Announcing the MIS/MLA Career Development Grant

The Medical Informatics Section (MIS)/MLA Career Development Grant provides the recipient with an award in support of a career development activity that contributes to advancement in the field of medical informatics. The list of previous winners may be seen here. The awardee receives $1500 and is presented with a certificate at the MLA annual meeting. Applicants must have an MLS or equivalent degree and are preferably members of the MIS. Applications are due December 1st.

Jury Members
Carrie Iwema, PhD, MLS
(Jury chair 2009-2010)
Information Specialist in Molecular Biology
Health Sciences Library System
University of Pittsburgh

Brooke Billman, MA, AHIP
AZHIN Librarian
Arizona Health Sciences Library
University of Arizona

Cynthia Burke, MLS, AHIP
Reference Librarian
Reference & Web Services Section
National Library of Medicine

Kathy Kerdolff, MLIS, AHIP
Reference Librarian
LSU Health Sciences CenterLouisiana State University

Beth Whipple, MLS
Research Informationist/Assistant Librarian
Ruth Lilly Medical Library
Indiana University School of Medicine

Dr. Blumenthal Speaks!

Interesting interview with Dr. David Blumenthal on how to motivate physicians to adopt technology to manage health information:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124404155221081477.html

For All of You Second Lifers Out There...

A Survey of Health-Related Activities on Second Life:

ABSTRACT
Background: Increasingly, governments, health care agencies, companies, and private groups have chosen Second Life as part of their Web 2.0 communication strategies. Second Life offers unique design features for disseminating health information, training health professionals, and enabling patient education for both academic and commercial health behavior research.Objectives: This study aimed to survey and categorize the range of health-related activities on Second Life; to examine the design attributes of the most innovative and popular sites; and to assess the potential utility of Second Life for the dissemination of health information and for health behavior change.Methods: We used three separate search strategies to identify health-related sites on Second Life. The first used the application’s search engine, entering both generic and select illness-specific keywords, to seek out sites. The second identified sites through a comprehensive review of print, blog, and media sources discussing health activities on Second Life. We then visited each site and used a snowball method to identify other health sites until we reached saturation (no new health sites were identified). The content, user experience, and chief purpose of each site were tabulated as well as basic site information, including user traffic data and site size.Results: We found a wide range of health-related activities on Second Life, and a diverse group of users, including organizations, groups, and individuals. For many users, Second Life activities are a part of their Web 2.0 communication strategy. The most common type of health-related site in our sample (n = 68) were those whose principle aim was patient education or to increase awareness about health issues. The second most common type of site were support sites, followed by training sites, and marketing sites. Finally, a few sites were purpose-built to conduct research in SL or to recruit participants for real-life research.Conclusions: Studies show that behaviors from virtual worlds can translate to the real world. Our survey suggests that users are engaged in a range of health-related activities in Second Life which are potentially impacting real-life behaviors. Further research evaluating the impact of health-related activities on Second Life is warranted.
(J Med Internet Res 2009;11(2):e17)

Pediatrics via iPhone

Read how one doctor is using her iPhone to deliver improved pediatrics services to her patients. Read more here: http://mobihealthnews.com/2401/interview-dr-hodge-the-first-iphone-doctor/