NNLM Region 6 Speaker Spotlight Series

The NNLM Region 6 Speaker Series is an intermittent webinar series hosted by NNLM Region 6. It showcases guest speakers who address various topics relevant to our members, including librarians, public health practitioners, educators, clinicians, and other healthcare information professionals. Our selection of topics is influenced by audience preferences and requests, trends, seasonal relevance, and speaker availability, ensuring a dynamic and engaging experience for all participants.

For more information, contact Region6-RML@uiowa.edu

Objectives

Topics provide information to help attendees do one or more of the following:

  • Know their communities
  • Better understand health consumers
  • Evaluate health information
  • Increase knowledge of resources and subjects
  • Improve health-related communication, reference, instruction, and programming 
  • Increase health literacy
  • Understand and explore the relationship between technology and health
  • Explore ethical and legal issues
  • Assess needs for health information
  • Obtain and disseminate health-related information 
  • Identify sources of secondary data related to health

Scope: The Region 6 Spotlight Speaker Series features guest speakers who present various topics related to the mission, goals, or strategic plan of the NNLM, NLM, NIH, or NNLM initiatives, priority areas, and activities, and topics relevant to our members, including librarians, public health practitioners, educators, clinicians, and other healthcare information professionals. These webinars seek to increase awareness of or access to health information resources and data, improve health literacy, increase health equity through information, and/or increase health information access and use. 

Accessibility This webinar includes live closed captioning.

Code of Conduct NNLM is dedicated to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for all people, regardless of background or identity. As such, we expect respectful interactions with instructors and learners. Read the full Code of Conduct here.

Recording The recording of this webinar will be posted to our YouTube channel 1-2 weeks following the live event.

Class Length

1 hour

Class Owner(s)

Miles Dietz-Castel, Communications and Finance Coordinator, Region 6

Instructor(s)

Bobbi L. Newman, Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist, Region 6
Nora Barnett, Health Professionals Outreach Specialist, Region 6
Erica Lake, Health Sciences Librarians Outreach Specialist, Region 6
Darlene Kaskie, Engagement Coordinator, Region 6
Jacqueline Leskovec, Network Coordinator, Region 6

Continuing Education

This class qualifies for Medical Library Association (MLA) Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) Level 1.

This class qualifies for Medical Library Association (MLA) Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) Level 2.

This series has been approved for 1 Medical Library Association (MLA) continuing education credit.

This series meets the following CHIS Level 1 and Level 2 competencies:

C1. Know the Community
C2. Know the Health Consumer
C3. Knowledge of Subject Matter and Resources
C4. Evaluation of Health Information
C5. Communication, Reference, and Instruction
C6. Literacy and Health Literacy
C7. Technology and Health
C8. Ethical and Legal Issues

Classes

Event Title Event Start Date Summary Continuing Education Credits CE Categories Is Online Registration

No classes.

Event Title Event Start Date Summary Continuing Education Credits CE Categories Is Online Registration
Environmental Chemicals and Breast Cancer: What Do We Know? What Can We Do?, a Region 6 Spotlight Speaker Webinar Join guest speaker Julia Brody, director of Silent Spring Institute, to
(1) review the science on how everyday chemical exposures can influence breast cancer risk,
(2) identify resources to help people reduce their exposures by taking simple actions as individuals and community members, and
(3) learn how misleading information, including from sources that people expect to be reliable, can play into industry’s dismissive strategies.
1.00 CHES, MLA, CHIS Level 1, CHIS Level 2 On
Fostering Connection: Addressing Library Employee Loneliness, a Region 6 Spotlight Speaker Webinar Join guest speaker Alejandro Marquez (he/him) to learn about loneliness among library staff and practical strategies to create a more inclusive and supportive workplace environment. 1.00 MLA, CHIS Level 1, CHIS Level 2 On
Public Library Connections, Region 6, February 2024 This meeting is for public librarians and library workers who work in public libraries in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. 0.00 On
Health Literacy of People Living with Mental Health or Substance Use Disorders, a Region 6 Spotlight Speaker Webinar This presentation will shed light on the health literacy of individuals living with mental health and substance use disorders. Guest speaker Dr. Tayla Degan will provide an overview of her research examining the multidimensional health literacy levels of this population and how health literacy levels impact health outcomes. She will discuss practical tools and future steps to address this population's health literacy. 1.00 CHES, CHIS Level 1 On
The Smart Tablet Education for Healthy Living Program, a Region 6 Speaker Spotlight Series Webinar Dr. Saravanan will present on her Region 6 award, The Smart Tablet Education for Healthy Living Program, a program where older adults living in retirement home benefitted from workshops on how to use smart tablets for accessing reliable health information. 1.00 On
Region 6 Public Libraries Connections November 2023 This meeting is for librarians and library workers who work in public libraries in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.  0.00 On
Holding Space to Discuss a Complicated Past: Exploring Medical Libraries’ Role in Perpetuating Racial Science, A Region 6 Spotlight Speaker Webinar Join Raymond Pun, Nicollette Davis, and Patrice R. Green for a webinar presentation based on their recent commentary in the Journal of Medical Library Association (JMLA) titled "Medical Libraries and Their Complicated Past: An Exploration of the Historical Connections Between Medical Collections and Racial Science." The presentation will explore the historical ties between medical libraries and racial science, focusing on empire-building. Attendees, particularly those involved in library instruction, will gain valuable insights into how medical sciences and collections have been influenced by racial science discourse, which continues to impact today's medical practices for patients who identify as Black, Indigenous, or persons of color. 1.00 On
Fatness and libraries: Amplifying the Voices of Fat Librarians in DEIA work, A Region 6 Spotlight Speaker Join us for a one-hour webinar with Meg Galasso as she delves into the important topics of weight discrimination, fat representation, and anti-fatness in the library profession. Drawing from comprehensive interviews with public-facing librarians across different library types, including public, school, academic, and special libraries, this webinar will provide valuable insights into the experiences and perspectives of these professionals. Gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities surrounding these 1.00 On
From Words to Wellness: Exploring the Impact of Expressive Writing, a Region 6 Spotlight Speaker Webinar Expressive writing has been shown to have many benefits for those facing chronic and serious illness. Guest speaker April Stearns, founder of Wildfire magazine, will discuss the how expressive writing can be helpful in healing and share her experience translating the science about expressive writing into a writing program for young people with breast cancer. Participants will learn about the history of expressive writing in healing, expressive writing's role in physical healing, and how expressive writing interventions lead to improved outcomes. 1.00 CHIS Level 1 On
AI, Higher Education, and Medical Librarianship: Opportunities and Risks This presentation on the most recent developments of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems will discuss the basic principles of ChatGPT and other generative AIs, provide real-time demonstrations of how to use generative AI systems, examine the historical use of AI technology, and encourage discussion about the potential costs and harms of powerful AI systems. 1.00 CHIS Level 1 On
Reproductive Health and the Reference Desk: How libraries can provide information in a post-Roe country This webinar will discuss reproductive health as an information access concern, introduce the Reproductive Justice framework, and offer ideas for how libraries can provide create environments that are supportive of sexual and reproductive health information. 1.00 CHIS Level 1 On
Region 6 Public Libraries Connections June 2023 This meeting is for librarians and library workers who work in public libraries in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.  0.00 On
NNLM Region 6 Projects - Multilingual Health Information Resources This webinar will feature two NNLM Region 6 awardees who used funding to create multicultural and multilingual health information resources for their communities. Learn how to adopt and use their resources for your community! 1.00 CHIS Level 1 On
Accelerating the Speed and Scale of Medical Discovery with Real-World Data: Epic Research and Cosmos Epic Research launched during the COVID-19 pandemic as a new kind of journal, focused on making good data available sooner rather than perfect data available too late. This webinar will explore its methodology and publication process, and look at recent study findings. 0.00 On
Endocrine Disruptors in Environmental Health, a Region 6 Spotlight Speaker Webinar Learn about the phenomenon of endocrine disruption, the inference of normal hormonal processes in the human endocrine system by chemicals and pollutants in our environment. Participants will learn about historical discoveries and recent scientific findings. Approaches to address the issue, including chemical avoidance and political advocacy, will be discussed. 1.00 CHES, CHIS Level 1, CHIS Level 2 On