Skip to content

Month: April 2022

Published on
Empty hospital beds in a poorly lit room
Empty Hospital Beds
Pixabay, 2016

In an effort to remain accountable to communities who have been negatively impacted by past and present medical injustices, the staff at Himmelfarb Library is committed to the work of maintaining an anti-discriminatory practice. We will uplift and highlight diverse stories throughout the year, and not shy away from difficult conversations necessary for health sciences education. To help fulfill this mission, today's blog post highlights transgender healthcare equity.

Author notes 

The topics presented in this article may be difficult and/or retraumatizing for some readers. Subject matter includes medical neglect, transphobic harassment, usage of slurs, medical misdiagnosis, death of a Black transgender women by medical neglect, and cancer. 

While some of the sources cited in this article are from over a decade ago and may use outdated terminology and may misgender the individuals discussed in them, this article was written by a transgender member of Himmelfarb staff, who has used appropriate language in the article itself.

August 7th, 1995. Washington, DC. 

A 24 year old woman named Tyra Hunter was critically wounded in a car accident when another driver ran a stop sign (Bowles, 1995). Once first responders came on the scene and assessed the situation, instead of treating her properly, they mocked and degraded her (Remembering Our Dead, 2019). When she was finally brought to the emergency room at DC General Hospital, she was given a paralytic and slowly bled out (Fox, 1998). The delay in treatment and degrading comments took place because she was a black transgender woman.

Tyra Hunter’s case is, perhaps, one of the more extreme instances of medical transphobia and healthcare inequity. That said, Tyra Hunter is one of many transgender people who have been victimized by anti-transgender prejudice – both personal and systemic – in healthcare. 

From avoidance of medical care due to fear, to biased diagnoses from prejudiced professionals, to even the blatant transphobia that first responders directed at Tyra Hunter, transgender people – particularly for Black transgender women – frequently lack access to quality healthcare. In this post, we will review the most common ways prejudice and cultural incompetency impact transgender patients, and we will consider ways medical professionals can provide equitable healthcare to transgender individuals.

Medical transphobia can take many forms, and not all of them are as blatant as what Tyra Hunter experienced on the day of her death in 1995. Even microaggressions, when experienced over long periods of time, can cause transgender patients to avoid or delay seeking treatment. A study by Seelman et al. in the journal Transgender Health found that among transgender participants, “those reporting a noninclusive PCP or who delayed needed medical care because of fear of discrimination were less likely to have had a routine checkup in the past 2 years” (Seelman et al., 2017, p. 25). This is supported by a study by Jaffee et al., which found that “1 in 3 transgender respondents delayed needed medical care for an illness or injury due to discrimination” (Jaffee et al., 2016, p. 1012), and that “the odds of delaying needed care was approximately 4 times greater for those who reported having to teach their provider about transgender people” (Jaffee et al., 2016, p. 1012).

This fear of medical discrimination is by no means irrational. A study by Rodriguez et al. analyzing data from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey which included over 6000 participants, found that “more than one-third of transgender participants reporting having experienced discrimination in health-care settings” (Rodriguez et al., 2017, p. 980), wherein discrimination was defined as, “physical abuse, verbal harassment, and/or denied equal treatment” (Rodriguez et al., 2017, p. 975). Of note here is that this number parallels Jaffee et al.’s reported 1 in 3 transgender respondents delaying treatment.

Transgender patients’ lack of trust is also attributed to “Transgender Broken Arm Syndrome,” which occurs when healthcare providers attribute unrelated medical issues to a patient’s transgender identity or transition-related care. The colloquial term comes from the scenario where a transgender patient might go into the doctor for a broken arm, but the healthcare provider questions to the patient about their gender instead. Jennifer Kelley describes this kind of scenario with a patient named Cam in the article, Stigma and Human Rights: Transgender Discrimination and Its Influence on Patient Health. Cam wanted to see the doctor about a chronic issue unrelated to her transness, and perhaps discuss hormone replacement therapy, but the provider instead questioned her about her identity, gave her a pamphlet on HIV, and told her to find a specialist (Kelley, 2021). 

Another example of a transgender patient who was not able to access appropriate quality healthcare occured when Jay Kallio, a transgender man in his 50s living in New York, was discovered to have an aggressive form of breast cancer (Buxton, 2015). After receiving a mammogram and a biopsy, Kallio did not hear from his physician for many weeks. When he finally heard about his diagnosis, it was from the medical professional who performed the biopsy, who was shocked to hear that Kallio’s physician, a surgeon at a major New York hospital, had not informed him of the swiftly-worsening cancer. Kallio struggled to get in contact with this physician, and when he did, the surgeon began the conversation by stating that he wanted to send Kallio to a psychiatrist for his identity. Eventually, Kallio was thankfully able to transfer his case to another surgeon, and even beat the cancer in 2008, though he later succumbed to lung cancer in 2016. (Jay Kallio, n.d.) Ultimately, Kallio’s case is one that serves as a reminder of the very real potential consequences for medical transphobia.

There are, however, some of the most wretched instances of transphobia that involve harassment and blatant cruelty, such as what happened to Tyra Hunter. Another such case is that of Robert Eads, a transgender man who was taken to the emergency room in Georgia in 1996 after passing out. When he was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, he was refused treatment by more than a dozen medical practitioners. By the time he was accepted by the hospital of the Medical College of Georgia in 1997, the cancer had metastasized, and no treatment would have been able to save his life (Ravishankar, 2013). He died in 1999, and his story is told in the 2001 documentary, Southern Comfort, named after a popular transgender gathering that he spoke at after his prognosis (“Robert Eads”, 2007). His case is more similar to that of Jay Kallio than Tyra Hunter’s, but Eads’ slow and painful death was the result of medical transphobia in action.

Even the late transgender activist and author of the well-revered Stone Butch Blues, Leslie Feinberg (who used the neopronouns ze/hir), has discussed the transphobia ze faced after seeking treatment. In zir 2001 work, “Trans Health Crisis: For Us It’s Life or Death”, ze detailed how hospital staff gathered around zir, calling Feinberg “it” and “martian”. Feinberg chose to leave the hospital in question without being treated, and thankfully the illness ze had was not life-threatening, as it had been for Tyra Hunter and Robert Eads (Feinberg, 2001).

Knowing what we do about medical transphobia, how can healthcare professionals enact change within the healthcare system, ensure that transgender patients are treated equitably and ethically, and rebuild trust with the transgender community? 

Leslie Feinberg urges in zir aforementioned work that decisions related to transgender patients involve transgender and gender variant people of all kinds. Ze made recommendations large and small, some of which have been implemented already. One of the simplest, which has been picked up by quite a few healthcare professionals, is to “refer to patients by their first and last names, not Mr. or Ms., sir or ma'am.” Another is a call for institutional standards (Feinberg, 2001), such as the Standards of Care developed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). This comprehensive document acts as a guideline for health care professionals “to provide clinical guidance for health professionals to assist transsexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming people with safe and effective pathways to achieving lasting personal comfort with their gendered selves, in order to maximize their overall health, psychological well-being, and self-fulfillment.” (Standards of Care, 2012, p. 1)

Medical education has also been shown to have significant gaps in coverage of transgender healthcare. Fung et al. performed a qualitative review of Toronto medical residents’ knowledge and confidence in transgender care in 2016. The results indicated that residents had limited exposure to formal training in transgender medicine, as well as few mentors within their specializations who had enough knowledge to confidently educate or advise on such topics (Fung et al., 2020). If you’d like to learn more about the gaps in transgender health education, Korpaisarn et al.’s Gaps in transgender medical education among healthcare providers reviews a number of studies on the subject and follows with a section on effective interventions, including the use of WPATH’s Global Education Initiative (GEI), which offers training and certification courses on transgender healthcare (Kopaisarn et al., 2018).

Healthcare professionals should stay up to date on legislative matters. Our previous article for Transgender Day of Visibility discussed this at length and included a number of resources for education and for action. If you would like to learn more about the legal side of transgender health, that piece would be a good starting point. Likewise, if you would like to learn more about some terminology related to transgender individuals in a healthcare setting or about how to build rapport with transgender patients or otherwise equitably treat transgender patients, Klein et al.’s Caring for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Persons: What Clinicians Should Know, is another useful resource.

Unfortunately, transphobia may persist in society and healthcare. It is unfortunately not enough to educate ourselves alone on matters of inequity and bias; the best way to support transgender patients is to speak out against transphobia when you see it. There will be times when speaking out is difficult, but when those moments happen, please remember that if even a single person had taken action, Tyra Hunter may have survived.

References

Bowles, S. (1995, December 10) A Death Robbed of Dignity Mobilizes a Community, Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/12/10/a-death-robbed-of-dignity-mobilizes-a-community/2ca40566-9d67-47a2-80f2-e5756b2753a6/ 

Buxton, R. (2015, June 15) This Trans Man's Breast Cancer Nightmare Exemplifies The Problem With Transgender Health Care, HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/transgender-health-care_n_7587506

Feinberg, L. (2001)  Trans health crisis: For us it's life or death, American Journal of Public Health, 91(6), p. 897-900. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.91.6.897

Fox, S. D. (1998, December 12) Damages Awarded after Transsexual Woman's Death. Polare. Internet Archive. https://web.archive.org/web/20140324052938/http://www.gendercentre.org.au/resources/polare-archive/archived-articles/damages-awarded-after-transsexual-womans-death.htm

Fung, R., Gallibois, C., Coutin, A., & Wright, S. (2020) Learning by chance: Investigating gaps in transgender care education amongst family medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry and urology residents, Canadian Medical Education Journal, 11(4), p. e19-e28. https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.53009

Jaffee, K. D., Shires, D. A., & Stroumsa, D. (2016) Discrimination and delayed health care among transgender women and men, Medical Care, 54(11), p. 1010-1016. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000000583

Jay Kallio. (n.d.) Compassion and Choices. https://compassionandchoices.org/stories/jay-kallio/

Kelley, J. (2021) Stigma and Human Rights: Transgender Discrimination and Its Influence on Patient Health, Professional Case Management. 26(6), p. 298-303. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCM.0000000000000506

Klein, D. A., Paradise, S. L., & Goodwin, E. T. (2018) Caring for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Persons: What Clinicians Should Know, American Family Physician, 98(11), p. 645-653.

Korpaisarn, S., Safer, J. D., & Tangpricha, V. (2020) Gaps in transgender medical education among healthcare providers: A major barrier to care for transgender persons, Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders, 19(3), p. e271-275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-018-9452-5

Main Page. (n.d.) Global Education Institute. WPATH. https://www.wpath.org/gei

National Center for Transgender Equality. (2007, January 16) Robert Eads, National Center for Transgender Equality. https://transequality.org/blog/robert-eads

Ravishankar, M. (2013, January 18) The Story About Robert Eads, The Journal of Global Health. https://archive.ph/20130914005716/http://www.ghjournal.org/jgh-online/the-story-about-robert-eads/

Rodriguez, A., Agardh, A., & Asamoah, B. O. (2017) Self-Reported Discrimination in Health-Care Settings Based on Recognizability as Transgender: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Transgender U.S. Citizens, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47(4), p. 973-985. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-1028-z

Seelman, K. L., Colón-Diaz, M. J. P., LeCroix, R. H., Xavier-Brier, M, & Kattari, L. (2017) Transgender Noninclusive Healthcare and Delaying Care Because of Fear: Connections to General Health and Mental Health Among Transgender Adults, Transgender Health, 2(1), p. 17-28. https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2016.0024

Transgender Day of Rememberance. (2019, February 17) Remembering Our Dead: Tyra Hunter, https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/reports/1995/08/08/tyra-hunter_washington-dc-usa_04a01786

World Professional Association for Transgender Health. (2012) Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People. 7th ed. https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/SOC%20v7/SOC%20V7_English.pdf

Published on
Sticky Note with "To Do" Scrabble letters above.
Photo by Breakingpic from Pexels

As Spring semester draws to a close, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with tying up loose ends, completing long to-do lists, and meeting last minute deadlines. Himmelfarb Library can help ease the burden by providing study space and scholarly resources to help prepare you for end of semester exams and assignments, and resources and services to help you prepare for next semester. Here are some things to keep in mind as the end of Spring semester gets closer.

Returning Books

If you have books checked out, whether they are Himmelfarb Library books, Interlibrary Loan or Consortium Loan books, be sure to return these items to the Himmelfarb Circulation desk. Himmelfarb is open 24/7 so stop by and return your items when it’s most convenient for you.

Renewing Books

If you need to renew an item, there are three ways to do so:

  • Online: Log into your library account with your GW NetID and password.
  • In Person: Stop by the Himmelfarb Circulation Desk and renew items in person.
  • Phone: Call the Circulation Desk at (202)994-2962

Check Your Accounts

Be sure to log into your library account to see a list of all items checked out to you. Check your Documents2Go account to make sure you don’t have any items due or owe any money for Interlibrary Loan requests. If you have Consortium Loan Service (CLS) related fees, contact the lending library to arrange payment. 

Studying at Himmelfarb

Are you looking for a quiet place to study? Or do you need a group study space? Himmelfarb has options for both! If you are looking for a quiet place to study, the 2nd and 3rd floors (with the exception of Bloedorn Technology Center) of the library are reserved for quiet study. Both of these floors are designated quiet zones. If you don’t mind noise while you study, or want to study with other people, the first floor of the library is not a quiet floor and can be a good fit for these preferences. 

Study rooms are also an option! Study rooms must be reserved, so be sure to make your reservations ahead of time. Most study rooms can accommodate up to four people and have large computer screens and white boards. White board markers and erasers are available for checkout at the first floor Circulation Desk.

Don’t forget that masks are still required inside Himmelfarb Library in compliance with GW’s indoor mask requirements!

Faculty End-of-Semester Items:

Embedded Librarian Service

Are you planning ahead for Summer or Fall semesters and would like to have a Himmelfarb Librarian embedded in your Blackboard course? Contact Tom Harrod (tph@gwu.edu) to make arrangements!

Course Materials 

Are you thinking of adding new books, articles, or other materials to your upcoming courses? Let us know what materials you are considering using. We are happy to look into print or online access options! Contact Ian Roberts (imroberts@gwu.edu) for assistance. And don’t forget to submit your Course Reserves requests for Summer semester.

Library Outreach

If you have residents or students that are new to GW and are interested in scheduling a brief orientation to Himmelfarb Library, let us know! We are happy to meet with your group and provide an overview of all Himmelfarb has to offer and answer any questions you or your residents or students may have. Contact himmelfarb@gwu.edu for more information.

Published on

April 25 is  National DNA Day. It’s a day where researchers, teachers, students and the general public can learn more about the history of genomics and DNA, as well as learn about the advances researchers have made over the years as they seek to understand what DNA can reveal about our shared humanity and our individual traits. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, “National DNA Day is a global movement to mobilize, energize and empower communities, educators and students to innovate, collaborate and discover the promise of our shared humanity and connection to the natural world.” National DNA Day commemorates two significant events in the history of DNA: the completion of the human genome project in 2003 and the discovery of the double helix in 1953. In recent years and with a deeper understanding of DNA, there has been a discrepancy between the general public’s perception of the usefulness of DNA and what this information actually means for humanity. By examining the rise in popularity of at-home ancestry testing kits, the role DNA plays in the legal system, and disease research and DNA, it’s clear that our understanding of the human genome will not provide simple answers to complex questions. Researchers and the public must balance our appreciation of DNA with the reality that this research only deepens ongoing conversations about humanity.

Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in ancestry testing and companies such as 23 and Me or Ancestry.com allow individuals to map their genetic ancestry through a simple DNA test. Ancestry tests can connect long lost family members to one another. For people who do not have access to an extensive well-documented family history, such as many African-Americans, ancestry testing can shed light on people’s countries of origin. These testing kits can also encourage people to learn more about cultures and groups. Many of these tests provide people the opportunity to connect with each other in meaningful ways. But many researchers and critics point out the limitations of ancestry testing. Many testing companies rely on their own databases to compare and create user results. If these databases lack genetic information from certain populations or groups, then the ancestry testing results will not be an accurate representation of people’s family lineage. “Commercial ancestry testing is an unintended spin-off from basic research, but the basic research was designed to answer questions about population migration in a probabilistic manner and not to provide concrete and detailed genealogical information to individuals.” (Wailoo et al., 2013, p. 58) Ancestry testing can also lead people to believe our ethnicity or race can be segmented into neat and clear categories. Many scientists have stated there is no biological or scientific basis for race, yet these ancestry tests unintentionally suggest otherwise as they often use broad racial or ethnic categories that do not capture the true diversity across the world. 

Ancestry testing is a great way for people to connect with relatives they’ve lost contact with or for people to have some idea of where they may originate from. But it’s important these tests do not perfectly capture our family history and the initial results may change as ancestry testing companies expand their internal DNA databases.

One of the most popular ways in which DNA testing is used is in the realm of the legal system. Popularized by shows such as Law and Order or CSI, forensic science and DNA testing are often seen as pivotal aspects of any legal investigation. With the rise in DNA testing, many police investigators have successfully apprehended alleged suspects after a crime has been committed. Criminal cases that were opened for years were able to be closed once the collected DNA was analyzed in a lab. But there have been cases of innocent people being wrongfully accused and jailed when errors in DNA handling or testing caused investigators to chase alternative leads. “The problem, as a growing number of academics see it, is that science is only as reliable as the manner in which we use it—and in the case of DNA, the manner in which we use it is evolving rapidly.” (Shaer, 2009) DNA has a complex role in the legal system. It can provide a sense of certainty when law enforcement officers are investigating a case, but poor handling or lab standards can sometimes lead to wrongful convictions that are difficult to overturn. And there are cases where defense attorneys have relied on DNA analysis to free wrongfully convicted individuals. “Among them [ready to move beyond concerns of DNA use in criminal trials] were Dream Team members Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, who had founded the Innocence Project in 1992. Now convinced that DNA analysis, provided the evidence was collected cleanly, could expose the racism and prejudice endemic to the criminal-justice system, the two attorneys set about applying it to dozens of questionable felony convictions. They have since won 178 exonerations using DNA testing; in the majority of the cases, the wrongfully convicted were black.” (Shaer, 2009)

Advances in DNA and genetic research has allowed individuals to better track hereditary illnesses, thus giving them the opportunity to take early steps to address potential health concerns. Through genetic testing individuals can learn about potential inherited susceptibility to diseases such as certain types of cancers, certain blood disorders or respiratory diseases. In this realm, researchers have cautioned that this form of testing could potentially be misinterpreted by individuals seeking to link certain racial groups to certain inherited diseases. “It is in the area of disease studies that the relationship between race and genetics becomes the most susceptible to misinterpretation and distortion…Work carried out by geneticists Sara Tishkoff and others make it clear that sweeping conclusions about African Americans and disease-associated genetic variables are untenable.” (Wailoo et al., 2013, 59) While genetics can play a significant role in an individual’s susceptibility to a disease, other factors are just as significant and should be carefully studied and addressed. “For most diseases in the United States that differ in incidence by race, racial differences correspond to socio-economic or cultural differences. Most of the differences in incidence of asthma, hypertension, and heart disease by race can be explained by differences in income and environmental risk factors.” (Wailoo et al., 2013, 60) The role that genetics play in determining a person’s susceptibility to a disease is important, but should be considered alongside other variables and it’s important to avoid sweeping generalizations. 

The discovery of DNA and the gene sequencing process allows humanity to better understand our makeup and answer some questions about our origins. In the conversations on who we are, where we come from and where we can go, DNA has an important voice that provides a unique insight into our inner workings. For this National DNA Day the general public should continue to learn about and engage with DNA research, while also remaining aware that DNA research will raise as many questions as it does answers. “Science is technical and difficult to comprehend but that does not absolve scientists of the responsibility to inform the public about their work, explain their methods and their rigor, admit the limitations and areas of controversy and uncertainty, and examine its wider relevance. Conversely, the difficulty of understanding and digesting science does not absolve the general public from acknowledging its importance and its contributions.” (Wailoo et al., 2013, 62) To learn more about National DNA Day or the Human Genome Project, please explore the National Human Genome Research Institute website.

Works Cited:

National Human Genome Research Institute. (n.d.). National DNA Day. Retrieved April 22, 2022. https://www.genome.gov/dna-day

Shaer, M. (2016, June). The False Promise of DNA Testing. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/a-reasonable-doubt/480747/ 

Wailoo, K., Nelson, A., & Lee, C. (Eds.). (2012). Genetics and the Unsettled Past: The Collision of DNA, Race, and History. Rutgers University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5hj79f

Published on

Happy Earth Day!

What exactly is Earth day? 

Founded in 1970, Earth Day became an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection worldwide. Today, Earth Day is celebrated by billions of people worldwide. Not sure what you can do to help make a positive impact? Here are some small changes you can make that can make a difference:

Reduce plastic use. 

Did you know that every minute, two garbage truck loads of plastic are dumped into our oceans? If we continue our plastic use like this, there will be more garbage in the ocean by weight than there are fish in the ocean. You can reduce the amount of plastic you consume by purchasing foods that come in glass or cardboard packaging, avoiding single use plastics like straws or silverware, and storing leftovers or other foods in reusable containers instead of plastic baggies.

There are several ways we can contribute to cleaning up the plastic and trash in our environment. One of them is to participate in the Great Global Cleanup. Several locations within the DC area are participating in removing trash from local neighborhoods, rivers and parks. It also would not hurt to educate your own students about the impact of pollution and plastic on our ecosystem. 

The air we breathe, the water we drink, and our habitat matters. There are inexpensive and simple ways that we can reduce our carbon footprint at home. Only use heating and air conditioning as needed, and changing the degree by one degree can actually save a significant amount of energy! Shut the windows, unplug electronics and appliances when they are not being used to reduce energy usage. Invest in reusable bags and use them when you go shopping instead of using single use plastic bags! 

If you are interested in finding out what more you can do as an individual to make a big difference for Earth, the Sustainable GW initiative offers information for students and for faculty and staff for introducing more sustainable and earth friendly habits in our life. They also feature different ways that you can become involved. 

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to understand what we can do to make an environmental difference in our lives!

Published on

Have you noted some new faces at the Information Desk on the Himmelfarb Library first floor or manning our library chat service? We are pleased to introduce you to Rachel Brill, Reference and Instruction Librarian, and Corinne Petro, Evening/Weekend Reference Specialist.

Rachel recently completed her Masters in Library Science at Indiana University and worked previously as a reference assistant at Wells Library at Indiana University. She also has instructional and scholarly publishing experience, including utilizing NVivo for qualitative analysis. At Himmelfarb, she joins our team of reference and instruction librarians who provide research support and online database search services, and instructional services, including serving as embedded librarians in the first and second year MS Practice of Medicine curriculum. You can reach Rachel at rgbrill@gwu.edu.

Here are some more things to know about Rachel!

What are you enjoying most about your experience at Himmelfarb Library so far?

That everyone has been so friendly! The Himmelfarb staff was so welcoming to me. I feel like I’m already a part of the Himmelfarb family. I’m also really excited to start working with med students in the POM class.

What has surprised you?

That we have a real human skeleton on the 3rd floor!

Tell us a bit about your background.

I hail from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, outside of Philadelphia. I got my bachelor’s degree in classics at Princeton University, and then I got master’s degrees in library science and history from Indiana University. I have always wanted to be a librarian, especially in a role in which I could assist students and scholars conducting research. It is a dream job for me because I get to learn new things all the time.

What do you like to do in your free time?

You can usually find me reading a book, watching a funny TV show, or listening to show tunes.

Corinne is currently working on her Masters in Library Science at San Jose State and has a Bachelor in Philosophy and Women and Gender Studies from Colorado State. Corinne has extensive experience in educational settings, including work as a tutor and parent liaison at tutoring and child care services. She also has experience as a writing instructor and as an office administrator. Corinne will primarily staff the first floor information desk and the library chat service at Himmelfarb in the late afternoon and evenings during the week and on Saturday afternoons. You can reach Corinne at corinnepetro@gwu.edu.

Here are some more things to know about Corinne!

What are you enjoying most about your experience at Himmelfarb Library so far?

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my coworkers, everyone is very helpful and kind. I’m also just happy to be working at the reference desk so I can put what I’m learning in my classes into practice.

What has surprised you?

I’m happily surprised about the many 3-D printed frogs that live here.

Tell us a bit about your background.

I studied Gender Studies and Philosophy during my undergrad at Colorado State University. Now I am studying for my Master’s in Information and Library Science at San Jose State University. I also work part time as a teacher and as a pet-sitter.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like spending time with my pets, reading, writing, and playing games. I also enjoy hiking.

Published on
Photograph of a typewriter with a piece of paper with the word "Update" typed on it in large font.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash 

Himmelfarb Library has good news to share! We are thrilled to announce that we were able to resubscribe to a portion of the journal titles that were canceled as a result of pandemic related library collections budget cuts during 2021. 

While most of these titles were previously part of our collection, Translational Behavioral Medicine is a new title for Himmelfarb and we are excited to finally be able to offer this faculty recommended title as part of our journal collection. Decisions on which titles to add back to our collection were largely based on prior usage of these titles, subscription cost, number of faculty publications within each title, and faculty feedback from the 2021 Faculty Journal Survey.

Below is a list of the 29 titles that were added back to our journal collection, effective immediately. 

For questions or additional information about these titles, please contact Ruth Bueter (rbueter@gwu.edu). 

Published on
3D Printers on Himmelfarb Library First Floor
3D Printers on Himmelfarb Library First Floor
©Leland Ashford Lanquist, 2022

3D printing has received a considerable amount of spotlight in the past decade, but much of the focus lies upon its value for engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing. What can 3D printing offer the field of medical sciences, and what innovations have healthcare professionals already developed using 3D printers? Let’s explore some of the ways 3D printing is able to support or advance the field of medical sciences.

To start with, the customizability of 3D printing offers opportunities to create models that fit the needs of individual students and their courses. Scholars such as AbouHashem et al at Macquarie University and Western Sydney University have studied the effectiveness of using models in education, all at a more affordable price than traditional anatomical models (AbouHashem et al, 2015). But why is 3D printing so much more useful than other approaches to developing educational models? 3D printed models can be developed and printed to suit individual education needs–for instance, one student may want to focus on the internal structures of the heart, but another may need practice with the arteries and veins and how they connect to the rest of the vascular system.

Additionally, while traditional medical models often (for the sake of mass-production) show the body at the peak of health, 3D printed models offer opportunities for physically handling case-study examples. With tools like Harvard’s FreeSurfer, which can transform CT and MRI scans in the form of DICOM files into STL files–files readable by 3D modeling software like Blender3D and AutoDesk Maya–it is possible to create a 3D printable object based off of medical imaging after a bit of work cleaning it up.

3D Printed Heart Model
3D Printed Heart Model
©Leland Ashford Lanquist, 2022

Aside from educational models, hospitals and medical science institutions have been able to make high-detail models with tactile realism that can be used for surgical training and preparation. One method of 3D printing, known as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), extrudes a string of plastic material known as filament through a heated nozzle to meld the layers together one at a time. Advanced FDM printers can use multiple different nozzles to print different colors and materials. This has allowed some professionals such as Watanabe et al to develop models with flexibility and texture that better matches the human body (Watanabe et al, 2021). Weidert et al have elaborated upon how 3D printed models of bone fractures can be used to prepare surgeons for pre-planning complex procedures (Weidert et al, 2019).

Another popularized process is known as “bioprinting.” Bioprinting is a method of 3D printing with cells and other biomaterials to imitate natural tissue. It’s easy to imagine how this could be applied to medical sciences if the technology becomes advanced and accessible enough: as a replacement for organ donation, as a supplement for skin grafts, as a hyper-realistic training tool for surgery preparation. Much of this is not yet feasible on a large scale, but some are becoming more of a reality year by year. For instance, some researchers, such as Keriquel et al, have managed to complete in vivo bioprinting (i.e.: directly printing into the body) bone substitutes in mice with certain bone defects (Keriquel et al, 2017).

If you would like to learn more about bioprinting, Kenneth Douglas’ book, Bioprinting: To Make Ourselves Anew, explains how bioprinting came to be, as well as how it all works, in terms accessible to a generalized audience (Douglas, 2021). For  a deep-dive into where bioprinting as a field might be headed in the future, you may be interested in reading Wei et al’s “The Bioprinting Roadmap,” which analyzes the successes, challenges, opportunities, and obstacles of bioprinting as of 2020 (Wei et al, 2020).

Some surgeons utilize 3D printing to develop customized implants and prosthetics for their patients. Since some of the more high-end 3D printers permit users to print objects made of metal alloys that are safe to be within the human body, healthcare professionals, such as Xu et al, have developed alloy-printed cervical spine reconstruction implants for Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone cancer found most commonly in adolescents. 

You can learn more about 3D printed implants by reading Krishna et al’s “Muskuloskeletal 3D Printing” from Rybicki and Grant’s 3D Printing in Medicine. This chapter also includes information about how the customizability of 3D printed prosthetic limbs allows for things such as light-weight, low-cost, and functional prosthetic hands for children that can scale with the natural growth of the patient, (Rybicki & Grant, 2017) which were reported on in more detail by Zuniga et al. (Zuniga et al, 2015) You may also find Christensen’s chapter in 3D Printing in Medicine, “3D Printing and Patient-Matched Implants” a worthwhile read. It covers methods such as using 3D printed patient-scanned models as a form to shape metal implants around prior to surgery, as well as the use of implantable biomaterial, tying in methods of bioprinting previously elaborated upon. (Rybicki & Grant, 2017)

3D printing has not just made advances on a large scale, 3D printing is also on the forefront of innovation within micro-devices like lab-on-a-chip, micro-needles, and more. High-end 3D printers allow researchers and healthcare workers to produce complex micrometer-sized objects such as micro needles and lab-on-a-chip devices, customized to their particular needs.

In terms of the applications of these micro-devices, one scenario might be a researcher using a microelectrode array to gather and track high-quality data about how a person’s muscle cells and neurons react to certain electrical stimuli. This can help pharmacologists better understand how human bodies react to certain drugs. This same device can also be used in the development of a movable prosthetic limb that is custom to the person who uses that prosthesis. 

Microneedles, on the other hand, are tools that allow healthcare professionals to deliver injectable materials into the skin in a way that is less painful and less frightening for patients with needle-phobia. They also produce less waste than their traditional needle counterparts. Researchers such as Kundu et al have published on the value of the production of these kinds of micro-devices in low-resource settings, even despite the high cost of the machines needed to produce them (Kundu et al, 2018). Other researchers such as Santana et al have discussed how micro-devices produced by 3D Printers might serve as a possible alternative to in vivo testing on animals in the future (Santana et al, 2020).

All of this is just a small slice of what 3D printing is capable of in the hands of healthcare professionals. As well, with 3D printing technology advancing, the sky is very swiftly becoming the limit of what is possible. From medical models to research devices, there is so much opportunity that comes with 3D printing for the field of health sciences. 

Want to learn more about 3D printing and even get involved?

Himmelfarb Library offers 3D printing services! While we may not be able to produce every one of the items described in this piece, our 3D printing services do support a wide array of patron projects and activities, from educational models to cookie cutters. It is also a great way to get early involvement with what may very well become standard practice in many aspects of healthcare in the future, so please do come check out the service if you are a patron! If you’d like to learn more about how you can get involved, you can read more about how to request a print in a previous blog post, and you’re welcome to reach out to Leland Ashford Lanquist (lalanquist@gwu.edu) Brian McDonald (bmcdonald@gwu.edu) if you have any questions. If you already know what you want to do, go ahead and submit a print request, which you can also find on our 3D printing guide!

References

AbouHashem, Y., Dayal, M., Savanah, S., & Štrkalj, G. (2015) The application of 3D printing in anatomy education, Medical Education Online, 20(1), https://doi.org/10.3402/meo.v20.29847

Autodesk. (n.d.) Maya Software. Autodesk. https://www.autodesk.com/products/maya/overview

Blender Foundation. (n.d.) Home of the Blender project - Free and Open 3D Creation Software. Blender3D. https://www.blender.org/

Christensen. J. (2017). 3D Printing and Patient-Matched Implants. In F. J. Rybicki & G. T Grant (Eds.) 3D printing in medicine: a practical guide for medical professionals, (pp. 85-95). Springer International Publishing.

Douglas, K. (2021). Bioprinting: to make ourselves anew. Oxford University Press.

Harvard University. (n.d.) Freesurfer. https://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/

Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library. (n.d.) 3D Printing at Himmelfarb. https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/3DPrinting/

Keriquel, V., Oliveira, H., Rémy, M., Ziane, S., Delmond, S., Rousseau, B., Rey, S., Catros, S., Amédée, V., Guillemot, F., & Fricain, J. (2017).  In situ printing of mesenchymal stromal cells, by laser-assisted bioprinting, for in vivo bone regeneration applications. Scientific Reports, 7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01914-x

Krishna, S., Small, K., Maetani, T., Chepelev, L., Schwarz, B. A., & Sheikh, A. (2017). Musculoskeletal 3D Printing. In F. J. Rybicki & G. T Grant (Eds.) 3D printing in medicine: a practical guide for medical professionals, (pp. 71–84). Springer International Publishing.

Kundu, A., Ausaf, T., & Rajaraman, S. (2018) 3D Printing, Ink Casting and Micromachined Lamination (3D PICLμM): A Makerspace Approach to the Fabrication of Biological Microdevices, Micromachines, 9(2), https://doi.org/10.3390/mi9020085

Santana, H. S., Palma, M. S. A., Lopes, M. G. M.., Souza, J., Lima, G. A. S., Taranto, O. P., & Silva, J. L. (2020).  Microfluidic Devices and 3D Printing for Synthesis and Screening of Drugs and Tissue Engineering.  Industrial & engineering chemistry research, 59(9), 3794-3810. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.9b03787

Watanabe, N., Yamamoto, Y., Fujimura, S., Kojima, A., Nakamura, A., Watanabe, K., Ishi, T., & Murayama, Y. (2021). Utility of multi-material three-dimensional print model in preoperative simulation for glioma surgery. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 93, 200–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2021.09.017

Wei, S., Starly, B., Daly, A. C., Burdick, J. A., Groll, J., Skeldon, G., Shu, W., Sakai, Y., Shinohara, M., Nishikawa, M., Jang, J., Cho, D., Nie, M., Takeuchi, S., Ostrovidov, S., Khademhosseini, A., Kamm, R. D., Mironov, V., Moroni, L., Ozbolat, I. T. (2020). The bioprinting roadmap. Biofabrication, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ab5158

Weidert, S., Andress, S., Suero, E., Becker, C., Hartel, M., Behle, M., & Willy, C. (2019) 3D-Druck in der unfallchirurgischen Fort- und Weiterbildung: Möglichkeiten und Anwendungsbereiche, Der Unfallchirurg, 122(6), 444-451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00113-019-0650-8

Xu, N., Wei, F., Liu, X., Jiang, L., Cai, H., Li, Z., Yu, M., Wu, F., & Liu, Z. (2016) Reconstruction of the Upper Cervical Spine Using a Personalized 3D-Printed Vertebral Body in an Adolescent With Ewing Sarcoma, Spine, 41(1), E50-E54. https://doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0000000000001179

Zuniga, J., Katsavelis, D., Peck, J., Stollberg, J., Petrykowski, M., Carson, A., & Fernandez, C. (2015) Cyborg beast: a low-cost 3d-printed prosthetic hand for children with upper-limb differences, BMC Research Notes, 8(1), 10-10. https://doi.org/110.1186/s13104-015-0971-9

Published on

Did you know that April is National Autism Awareness month? Regardless of how much you understand about the Autism Spectrum Disorder, there are available resources that can help to expand your current perspective, which may be helpful in making appropriate treatment decisions for Autistic patients 

 For an introduction to the Autism Spectrum, Autism.org has a 30 minute 101 course designed to increase your knowledge on what it is and the early signs of Autism. Additionally, the CDC has resources available on their website appropriate for families of autistic children and others providing care for them. 

Over the past twenty years, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) cases have been on the rise. According to the CDC, in 2000, it was estimated that 1 in 150 children developed ASD. By 2018, that number increased significantly to 1 in every 44.  As Autism Spectrum Disorder becomes more prevalent in the population, physicians will be more likely to provide medical care to Autistic patients during their medical career. 

Himmlefarb Library also has several resources on Autism: 

Published on
Psychiatry Online logo.

PsychiatryOnline, which hosts books such as the DSM-5 and textbooks published by the American Psychological Association, recently launched their new Exam Dashboard for all Study Guide books available through the PsychiatryOnline Premium package. 

The Exam Dashboard allows users to test their knowledge by taking multiple-choice questions derived directly from the text of the books. 

To access the Dashboard, users will need to set up a personal (and free!) MyPOL account. From the PsychOnline homepage, click on the sign in button and select “New User,” or sign in with your existing MyPOL account information. If you wish to access Himmelfarb Library’s subscription, use your GW email address (ending in @gwu.edu). 

Screenshot of Sign In tab in Psychiatry Online.

Once you’ve created your account, you may visit the Exam Dashboard at https://psychiatryonline.org/education/home. The Dashboard will display your testing history, including the number of tests completed, number of questions answered, and your overall percentage of questions answered correctly. This information is for your personal use only and cannot be viewed or accessed by any other user or any member of your institution. 

You can access exams by navigating to the Premium Book Collection (Books>Premium Books) and scrolling down to the Study Guides at the bottom of the page. Study Guides are currently the only books fitted to the Exam Dashboard. Select the book you wish to read or test from and then select “Quiz.” 

Screenshot of Menu Bar with Books: Premium Books selected.

You will then be asked to select the desired features of your exam. You can choose to have the correct answer provided for you after answering each question, or after you’ve completed the quiz. You can choose to answer questions you have not yet answered, questions you have previously gotten wrong, or choose to answer questions of “any type,” meaning that questions you’ve previously seen may be mixed in with questions that are new to you. You then choose which chapters you would like your questions to be pulled from (select as many chapters as you like). Finally, you choose how many questions you would like to answer. To begin, click “Start Exam.” 

While taking the exam, if you chose to have the answer provided for you after answering, you will see the correct answer listed, followed by an explanation from the book. To navigate to the next question, click next question on the right hand side of the screen, or select the next question on the left hand side: 

Screenshot of question navigation bar.

If you choose to view your results after completing the exam, you will be instructed to click “Submit for Final Grading.” This takes you to the exam summary page, which shows your test Grade by percentage correct, the breakdown count of questions answered correctly and incorrectly, and total time spent on the exam. You can also choose to have your results emailed to you. To view each question and answer individually, select the question from the left hand side of the screen. 

Screenshot of "Submit for Final Grading" button.
Screenshot of grading summary page.

When you have completed your exam, click the Dashboard button to return to the Exam Dashboard: 

Screenshot of Dashboard.

Please note that these exams are for personal use only and do not confer any CE/CME credits. 

For more details and instructions, consult the Exam Dashboard user guide. If you have any additional questions or have trouble accessing PsychiatryOnline, please contact Ian Roberts at imroberts@gwu.edu 

Published on

The Himmelfarb Library staff is excited to celebrate the return of our annual art show and this year there are two ways to participate! The art show will take place in-person on the library’s first floor and online via our institutional repository, the Health Science Research Commons. By choosing to display your artwork in our virtual art show, your paintings, drawings, sculptures or other creative works will be archived in our Himmelfarb Library Annual Art Show 2022 collection! 

Our in-person art show will take place in the library from Monday, April 11th until Friday, May 6th. To celebrate the start of the art show, there will be an opening reception Monday, April 11th from 4-5:30 pm on the library’s first floor. Come out to support your colleagues and view the amazing artwork on display. 

Interested in submitting to the art show? Today, April 8th, is the last day! Bring your artwork (up to five pieces per artist) to the Circulation/Reference desk by 4pm. If you’d like to participate in the virtual art show, please email your files to Catherine Sluder at crharris@gwu.edu. It is possible to participate in both the in-person and virtual show or you can pick one of the shows and participate that way. 

If you have questions, please contact Catherine Sluder. We hope to see you during the reception or over the course of the in-person art show! 

Viewing Message: 1 of 1.
 Notice

This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Visit GW’s Website Privacy Notice to learn more about how GW uses cookies.