PH/HA News
Newsletter of the Public Health/Health Administration
Section
of the Medical Library Association
Fall/Winter 2004
Editor: Barbara Nail-Chiwetalu
Column Editors: Marie Ascher (Grey Literature), Helena VonVille (GIS)
Newsletter Committee: Linda Spitzer
PH/HA News Web site: http://phha.mlanet.org/newsletter.html
Read or print this issue in pdf(includes working links).
CONTENTS
PH/HA Reports
Columns
MLA Announcements
News From/About the National Library of Medicine (NLM)
Resources and Announcements
From Silos To Systems: Using Performance Management to Improve the Public's Health
Keeping Up: Focus on Published Literature
Conferences / Calls for Papers and Posters
PH/HA Reports
From the Editor
Barbara Nail-Chiwetalu, bnailchi@umd.edu
Following the completion of the Summer 2004 issue of PH/HA News, we were sorry to hear that Brad Long, one of the members of our Newsletter Committee, would need to resign from his work on the newsletter in order to focus on significant scholarly work that would be consuming more of his time. I thank Brad for all of his work on the newsletter with me over the past year and particularly for his patience with and diligence in making it work. Lisa Wallis, our Webmaster, has streamlined the technical tasks and has willingly offered to take over the task of preparing the newsletter in both HTML and PDF formats for the Web site, even while relishing in the arrival of her new baby! Congratulations and thank you, Lisa! Linda Spitzer is continuing to work with me on the content of the newsletter, which is a blessing.
From time to time, folks have sent me citations of published articles to be included in the newsletter. We have not have a section devoted to such content, but upon some last minute reflection, Linda and I agreed that it would be a good addition. So, with this issue, we have added a new section, Keeping Up: Focus on Published Literature. For future newsletters, if you have authored an article, book, or chapter or know of a particularly good piece of newly published literature that you would like to share with the membership, please send the citation and URL, if applicable, to me for submission to the newsletter.
Barbara
--------------
Back to top
--------------
From the Chair
Kristine Alpi, kalpi@att.net
Happy Fall Everyone!
Thanks to all of you who have expressed interest in becoming more active in PH/HA and public health in general. There are many activities that I address briefly here thanks to the hard work and ideas of our leaders and members. Please let me know if you have ideas for other PH/HA activities.
The Medical Library Association Continuing Education Committee is planning a Spring 2005 teleconference on Public Health. Three PH/HA members are part of this planning group-Nancy Schaefer, PH/HA Chair Elect, University of Florida [NancyS@library.health.ufl.edu]; Cynthia Kahn, Association of American Medical Colleges [ckahn@aamc.org]; and Marj Cahn from the National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology at NLM [cahnm@mail.nlm.nih.gov]. The working group will provide preliminary planning such as coming up with the title, agenda, goals and objectives and makes suggestions for the presenters. If you have any ideas for the program, please contact one of the planning group members above. I would also like to thank the several busy members who volunteered their time to this effort but did not end up being assigned to the group due to space limitations.
Marie T. Ascher, Past Chair of PH/HA has been named the MLA Representative to the Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce [http://www.phpartners.org]. Her term of service is three years. We look forward to her reports on Partners' activities in a future issue of the newsletter.
Catherine Selden of the National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology at NLM [cselden@mail.nih.gov] continues to coordinate the group of sections working on the emergency preparedness symposium to be held at MLA 2005. If you are interested in volunteering to assist with the symposium, please contact me or Catherine. As a follow-up to the Bioterrorism sharing roundtables at MLA 2004 (see writeups at http://www.chaptercouncil.mlanet.org/roundtables2004/index.html], we are launching a YahooGroups! Discussion list on emergency preparedness issues for librarians. If you are interested in being part of this list, please let me know.
The Core Public Health Journal Project [ http://info.med.yale.edu/eph/phlibrary/phjournals/], coordinated by Matthew Wilcox of Yale University and a past chair of PH/HA, is a section project for this year. One of our tasks is to identify volunteers for an editorial committee for the project. If you are interested in being part of the editorial board or otherwise becoming active with this ongoing project, please contact me.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the fall meeting of the American Public Health Association in Washington this November. Look for sessions presented by your colleagues on APHA's searchable Web site. The NLM also has a guide to librarian activities are APHA on the Partners Web site at http://phpartners.org/nlm_guide.html.
As always, please let me know if you have any feedback for me about how PH/HA can better serve your needs and interests and enjoy this issue of the PH/HA News!
Kris
--------------
Back to top
--------------
PH/HA Membership Committee Report
Submitted by Pauline Fulda, PFulda@lsuhsc.edu
Three new members have joined the section since my last report. We extend a sincere welcome to them.
- David King, National Childrens Advocacy Center, Huntsville, AL
- Gilliam Mayman, Public Health Library and Informatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- Charles Wenger, San Rafael, CA
Membership Fun Facts
Test your knowledge of some fun facts about our members by taking the brief quiz below, and learn more about our diverse group.
- 1. How many states in the United States are represented by PH/HA members?
- (a) 29 (b) 39 (c) 48 (d) 50
- 2. Which state in the United States has the largest number of PH/HA members?
- (a) California (b) Maryland (c) New York (d) Texas
- 3. How many foreign countries are represented by PH/HA members?
- (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 8 (d) 10
- 4. What is the lowest individual membership number represented by a current PH/HA member?
- (a) 164 (b) 574 (c) 719 (d) 1177
- 5. We currently have a number of individuals who have been PH/HA section members for more than 10 years. What is the longest length of section membership that a current member holds in PH/HA (in years)?
- (a) 13 years (b) 14 years (c) 15 years (d) 16 years
Answers:
- (b) 39 stats plus Washington, DC and the self-governing commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- (b) Maryland with 17 members, followed by New York with 16, Texas with 11, and California with 10.
- (b) 6 countries: Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Norway, and Saudi Arabia
- (d) #1177 - Neil Rambo with the University of Washington in Seattle
- (d) 16 years - Nina Lane with United Healthcare/Optum in Reston, VA, joined in 1988. We have 3 current members with 15 years (Michele Volesko with the New Jersey Hospital Association Library in Princeton, NJ, Jan Aleccia with the JCAHO in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, and Virginia (Ginny) Tanji with the University of Hawaii, School of Medicine Library Resource Center in Honolulu, HI who joined in 1989)
Note: A special thanks to Kate Corcoran at MLA Headquarters who provided me with extensive section membership lists that I could sort by various elements to discover these "fun facts."
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Show Your Magnificence! -- Submit an Abstract for MLA 2005 (by November 1, 2004 midnight CST)!
Submitted by Nancy Schaefer, NancyS@library.health.ufl.edu
Share your knowledge/experiences with colleagues at a poster session or at one of many contributed papers sessions on Monday-Wednesday afternoons, May 16-18, 2005.
The PH/HA Section is sponsoring three paper sessions.
- "Reaching Out Magnificently to All at All Points of Care or Need" should provide a good venue for sharing lessons learned serving health administrators in various settings or serving health departments at any level.
- "The Role of Information and Policy in Health Care" will allow us to share our special expertise in health literacy and health policy with our non-PH/non-HA colleagues.
- "Establishing Best Practice" promises to further everyone's understanding and knowledge of evidence-based Public Health and Health Administration.
And while PH/HA is not officially sponsoring the "Diversity in Collection Development" program, I know they are hoping for abstracts on collecting in public health and health administration.
Two other sessions that may pertain are "Digitization, Preservation and Authentication of Resources" with its focus on federal documents and archives for the future and the International Section's "Futuro Magnifico: Finding Ways of Connecting the World to Medical Information and Resources," with its emphasis on global access to health information and cultural competence.
If you're more comfortable with posters, this year MLA is including a new topic: "posters highlighting the careers and contributions of heroes who have overcome challenges and made significant medical contributions." The heroes posters will be in the session "Overcoming Challenges: Magnificent Medical Contributions," which will also include paper presentations. Here's our chance-maybe even our responsibility-to educate our peers on some of the unsung heroes of public health and health administration.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Presentations from MLA Available on Web
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/pres/pres.html
Submitted by Kris Alpi, kalpi@att.net
If you missed the presentations on "Mining Data for Knowledge Generation" from MLA, they are on the Web. Thanks to presenters Helena VonVille, Peggy Tahir, Anna Orlova and Vivian Auld for sharing their work and to NLM/NICHSR for hosting them for us. Hopefully presentations from the other sessions will be available on MLANET soon.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Columns
CDC Column: The Public Health Informationist
Submitted by Kate Oliver, Robert Swain, and Jocelyn Rankin
Robert Swain, currently an ORISE fellow at the CDC Information Center, submitted a successful application for an NLM Informationist Fellowship. The two year fellowship will start in early 2005. The goals of this fellowship are to prepare the recipient for a career as a public health informationist, and to contribute to a clearer definition of the role of the "informationist" in public health practice. Johns Hopkins University will serve as the training site with a mentored practicum and project being conducted at two Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Global AIDS Program (GAP) field operations. GAP program managers have identified the GAP field operations located in Uganda and Kenya, considered high priority operations by the President's Emergency Program For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), as excellent project sites. However, the final selection of the two sites will be determined by a program staff needs assessment conducted in the fall of 2004 and in 2005.
The training curriculum is designed to provide the fellow with core public health knowledge, essential information skills, and a knowledge base appropriate to the international context of the practica and project. The Fellow will follow a two year sequence of mentored academic training interwoven with practica that will be carried out at the two field sites. In one of the practica sites, the fellow will design and implement a project. The experience gained from the practica and projects will be cumulative, so that by the second year, the fellow will be well versed in the application of the informationist skills required for public health practice.
The practica will be based on preliminary data gathered in 2003 during a CDC training exercise for emergency response field operations (Swain et al., 2004). That exercise provided initial exposure to field operations and to the protocol process required for working with public health partners. The Fellow will use that experience along with newly acquired expertise to develop solutions to needs identified at the practica sites.
Evaluation of the fellowship will include a comparison of the two practica field interventions and outcomes. The evaluation will also identify any solutions tested in the field that would add value to the public health informationist role as a whole. Components of the fellowship will be carefully coordinated by the lead mentor, Kathleen Burr Oliver, MLS, MPH, and guided by an advisory group drawn from both the Johns Hopkins University and the CDC.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
GIS Column: TOXMAP: A GIS Information Portal to Environmental Health Databases
Colette Hochstein, D.M.D., MLS, hochstec@mail.nlm.nih.gov
Division of Specialized Information Services, NLM
Background
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Within NLM, the Specialized Information Services Division (SIS) is responsible for the Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP). TEHIP currently offers a broad array of information products and services serving researchers, industry, students, and the general public.
A federal law called the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) requires facilities in certain industries which manufacture, process, or use significant amounts of toxic chemicals, to report annually on their releases of these chemicals. The reports contain information about the types and amounts of toxic chemicals that are released each year to the air, water, and land as well as information on the quantities of toxic chemicals sent to other facilities for further waste management. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains this information in a database called the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) [http://www.epa.gov/tri].
TEHIP provides the TRI data (from 1987 to 2002, the most current year available) within TOXNET, a multi-database Web application which provides easy-to-use access to a collection of several authoritative environmental health resources [http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov].
TOXMAP
NLM is interested in exploring new ways to facilitate more effective understanding of its database contents, including investigation of new data presentation techniques and integration of data from different health data sources. Its Geographic Information System (GIS), called TOXMAP [http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov], uses maps of the United States to show locations where companies are releasing specific chemicals. TOXMAP integrates the map display with access to relevant bibliographic references and other data on the TRI chemicals, providing a map-based portal to these resources.
Objectives
TOXMAP is designed to:
- Show the geographic distribution of releases by chemical
- Show how the amount of chemical releases have changed over time
- Use chemical and geographic terms from the displayed map to search bibliographic databases
- Link to chemical information in TOXNET's Hazardous Substances Databank (HSDB) and other authoritative resources
- Integrate geographically coded data from other sources
- Provide general information about GIS, data quality, and map interpretation
- Make easy to navigate and understandable to those unfamiliar with GIS
TOXMAP FAQ
Since many users may not be experienced in reading maps or understanding map data, TOXMAP provides Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The FAQ provides questions/answers to supplement the user's ability to understand the map displays and data. The initial release of TOXMAP includes questions from "What is GIS?" and "What is TOXMAP?" to "How accurate is TRI Data?" and "What are some tips for reading maps critically?"
Custom Maps
TOXMAP allows users to create nationwide or local area maps that show where chemicals are released into the air, water, and ground, and also provides region-specific links to chemical and bibliographic information. These scenario examples help to illustrate the resource's capabilities.
Scenario 1: Releases
A public health professional is reading about a particular chemical in HSDB (dioxane) and wants to investigate where it was released in the United States. After entering "dioxane" in the Quick Search box, a map is generated showing all the facilities releasing dioxane in the United States. She zooms in on an area showing a large amount of chemical release (sites are color- coded by amount released.) She then selects a facility that reported releasing a large amount of dioxane to learn more.
[see PDF file for graphics]Scenario 2: Trends
A researcher is aware that Houston, Texas is known to contain high concentrations of benzene. He uses TOXMAP to generate a map of that area which shows the most recent data on the released amounts of benzene, as reported in TRI. After studying the map, he asks to see how the amount of benzene released has changed over time, and a new map is generated. Last, he is interested in seeing what research studies may have been published relating to benzene in Houston. Results from a search of the database TOXLINE are displayed.
[see PDF file for graphics]Scenario 3: Facility Location
A family is preparing to move to Los Angeles, CA, and they want to learn more about environmental health issues in the area. They create a map of all TRI facilities in the area by entering "Los Angeles " in TOXMAP's Quick Search box. When they "identify" the facilities listed on this map, they are presented with information about each chemical released by each facility. For a consumer-oriented information resource, they click to "learn more" about the chemicals in ATSDR's ToxFAQs; for more technical information about the health effects of chemicals, they select the link to NLM's Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB, http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?HSDB].
[see PDF file for graphics]Future Directions
Users of the TOXMAP beta version have suggested several additional system features for future releases, such as:
- Multiple chemicals displayed on a single map
- Maps showing releases of one or more types of releases - air, water, land, and/or underground injection
- Tables and graphs of release data (bar charts & pie charts with percentages)
- Updated and expanded U.S. Census demographics (population, race, age, income).
To further enhance TOXMAP's capability, users have suggested addition of many different types of data to overlay with the TRI data. In addition to more demographic data, recommendations include health statistics, floodplain data, superfund sites, water quality data, land use imagery, school and neighborhood sites. Users have also requested demographics data at a more granular level (e.g. Census tract). Information that assists with using and interpreting maps is also being considered for future versions of TOXMAP.
More information about TOXMAP can be found at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/toxmap.html
Questions about TOXMAP can be sent to tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov
--------------
Back to top
--------------
MLA Announcements
MLA Award Nominations Due
http://www.mlanet.org/awards/
Numerous awards are given by the Medical Library Association (MLA). Nomination deadlines for all awards are November 1. Information and downloadable applications are located at http://www.mlanet.org/awards, or contact Lisa C. Fried, Professional Development, Medical Library Association, 312-419-9094 ext. 28 or mlapd2@mlahq.org.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Grants for Librarians in Health Sciences /
Scholarships and Fellowships for Students
http://www.mlanet.org/awards/grants/index.html
Take advantage of the opportunity to receive one of the grants listed below. Maybe a student you know might be interested in a scholarship or fellowship. Application deadlines for all grants and scholarships are December 1, unless otherwise noted. More information and downloadable applications are available at http://www.mlanet.org/awards/grants, or contact Lisa C. Fried at MLA Headquarters at mlapd2@mlahq.org.
Continuing Education Grants
MLA members may submit applications for these grants of $100-$500 to develop
their knowledge of the theoretical, administrative, and/or technical aspects
of librarianship. More than one CE grant may be offered in a year.
Application Deadline: December 1
Cunningham Memorial International Fellowship
This fellowship is available to health sciences librarians from countries
outside the U.S. and Canada. The grant provides up to four months of
observation and supervised work in one or more medical libraries in the
United States or Canada.
Application Deadline: December 1
EBSCO/MLA Annual Meeting Grants
EBSCO Information Services sponsors four grants of up to $1000 each to enable
medical librarians working in health sciences libraries to attend MLA's
annual meeting.
Application Deadline: December 1
Hospital Libraries Section/ MLA Professional Development Grants
This grant, given twice a year, sponsored by the Hospital Libraries Section,
provides librarians working in hospital and similar clinical settings up to
$800 for educational or research activities.
Application deadlines are February 1 and August 1.
David A. Kronick Traveling Fellowship
One $2,000 fellowship covers the expenses involved in traveling to three or
more medical libraries in the United States or Canada, for the purpose of
studying a specific aspect of health information management.
Application Deadline: December 1
Donald A. B. Lindberg Research Fellowship
The Lindberg research fellowship has been established to fund research that
links the information services provided by librarians to improved health care.
A $25,000 grant is awarded through a competitive grant process to a qualified
health professional, researcher, educator, administrator, or librarian.
Application Deadline: November 15
Medical Informatics Section/MLA Career Development Grant
This grant provides up to two individuals $1,500 each to support a career
development activity that will contribute to advancement in the field of
medical informatics.
Application Deadline: December 1
MLA Research, Development, and Demonstration Project Grant
This grant provides support for research, development, or demonstration
projects that help promote excellence in the field of health sciences
librarianship and information sciences. Grants range from $100 to $1000.
Application Deadline: December 1
MLA Scholarship
A scholarship of up to $5000 will be granted to a student entering an
ALA-accredited library school or with at least one-half of the requirements
of the program to finish when the scholarship is granted in February.
Application Deadline: December 1
MLA Scholarship for Minority Students
A scholarship of up to $5000 will be granted to a minority student entering
an ALA-accredited library school or with at least one-half of the
requirements of the library school program to finish when the award is
granted in February. African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander or
Native American students who wish to study health science librarianship are
eligible.
Application Deadline: December 1
Thomson Scientific/MLA Doctoral Fellowship
The Institute for Scientific Information sponsors a fellowship in the amount
of $2000 to foster and encourage superior students who have been admitted to
candidacy to conduct doctoral work in an area of medical librarianship or
information science. The award supports research or travel applicable to the
candidate's study within a twelve-month period. The award may not be used
for tuition. The award is granted every other year with the next award
scheduled for distribution in 2005-2006.
Application Deadline: December 1
MLA/NLM Spectrum Scholarship
MLA and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) jointly sponsor a scholarship
through the ALA Spectrum initiative program. A $5,000 donation each year
supports minority students in their goals to become health sciences
information professionals. For more information, contact the ALA Spectrum
program at 800.545.2433 x4276 or email the Spectrum Inquiry Line.
Application Deadline: March 1
--------------
Back to top
--------------
News From/About the National Library of Medicine (NLM)
Update from the National Library of Medicine, Division of Specialized Information Services
Submitted by Colette Hochstein, D.M.D., MLS [hochstec@mail.nlm.nih.gov],
Division of Specialized Information Services, NLM
WISER (Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders)
http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov
The Division of Specialized Information Services, has released a PDA system designed to assist first responders during hazardous material incidents: WISER (Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders). WISER provides a wide range of information on hazardous substances, including chemical identification support, physical characteristics, emergency medical treatment, containment, and suppression information.
First responders in general, and Hazmat (hazardous materials) units in particular, must make many decisions quickly in handling hazardous-materials incidents. Emergency response teams need accurate information about the clinical and environmental impacts of hazardous substances. The WISER application extracts related, relevant content from NLM' s Hazardous Substance Data Bank [HSDB http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?HSDB], an authoritative information resource.
Features of WISER
- Rapid access to the most important information for 390 hazardous substances via a PDA
- Comprehensive decision support, including assistance in identification of an unknown substance and, once the substance is identified, guidance on immediate actions necessary to save lives and protect the environment
- Access to NLM's Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), which contains detailed peer-reviewed information on hazardous substances
- Mobile support, providing first responders with critical information where they need it, when they need it
- Intuitive, simple, and logical user interface.
WISER for Palm OS is now available for download at http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov
More information about WISER can be found at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/wiser.html
TOXNET's "Search All Databases" Now Includes Links to Three Additional Databases
The TOXNET "Search All Databases" function now includes results from the Household Products Database [HPD http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/], Haz-Map [ http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/], and TOXMAP [ http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/].
Results for the nine core TOXNET databases continue to appear as links under the "Records Found" header.
A new "Other Related NLM Resources" header lists results from searching the "Health Effects" fields of the HPD and all text fields of Haz-Map, with "Show Me" links to the data retrieved. Results for TOXMAP appear under the "Other Related NLM Resources" header via a "Map It" link.
Please note that the number of records found from a TOXNET "Search All Databases" query may differ slightly from the results retrieved from searching the individual databases. This is due to variations in search formats required by different databases.
Haz-Map
http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov
The National Library of Medicine's Haz-Map is an occupational health database designed for health and safety professionals and for consumers seeking information about the health effects of exposure to chemicals at work.
Haz-Map now links to other NLM databases from the agent page: TOXNET (toxicity information), CHEMIDplus (chemical information ), PubMed (biomedical references), and the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (human health effects).
The Haz-Map results page now displays data retrieved in all related Haz-Map sections (such as agent at work, disease, job, industries, activities, processes).
More information about Haz-Map can be found at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/hazmap.html
ChemIDplus - New Look, New Search Features, More Data
http://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/chemidheavy.jsp
ChemIDplus, the National Library of Medicine's dictionary of more than 360,000 chemicals, has a new look and new search features. In a recent survey, users requested more chemical property information. In response, many CHEMIDplus records now provide boiling point, melting point, solubility, molecular weight, and other data. In addition, ChemIDplus users can now search for chemicals by their range of effects, by toxicity, and by the organs/body systems they may act on (such as nervous system, skin, heart, kidneys and liver).
ChemIDplus also helps users draw a chemical structure, and search for
other chemicals with similar structures. Details about the recently added
data and guidance with searching it are provided at
http://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/documentation/help/chemidfs2webAdvanced.jsp
Every day more than 3,000 toxicologists, scientists, researchers and pharmacologists use ChemIDplus to investigate chemicals that affect biological functions in humans and animals. ChemIDplus gives detailed information on every chemical discussed in MEDLINE/PubMed medical journals.
ChemIDplus is a resource of the Specialized Information Services Division at the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Questions about ChemIDplus can be sent to tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov .
TOXMAP
http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has released an interactive web site that shows the amount and location of reported toxic chemicals released into the environment on maps of the United States. TOXMAP allows users to visually explore information about releases of toxic chemicals by industrial facilities around the United States as reported annually to the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA http://www.epa.gov/tri/].
More information about TOXMAP can be found at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/toxmap.html
TOXNET's TRI has added TRI 2002
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?TRI
TOXNET's TRI has added TRI 2002; it now includes reporting years 1987-2002. TRI2002 has 93,380 records.
TRI is a series of databases that constitute the annually published toxic releases files on the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET®). TRI contains information on the annual estimated releases of toxic chemicals to the environment and is based upon data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Mandated by the Superfund legislation, TRI's data covers air, water, land, and underground injection releases, as well as transfers to waste sites, and waste treatment methods and efficiency, as reported by industrial facilities around the United States. TRI also includes data related to source reduction and recycling.
- Users can check one or more TRI boxes to select the year(s) to search
- The first choice (also the default) is the most recent file year available
- This is followed by preceding years, which goes back to 1987, the starting year for collection of this data
- A "Select all" option allows all years to be searched simultaneously.
American Indian Health Web Site Launched
http://americanindianhealth.nlm.nih.gov
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) recently launched a new Web site aimed at the health needs of American Indians. There are over four million residents in the United States claiming American Indian ancestry - more than 500 tribes living in nearly 300 reservations in the lower 48 states. American Indian Health addresses the special needs of this population. Research shows that Native Americans are 2.6 times more likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites of a similar age. American Indians also have a greater mortality risk for tuberculosis, suicide, pneumonia, alcoholism, and influenza than the average population. American Indian Health brings together pertinent health and medical resources, including consumer health information, the results of research, traditional healing resources, and links to other Web sites.
Because special populations have different health needs, the Library has created several specialized sites, for example, for Asian Americans [http://asianamericanhealth.nlm.nih.gov/] and those living in the Arctic and far north [ http://www.arctichealth.org/].
--------------
Back to top
--------------
New Feature Added to PHPartners.org
Submitted by Lisa Sedlar, NLM/NICHSR, sedlarl@mail.nlm.nih.gov
A weekly announcement-only listserv is now available for new links added to the PHPartners.org Web site. Just go to http://phpartners.org and select the link to sign up for the listserv.
The once a week email announcement will contain a list of all new links that have been added to the PHPartners.org website. It's a great way to keep up-to-date on new resources available to the public health workforce.
The Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce [http://phpartners.org] is a collaboration of U.S. government agencies, public health organizations and health sciences libraries which provides timely, convenient access to selected public health resources on the Internet. Resources on Health Promotion and Health Education, Literature and Guidelines, Health Data Tools and Statistics, Grants and Funding, Education and Training, Legislation, Conferences and Meetings, Finding People, Discussion and E-mail Lists, and Jobs and Careers are included.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Collection Development Manual of NLM, Fourth Edition Now Available
Prepared by Judith C. Eannarino, judith_eannarino@nlm.nih.gov
The National Library of Medicine announces the availability of the fourth edition of the Collection Development Manual of the National Library of Medicine (CDM).
HTML version: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/acquisitions/cdm/
PDF version: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/acquisitions/cdm/CDMBook.pdf
The revised Manual reflects the complex and changing environment of health care and biomedical research. Sections on bioinformatics, molecular biology, plant science, toxicology, and biological sciences describe an increased emphasis on fundamental biological research in fields of biomedicine. New or revised statements on health services research, bioethics, public health, disaster management, biotechnology, medical humanities, biophysics, bioengineering, biomedical imaging, and neuroscience reflect increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative areas of research and practice in health. The CDM also elaborates on the Library's collecting policy for many print and nonprint formats and literature types, such as journals, electronic resources, audiovisuals, digital images, and datasets. Other highlights include information about the Library's historical collections, and an updating policy to ensure that the CDM remains current until the next major revision. The CDM features several navigational aids, including a document-specific search engine.
The revision was a collaborative effort, created with the advice and assistance of numerous librarians, physicians, scientists, and subject experts from NLM and the wider research community.
Questions or comments about the CDM may be referred to NLM Customer Service at custserv@nlm.nih.gov
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Resources and Announcements
From Silos To Systems: Using Performance Management to Improve the Public's Health
http://www.phf.org/E-News/phf_enews_052704.htm
Prepared by the Public Health Foundation for the Turning Point Performance
Management National Excellence Collaborative, 2003
Looking for ways to improve performance and be more effective in protecting the public's health? Turning Point and the Public Health Foundation (PHF) have new tools and resources that can help your team manage performance. The following series of publications is now available online or may be ordered in print from the PHF Bookstore at http://www.phf.org or 877-252-1200 (U.S. toll free). See the Web site under above for more details about each of the publications.
- From Silos to Systems: Using Performance Management to Improve the Public's Health
- Performance Management in Action: Tools and Resources
- Guidebook for Performance Measurement
- Selected Literature of Performance Management
- Survey on Performance Management Practices in States
--------------
Back to top
--------------
New Database for Locating Terrorist Events Worldwide
http://www.tkb.org/Home.jsp
Prepared by Steve Beleu, Regional Depository Librarian, for Brad Robison,
MIPT Library Director
The National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has created a new database that you can use locate terrorist events worldwide. It includes not only those crimes against humanity that cause death, injury, and destruction, but also events that were detected before anything bad happened, such as finding and defusing a bomb before it expoded.
You can click on any box you'll see to select the area of the world that you're interested in. You should see red dots on the enlarged map (if not, click until they appear). Click on a red dot to read the identification label of a terrorist incident, or attempted incident, then click on the label to read more about the incident. For example, here is the map from Spain that has been enlarged until the red dots showed. You can click on any of the red dots to get information about the incident, then read more about the incident that the red dot identifies-- http://www.tkb.org/MapModule.jsp?regionID=3&FIPS=SP
When you click on the "Analytical Tools" on the top bar, you get this tool that allows you to search terrorist incidents by Region, Group, Target, and Tactic-- http://www.tkb.org/AnalyticalTools.jsp
You will also see these features: "Terrorism in the News," a search tool, links, FAQs, and a glossary.
For more information, contact the MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base Help Desk c/o DFI International at 1-800-991-4852 or TKBSupport@tkb.org.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Call for Applications for Public Health Informatics Fellowship 2005-2007
http://www.cdc.gov/epo/dphsi/phifp
The Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) invites applications for the Public Health Informatics Fellowship class of 2005-2007. We welcome applications from individuals with a Master's or Doctoral-level degree, in an appropriate discipline, including information science and information systems.
The PHIFP goal is to provide the training and experience for its participants to effectively apply computer and information science and technology to real public health problems. The PHIFP Fellows participate on projects directly related to CDC's efforts to integrate innovative information technologies to improve public health practice.
Application deadline for the 2005-2007 PHIFP Fellowship is December 15, 2004. For more information, visit the Web site.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Health Outcomes Core Library Recommendations, 2004
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/corelib/houtcomes.html
Submitted by Kris Alpi, kalpi@att.net
NICHSR just released the Health Outcomes Core Library Recommendations, 2004 (National Library of Medicine, NICHSR) An introduction answers the questions - What are health outcomes? and Why are they important? Lists of core and desired journals, books, databases, and Web sites are recommended for a basic library collection in health outcomes. See the list of books, journals, databases and Web sites at the Web site above.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
The Power of Proof: An Evaluation Primer!
Submitted by Laura Larsson, larsson@u.washington.edu
If you submit a grant to a funder you will usually be asked to do an evaluation. To get a different perspective on Evaluation (different from Catherine Burroughs' excellent work that is), take a look at this site: http://www.ttac.org/power-of-proof/index.html
The title of the online resource is The Power of Proof: An Evaluation Primer! It's done by staff at the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC) and although written for those doing tobacco program evaluation, I think it does a good job of describing the evaluation process in a nice stepwise format and is worth reviewing for guidelines.
From the introduction: "The Power of Proof: An Evaluation Primer! is a series of online educational tools produced by the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC). These tools are designed to help tobacco control professionals demonstrate the success of their programs through evaluation. This series will give those who are new to evaluation, and those who want to brush up on their skills, access to a collection of introductory information, tools, and resources from experts in the field." The Power of Proof series includes these parts:
Part 1: Setting the Stage
Part 2: Evaluation Planning
Part 3: Writing Objectives
Part 4: Data Collection
Part 5: Types of evaluation
Part 6: Interpreting the Data
Part 7: Reporting Results
--------------
Back to top
--------------
PHilms!
Submitted by Laura Larsson, larsson@u.washington.edu
The American Public Health Association (APHA) Film Festival returns this year after a ten year hiatus. International- and US-produced documentary films and videos of interest to public health professionals will be highlighted. A number of the screenings will explore the theme of this year's conference, "Public Health and the Environment".
Short and long form works, as well as previews of interactive CDs and "blogs" will be used to demonstrate how 21st century digital tools can make visual communication affordable and effective at every budget level as tools for training, outreach, and organizing. Festival hosts from the Health Communication Working Group and the International Health Section will facilitate Q&A discussions following the screenings.
Films will be shown in the Technology Theater. Check the events calendar located at: http://apha.confex.com/apha/132am/techprogram/program_438.htm for details of times.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
HAS Booth Needs You!
Submitted by Laura Larsson, larsson@u.washington.edu
The Health Administration Section (HAS) needs its section members' help in making its booth at the 132nd Annual APHA Meeting and Exposition in Washington DC, November 6-10, 2004 interesting and inviting for those who pass by in the Exhibit Hall. Working the booth is a good opportunity to meet section members and network with many public health professionals and students attending the meeting.
The HAS Section is encouraging its members to sign up to work the booth for at least two hours over the course of the Annual Meeting (more is certainly welcome!) The HAS booth signup calendar is located at: http://my.calendars.net/has_booth/ . The times are already set up in one hour blocks for you. Time slots available include:
Sunday, November 7: 2pm - 7:00pm
Monday, November 8: 8:30am - 6:00pm
Tuesday, November 9: 8:30am - 6:00pm
Wednesday, November 10: 8:30am - 12:30pm
To get to November, click on Display-->Month-->November. To sign up for a time period, click on the day (number), then on "Edit" next to the time period you want to sign up for. Fill in your name and email address in the Calendar Text box. Remember, dates of use of this calendar are Nov. 7, 8, 9, 10.
If you have any questions or ideas, please email Audrey Smith at asmith48219@aol.com. If you have technical problems with the calendar, contact Laura Larsson larsson@u.washington.edu. Laura will also help you sign up if you run into problems.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
New Resources From the Educational Clearinghouse Database
Prepared by Marj Cahn, www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr
Thought you'd be interested in some new resources identified through the National Training Center and Clearinghouse's Educational Clearinghouse Database, accessible at http://nnlm.gov/train/content.html.
A portal project specifically designed for public health workers is:
- Unlocking the Power of Electronic Health Information for Public Health Workers in Kansas [ http://nnlm.gov/train/resource.html?ResourceID=182]
- The goal of this Web site is to reach public health workers in Kansas with current, authoritative, reviewed,and reliable medical public health information on the Internet. www.kspublichealth.org teaches public health workers how to access PubMed, MedlinePlus, Clinical Trials, TOXNET, and other Internet resources for public health.
There were also several new consumer health information courses added recently:
- Prescription for Success: Consumer Health Information on the Internet
- http://nnlm.gov/train/resource.html?ResourceID=167
- From Snake Oil to Penicillin: Evaluating Health Information on the Internet
- http://nnlm.gov/train/resource.html?ResourceID=168
- Looking in all the Wrong Places: PubMed [http://pubmed.gov/] for Public Librarians
- http://nnlm.gov/train/resource.html?ResourceID=169
- Beyond an Apple a Day: Providing Consumer Health Information in the Public Library
- http://nnlm.gov/train/resource.html?ResourceID=170
These courses include handouts, scripts and exercises as well as a list of NN/LM faculty available to teach them for any organization. The classes are intended for public librarians, but the materials are quite relevant for public health workers.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Surgeon General's Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis Released
http://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/library/bonehealth/
Richard H. Carmona warns in a new report that by 2020 half of all American citizens older than 50 may be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis and low bone mass. The report features recommendations on preventing osteoporosis.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Report on Obesity in America
http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity/
The Trust for America's Health (TFAH) released a new report on October 20, 2004 called F As in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, which found that national and state policies are failing to address the obesity problem in this country. The full report can be found at the Web site above.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Focus on Field Epidemiology
http://www.sph.unc.edu/nccphp/focus/
A new issue of FOCUS on Field Epidemiology, Issue 6: "Hypothesis Generation During Outbreaks" deals with generating hypotheses. This issue can be downloaded from the Web site.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Resource Guide on Teen Stress
http://www.jhsph.edu/adolescenthealth
The Center for Adolescent Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has developed a free resource guide "Confronting Teen Stress: Meeting the Challenge in Baltimore City." This guide can be downloaded from the Web site.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Webcast on American Indian/Alaska Native Health
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=1273
Ask the Experts: American Indian/Alaska Native Health examined the state of health and healthcare of the American Indian and Alaska Native populations via a Webcast on September 27, 2004. Topics included the adequacy of funding for AI/AN health care programs, efforts to improve AI/AN health and facilitate access to other health care resources, how to meet the unique needs of both rural and urban populations, and questions from the participants. Visit the Web site above to view the Webcast.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Report on Terrorism From the Eyes of the Public
http://www.cacsh.org/eptpp.html
According to a study released on September 14 by the Center for the Advancement of Collaborative Strategies in Health at The New York Academy of Medicine, many Americans would not be safeguarded in crisis situations because existing terrorism response plans do not account for how people would behave. This report, Redefining Readiness: Terrorism Planning through the Eyes of the Public is available online at the Web site above.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Web Conference Archives on Adolescent Weight Control
http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/3400
An archived web conference Low-Carbohydrate Diets and Adolescent Weight Control: Promising Option or Oxymoron? is available through MedScape at the Web site above.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Report on Public Health GIS
http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/3400
The September 2004 report of Public Health GIS News and Information, a Web site sponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics, is available at the Web site above. Topics in this report include: HRSA Geospatial Data Warehouse presentation at NCHS (October 28); Special report on CDC's BRFSS Maps; FGDC Framework Standards Review Invitation; Conference on Race/Ethnicity and Place; and, in an appendix, Inadequate Prenatal Care, Summit County, Ohio.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
PeriStats: Maternal and Child Health Data
http://www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/
PeriStats, a Web site developed by the March of Dimes, is available at the URL above. It provides free access to US, state, county and city data on maternal and child health data.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
One-Stop Shopping for U.S. Government Recall Information
http://www.recalls.gov/
A new U.S. government Web site aims to provide better service in alerting Americans to unsafe, hazardous, or defective products. The Web site above lists recall information from six government agencies combined in one location. By following the tabs, one can obtain the latest recall information, report a dangerous product, or learn important safety tips.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Tool for Monitoring Health Disparities
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/thegeocodingproject/webpage/monograph/
Public Health Disparities Geocoding Project Monograph gives officials and researchers for the first time a systematic way to monitor health disparities across a wide range of outcomes using basic socioeconomic information. The free tool is available at the Web site above.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
What's New with USAID?
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/home/News/hidn.html
This Web site includes a monthly update on activities of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition (HIDN). It includes global health news, events, and information.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Keeping Up: Focus on Published Literature
Article on Children's Hospital Web Sites
http://www.jmir.org/2004/2/e20/
Kind T, Wheeler KL, Robinson B, Cabana MD. Do the leading children's hospitals have quality web sites? a description of children's hospital web sites. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2004;6(2):e20
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Conferences / Calls for Papers and Posters
Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) 55th Annual Meeting
http://www.sophe.org
Capital Hilton, Washington, DC
Themed "The Power and Influence of Health Education: Promoting Monumental Change," The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is convening its 55th Annual Meeting, November 5-7, 2004, in the nation's capital, immediately preceding the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting. More than 50 sessions and posters will feature the latest research and practice in health communications, health promotion, and health education. Of special interest to information professionals will be two pre-conference workshops: Thursday, November 4, 1:00 pm-5:00 pm, an interactive training using CDCynergy, an innovative, multi-media CD-ROM developed by CDC that guides users in developing effective health communications campaigns using a public health framework; and Friday, November 5, 8:30am-12:00 noon, Applying Informatics to Transform Public Health Research & Practice, which will cover how to integrate CD-ROM and web technologies into public health curricula and training (trial software and other resources included). For meeting and program details, visit the Web site.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
American Public Health Association 132nd Annual Meeting and Exposition
http://www.apha.org/meetings/
Washington, D.C.
The theme for this year is "Public Health and the Environment". The conference will be held in Washington, D.C. from November 6-10, 2004.
--------------
Back to top
--------------
Copyright Internet Scout Project, 1994-2001. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the Scout Report provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The InterNIC provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation: NCR-9218742. The Government has certain rights in this material.
Back to Archives
©2006 PH/HA
Hosted by 
Last updated on 05-Nov-2004
Contact the PH/HA Web Committee