Brandon Kennedy, MLIS
Health Information Strategist, Region 3
Brandon Kennedy (He/They) is the Health Information Strategist for the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) - Region 3 at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Brandon graduated with his Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from the University of Missouri under the Catalysts for Community Health Grant. This grant allowed him to participate in an experiential and field-based learning environment to provide health resources to underserved and underrepresented communities through library services. This led him to create a comprehensive guide for Colorado residents with information on viable LGBTQ+ Health organizations in the state and nationwide. Brandon's professional interests involve: LGBTQ+ Health, health literacy in underserved communities, and community outreach. As a Health Information Strategist in Region 3 Brandon looks to work with Community Health Workers and public health organizations to address health literacy within the region.
Classes I Teach
| Event Title | Summary |
|---|---|
| Beyond the Binary: Understanding LGBTQIA+ Health | The class aims to provide culturally appropriate health information and resources for LGBTQIA+ populations and the librarians and health care practitioners who support them. We have done our best to use culturally sensitive language and examples recognizing that language on this topic, like gender and sexuality, can be fluid. Providing access to health information for and about these populations is extremely important. The topic of gender and LGBTQIA+ issues may be sensitive for some. Social stigma, fear, or rejection is real for many people. It is essential to bring awareness to these issues and create practices around addressing them. This class connects with NNLM initiatives addressing Environmental Determinants of Health and Confronting Health Misinformation. |
| Beyond the Binary: Understanding LGBTQIA+ Health | The topic of gender and LGBTQIA+ issues may be sensitive for some. Social stigma, fear, or rejection is real for many people. It is essential to bring awareness to these issues and create practices around addressing them. This class connects with NNLM initiatives addressing Environmental Determinants of Health and Confronting Health Misinformation. |
| Creating a Road Map for Career Success: Applying for Tenure, Promotion, or AHIP | This webinar will provide guidance on applying for tenure, promotion, and membership in the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP). The presenters will give an overview of these various processes, focusing on their similarities and differences, benefits and drawbacks, and timelines and requirements. Drawing on their unique professional experiences and institutional situations, the presenters will share widely applicable best practices to prepare attendees to create a roadmap for career success. |
| Health Insurance Literacy in Libraries | Many people have difficulty knowing how to find a physician, fill a prescription, use and pay for medications, and use health information to make informed decisions about their health. Libraries are prominent places in communities, making libraries and librarians excellent resources for advancing health information literacy. |
| How Community Health Workers fit in Team Base Care | Community Health Workers (CHWs) have been around for many decades. CHWs are vital to our healthcare and are essential in helping communities have better health outcomes. This webinar will explore how to best utilize CHWs in your organization. |
| Making the link between structural inequities and health disparities: Implications for community based helping professionals | The capacity of underserved populations to effectively engage in health care and gain empowerment in their health (health activation) can significantly reduce health disparities yet may be hindered by continued experiences with discrimination and mistrust. For communities, health, and human service providers to begin effectively addressing health disparities, it is critical to understand the complex systems, current and historical structural inequities, and sociocultural factors that influence residents’ access and engagement with care. |
| Making the Most Out of Your Grant Application (Region 3) | Applying for a grant can be stressful and intimidating at times. This webinar is designed to demystify the grant application process. From understanding the parts of the grant to completing the details of the budget, this webinar provides all the information needed to prepare clear goals, objectives, and a competitive project proposal. Participants will learn where to find available funding, important documents to include in the proposal, where to go for data to support the proposal, how the application is scored, and post-award reporting requirements. |
| NaNDA: An Open Data Resource for Health Science Researchers | Health disparities are a function of access to and control over the multiple determinants of health, including the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, and age. This webinar will provide an overview of the National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA) and discuss how neighborhoods operate as a social determinant of health. |
| NNLM Region 3 ECLI Webinar: Goal Setting (And Success in Achieving Them!) | NNLM Region 3 and the SCC/MLA Early Career Librarian Initiative (ECLI) are hosting a webinar providing information on setting professional goals and how to achieve them. |
| On-farm health screening needs of immigrant dairy workers | The objective of this pilot study was to determine the health needs of dairy workers and the feasibility of on-farm health risk screenings in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains. Findings suggest there is a need and interest for on-farm health risk screenings and education among immigrant dairy workers. |
