touting jargony phrases like “social determinants  of health."
• But dig deeper and the implications of what they’re selling might give many patients pause: A future in which everything you do — the things you buy, the food you eat, the time you spend watching TV — may help determine how much you pay for  health insurance."

Read more...

https://assets.propublica.org/images/articles/_threeTwo1600w/20180717-insurance-spot-one.jpg

Graphic medicine: comics as a self care tool for undergraduate students (presented at Midcontinental MLA 2018)

Last week I was able to present a paper at Midcontinental MLA's 2018 virtual conference on a class I taught last fall on graphic medicine.

I'm also happy to report that this won the "Viewer's Choice" award at the conference! 

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Fay B. Graphic medicine: comics as a self-care tool for undergraduate students. Paper presented at: Midcontinental Chapter Medical Library Association Annual Meeting; October 5, 2018; virtual meeting.

Background: Graphic medicine is a branch of medical humanities that has begun to pop up in medical school curriculums. It is both as a tool to understand patients and families better and to express oneself as a clinician. It has not been well-studied in the undergraduate population. A health science librarian proposed and taught a seminar to investigate: Does exposure to graphic medicine increase empathy among undergraduate students; does graphic medicine increase interest in health care careers?

Methods: Graphic Medicine: Illness, Disease, and Health in Comics, was a 12-week, 75-minute, one-credit seminar, taught at Marquette University in Fall 2017. Class work included reading comics, presentations from practicing clinicians and comic artists, and creating a short original comic. Pre and post-class paper surveys were distributed. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected.

Results: 11/12 students completed the class. Self-rated empathy stayed consistent; however student comments suggested they understood a patient’s experience better at the end: “It made me realize how no one is ever alone in their illness” and “It opened my eyes to better understand the hidden emotional trials that people go through”. 8/12 planned on working in health care at the start of the class, 7/11 at the end of term.

Conclusion: Among already declared undergraduate students, exposure to graphic medicine may not increase interest in health care careers. In addition to understanding patients better, exposure to graphic medicine and comics may prove to be a useful, self-care tool. One student remarked, “It’s cathartic to tell your story.”

Download here

Giving a whole new meaning to "wild birds"

I'm an avid backyard bird watcher, and it's fun to see all the different migratory species passing through this time of year.  Fortunately, my backyard visitors have been better behaved than these avian hooligans.

Call for WHSLA bloggers!

We are looking for WHSLA bloggers to share news, interesting tidbits, help publicize WHSLA efforts, and just keep our organization communicating and conversing with each other. Our weekly blog round up is a way to promote job opportunities, CE programs, or share information about important WHSLA efforts, like next fall's Midwest Chapter/MLA conference in Milwaukee. Please consider becoming a WHSLA blogger. 

• What would I do? Post 1-2 times per month, or more often if you like, about anything of interest to health sciences librarians. 

• How do I do it? Simple, we will make you an official blogger using a Gmail address. Once you're set up, just go to our WHSLA blogger.com site and post away. 

• Will I be doing this alone?  Goodness, no! There will be other WHSLA members blogging with you and can help answer any questions you might have. 

• Interested? Great! Email brenda.fay at aurora.org or annie.lipski at aurora.org and we'll get you set up and trained. 

The Mayo Clinic: Faith - Hope - Science (streaming now on PBS)

Thanks to Jennifer Schram, Mayo Clinic Libraries, for this blog post. 

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It was three years in the making and on Tuesday, Sept. 25, the story of Mayo Clinic came to life in the form of a Ken Burns documentary on PBS.

PBS billed "The Mayo Clinic: Faith, Hope, Science" as "a timely look at how one institution has met the changing demands of healthcare."

This film tells the story of the Mayo Clinic.  Dr. William Worrall Mayo was an immigrant who started practicing medicine in rural Minnesota in the late 1800’s along side his two sons.  A deadly tornado struck and the the Mayos took charge of the recovery alongside the Sisters of Saint Francis.  Mother Alfred Moes told Dr. Mayo that she had a vision from God to build a hospital with him as the director and it would become “world renowned for its medical arts.”  This is also a film that tells of how Mayo does things differently such as having doctors on salary which increases collaboration and reduces unneccessary tests.  At the Mayo Clinic, the primary value is the needs of the patient come first.  This value was developed and first stated well over 100 years ago by Dr. Will.    

"As we grow in learning, we more justly appreciate our dependence upon each other. The sum-total of medical knowledge is now so great and wide-spreading that it would be futile for one man to attempt to acquire, or for any one man to assume that he has, even a good working knowledge of any large part of the whole. The very necessities of the case are driving practitioners into cooperation. The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered, and in order that the sick may have the benefit of advancing knowledge, union of forces is necessary." -Dr. Will Mayo