NNLM Discovery Podcast

Series Description

This podcast series explores how the Network of the National Library of Medicine - part of the National Library of Medicine - is engaging with communities to provide access to trusted information for the purpose of improving the public's health.

Accompanying videos can be found on the NLM YouTube Channel

You can learn more about the NLM health information resources mentioned in this series by visiting the National Library of Medicine.

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public health by providing all U.S. health professionals with equal access to biomedical information and improving the public's access to information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health. The Program is coordinated by the National Library of Medicine and carried out through a nationwide network of health science libraries and information centers.

 

 

Introducing NNLM Discovery

Launching in February 2022, this podcast series explores how the Network of the National Library of Medicine - part of the National Institutes of Health -  is engaging with communities to provide access to trusted information for the purpose of improving the public's health. In our first season of NNLM Discovery, join outreach librarian librarian Yamila El-Khayat as she travels the country exploring the engagement efforts of the Network of the National Library of Medicine.

Virtual Health: A Story from Region 3

When COVID-19 struck, one rural library in Texas made a bold move to help their community.  They reached out to NNLM about funding opportunities for a virtual health room in Pottsboro, Texas.  This had NEVER been done before, having an established room in a library dedicated to tele-health appointments.  On this episode of the NNLM Discovery podcast, Region Three Executive Director Brian Leaf shares his story with host Yamila El-Khayat about how he and Jessica Rangel, Executive VP of Health Systems University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, helped Pottsboro County Librarian Dianne Connery use an NNLM grant to establish a nationwide model to harness the power of telemedicine to overcome the lack of access to healthcare in much of rural America.

Healthy Garden, Healthy You: A Story from Region 1

When is a vegetable more than just a vegetable?  When the act of growing one helps combat stress and is a commitment to environmental health and justice.   On this episode of the NNLM Discovery podcast, Region One outreach librarian April Wright shares her story with host Yamila El-Khayat about how she helped Dr. Rachel Goldstein at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health use an NNLM Health Information Outreach Award to expand the reach of her Healthy Garden, Healthy Youth project.  This project helps address two of the most significant public health challenges facing our nation: mental health challenges and food insecurity.  Dr. Goldstein’s team worked with underserved communities in Maryland with limited access to fresh food to understand the mental health, physical health, and cost benefits of growing their own food.

The Moby Bookmobile: A Story from Region 4

When you live in a community where Internet access is not a given, you sometimes approach health literacy a little differently.  On this episode of the NNLM Discovery podcast Fort Washakie School Community Librarian Robin Levin literally takes health information on the road in the form of a bookmobile that travels the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming delivering culturally relevant books that address mental health and native identity among other topics. This is a project that started when the Covid pandemic shut down Wyoming's Fort Washakie School and its Community Library and continues to grow.

Collection Equity: A Story from Region 5

On this episode of the NNLM Discovery podcast, Region 5 Outreach & Engagement Coordinator Michele Spatz shares how three libraries in Region 5 used Collection Equity Outreach Awards to enhance collection equity and support health literacy in their libraries by acquiring more materials by diverse voices.

Amateur Radio Club: A Story from Region 2

When hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the Caribbean one week apart in 2017, they left hundreds of thousands of people cut off from sources of aid when all modern means of communication were destroyed.  Many residents resolved to never be left in the dark again.  On this episode of the NNLM Discovery podcast, Region 2 user experience and education strategist, Debra Trogdon-Livingston, tells us how amateur radio – commonly known as “ham radio” – is used to provide a vital link to emergency aid and health information in the Caribbean.  She shares the story of NNLM grantee Ronda Herbert, RN, who received a grant to provide funding to host CPR and AED training for members of the Amateur Radio Club on St. Thomas in the USVI, and to purchase repeaters to enhance the amateur radio signal throughout the island.

Medical Librarians: A Story from Region 7

Very few people know what a medical librarian is or does.  You don’t find medical librarians portrayed on Chicago Hope, or House, or ER.  Hollywood is missing out on some great storylines!  On this episode of the NNLM Discovery Podcast, Region 7 Education and Outreach Coordinator, Margot Malachowski interviews four medical librarians from her region.

Period Poverty: A Story from Region 6

Why do we expect to find toilet paper and paper towels in a public restroom, but feminine hygiene products are considered optional?  On this episode of the NNLM Discovery Podcast, Region 6 Communications & Finance Coordinator Miles Dietz-Castel shares the story of Richland County Public Health director Dr. Julie Chaya’s initiative to combat period poverty in her community of Mansfield Ohio. 

The Future of AI in Medicine: A conversation with Dr. Sameer Antani

Artificial intelligence is transforming our everyday lives.  It also has the potential to transform medicine.

On this special episode of the NNLM Discovery Podcast, we spotlight some of the groundbreaking research being done at the National Library of Medicine (NLM).  Guest producer Griff Partington interviews Dr. Sameer Antani, a Principal Investigator at the NLM doing research in medical imaging, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

Molecular “Transformers” Switching Form and Function - A Conversation with Dr. Lauren Porter

What do proteins and Transformers have in common?  Yes we’re talking about the Optimus Prime and his fellow autonomous robotic life forms originating from the artificial planetoid Cybertron…

In this special episode of NNLM Discovery, we have partnered with the NIH Speaking of Science podcast to bring you the story of a special NLM researcher, Dr. Lauren Porter, a Stadtman investigator jointly appointed at the National Library of Medicine and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, who is helping redefine the way we understand how proteins behave.

AI in the Scientific Landscape

There have been numerous groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) advancements over the last year.  Generative AI, which has exploded in popularity since last November with the release of ChatGPT, introduces major opportunities to boost productivity and advance NLM's capabilities.  These tools also present some limitations that all users must be aware of.

Episode 8, “The Future of AI in Medicine” was recorded last summer before Generative AI exploded onto the public consciousness.  So we felt compelled to follow up with a bonus episode guest produced by Dianne Babski, Associate Director for Library Operations at the National Library of Medicine.

Host: Yamila El-Khayat

Yamila El-Khayat, M.A., is a Medical Librarian who has been determined to increase health literacy by better serving the needs of traditionally underserved populations by improving access to Native American, Hispanic, border, Evidence-Based Practice, Cross-Cultural, bilingual, and culturally appropriate consumer health-related information. She has experience leading information training for clinicians, students, and community members, including health promoters. She is trilingual in English, Spanish, and Portuguese with a cultural background from the Middle East and South America, helping her better understand the diversity that exists and increasing her curiosity about different cultures.