The MCH Library at Georgetown University presents a new knowledge path, Preconception and Pregnancy.  The knowledge path points to a selection of resources that analyze data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research aimed at improving access to and quality of preconception and prenatal care to improve perinatal health outcomes.

View the knowledge path at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_pregnancy.html.

Companion resource briefs include the following:

• For Families http://www.mchlibrary.info/families/frb_pregnancy.html
• Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/adolpregnancy.html
• Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) and Families http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/ART.html
• Childbirth http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/childbirth.html
• Fertility and Infertility http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/infertility.html
• Medications http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/medications.html
• Nutrition During Preconception and Pregnancy http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/nutritionpregnancy.html
• Screening http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/screening.html
• Tobacco, Alcohol, and Substance Use during Preconception and Pregnancy http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/substancepregnancy.html

We are pleased to announce the release of the Call for Applications for community teams to participate in Phase Two of the Healthy Weight Collaborative, a national quality improvement effort to test and spread evidence-based and promising interventions to prevent and treat obesity.  Attached, please find a fact sheet with more information on the Collaborative and the broader Collaborate for Healthy Weight initiative.

The Call for Applications may be found at:  http://www.collaborateforhealthyweight.org/Take-Action/Join-the-Collaborative.aspx.  Please access the PDF version of the complete application, or click on the blue “Apply Now!” box for access to the online application.

This phase will bring together 40 multi-sector teams (including primary care, public health, and the community) from across the country to engage in a virtual learning community from late February 2012-February 2013.

Key Dates:

• Application deadline:  January 27, 2012 at 3:00 pm EST
• Informational webinar for interested applicants:  January 11, 2012 from 3:00 – 4:00 pm EST.   Registration is required to attend, and may be accessed at http://www.cvent.com/d/dcq8qx.  Space is limited.
• Accepted teams notified:  February 28, 2012.

Phase Two Recruitment Priorities:

• Broad geographic distribution, with representation from urban, rural, tribal, and underserved communities facing significant health disparities.
• Tribal communities, as well as teams with a focus on faith-based, intergenerational, and women’s health approaches are encouraged to apply.
• The application of community health workers (ie. patient navigators, promatoras, or community advocates) and mHealth or innovative technology (ie. text messages, smart phone applications, or other innovative approaches) is encouraged.
• IT capacity (or access to) to participate in the virtual collaborative, including webinars and videoconferencing

For more information about the Healthy Weight Collaborative and the Collaborate for Healthy Weight initiative, please visit the project’s website:  www.collaborateforhealthyweight.org.

If you have any further questions, please email info@collaborateforhealthyweight.org or contact Becca Lipman at 617-391-2700.

Mark these dates in your calendar and join us for the following workshops…

January 17th:     Patient Safety Resource Seminar: Librarians on the Front Lines

(Online: Jan. 17 – Feb. 17, 2012)

February 6th:     Beyond an Apple a Day: Providing Consumer Health Information at Your Library

(Online: Feb. 6 – Mar. 9, 2012)

February 9th:     Super Searcher: Enhancing Your Online Search Super Powers

(Online: Feb. 9 – Feb. 23, 2012)

Mark these dates in your calendar and join us for the following workshops…

January 9th:

• Valuing Your Library: Needs Assessment, Program Development, and Program Evaluation (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Nursing on the Net: Health Care Resources You Can Use (Online: 1/9/2012 – 2/3/2012)

January 17th:  Patient Safety Resource Seminar: Librarians on the Front Lines (Online: 1/17/2012 – 2/17/2012)

January 23rd:  EBM for Librarians (Bronx, NY)

February 6th:  Beyond an Apple a Day: Providing Consumer Health Information at Your Library (Online: 2/6/2012 – 3/9/2012)

The November issue (http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/) of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research, is now available!  In this edition:

• Worried Sick (http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Nov2011/Feature1)
• Living with Anxiety Disorders (http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Nov2011/Feature1)

If you’re starting a new job or taking a test, a little anxiety might make you more alert and ready for action.  But sometimes anxiety can linger or become overwhelming.  When it gets in the way of good health and peace of mind, it’s called an anxiety disorder.  Read more about anxiety disorders. (http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Nov2011/Feature1)

• Looking at Lupus (http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Nov2011/Feature2)
• An Attack from Within (http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Nov2011/Feature2)

Lupus arises when the cells that are supposed to protect your body from disease mistakenly assault your own healthy cells and tissues.  This attack from within can damage your joints, skin and most other parts of your body.  Read more about lupus. (http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Nov2011/Feature2)

Health Capsules:

• Gene Affects Response to Asthma Drugs <http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Nov2011/Capsule1>
• Get an Eye Exam During Diabetes Month <http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Nov2011/Capsule2>
• Featured Website:  Go4Life <http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Nov2011/Capsule3>

Click here <http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/files/Nov2011/NIHNiHNov2011.pdf> to download a PDF version for printing.

Visit our Facebook wall <http://www.facebook.com/NewsInHealth> to suggest topics you’d like us to cover, or start a discussion about how you use the newsletter.  We want to hear what you think!  Please pass the word on to your colleagues about NIH News in Health. We are happy to send a limited number of print copies free of charge for display in offices, libraries or clinics.  Just email us or call 301-435-7489 for more information.

Based on the success of last spring’s event, the IOM and NAE are sponsoring the 2nd annual Go Viral to Improve Health:  Health Data Collegiate Challenge.  Working in interdisciplinary teams that meld technological skills with health knowledge, college students can generate powerful apps to improve health for individuals and communities.  A video of last year’s first-place winners presenting their app, Sleep Bot, at the 2011 Health Data Initiative Forum can be found here:  http://www.iom.edu/Activities/PublicHealth/HealthData/2011-JUN-09/Morning-Session/Presentations/Challenge.aspx.

We need your help in reaching out to students about the challenge.  Information about eligibility, judging criteria, and registration is available on our webpage, http://www.iom.edu/goviral, and our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/goviraltoimprovehealth.  We have also developed a flyer that you can download and print:  http://www.iom.edu/Activities/PublicHealth/HealthData/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/PublicHealth/HealthData/posterweb.pdf to help spread the message about this year’s student challenge.

I encourage you to help us get the word out by “liking” us on Facebook and forwarding information about the challenge to faculty and students who may be interested in participating.  Also, the suggestion has been made that teams consider using NLM data, APPs, etc. in developing their apps.  This year, a total of $10,000 in prizes will be available to the student teams who develop the best new health apps.  Team registration is open until February 10, 2012.

Five innovative software applications that help researchers, health professionals, and the general public in their quest for medical and scientific information are the winners of the National Library of Medicine’s first software development challenge:  http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2011/nlm-27.htm.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) Office of the Chief Privacy Officer plans to perform a project using a qualitative data collection approach to obtain in-depth information from mHealth users regarding privacy and security concerns with this technology and perspectives on potential safeguards.  mHealth refers to the use of mobile devices to communicate health information, and includes text messaging, email accessibility on the device, Skype, or the use of applications downloaded to the device.

A series of focus groups will be held in a variety of geographic regions to look at the attitudes and perspectives of individuals across different populations.  For more information on this and other mHealth initiatives at HHS, please visit http://www.hhs.gov/open/initiatives/mhealth/projects.html.

Today NLM released a new version of the MedlinePlus tour in English (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tour/tour.html) and Spanish (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tour/tour.html). 

The tours highlight important features of MedlinePlus.gov and describe where you can find certain types of information on the site. The tours last approximately 8 minutes and they include audio. We invite you to view the tours to see all the wonderful features MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en español have to offer!  There’s also a downloadable version of each tour so you can play them without an Internet connection.  If you have comments or questions about the MedlinePlus tours, send a message to the MedlinePlus team via the contact form on MedlinePlus.gov.

From the NLM’s  Reference & Web Services Section:

Want to learn more about who is using MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en español?  Looking for the latest user statistics for your next presentation or outreach activity?

The National Library of Medicine is pleased to announce the results of the 2010 MedlinePlus user survey, powered by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).  The survey results give you a snapshot of a representative sample of MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en español users,  their demographics, their reasons for visiting the site, and how they use the health information provided by MedlinePlus.  Thousands of users voluntarily responsed to our online survey in 2010. Thank you if you were one of them.

Visit http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/survey2010/index.html to view the 2010 survey results for MedlinePlus.gov and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/survey2010/index.html to view the 2010 survey results for MedlinePlus en español.  You can also find links to the 2010 survey results on the English and Spanish “About MedlinePlus” pages in the right column.

We hope you’ll find this data interesting and helpful in your efforts to reach out to new and existing health information customers.  Please let us know if you have any questions or comments about the results.

 For more inofrmation, go to – http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/contact/index.cfm?lang=en&from=http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/faq/faq.html