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Author: r.kyser

Published on Leave a comment on Black History Month: Public Health Organizations
A black women in scrubs stands outside with her arms crossed.

When we talk about public health policy, it’s critical to also discuss health disparities. Health disparities refer to differences in health outcomes between racial or ethnic groups, socioeconomic groups, or other groups, including groups identified by gender, sexual orientation, or disability status.    

Health disparities related to race are well-documented in the United States, and there are numerous incidents where African Americans, in particular, have experienced racist treatment by the healthcare system. J. Marion Sims, the founder of gynecology, experimented on enslaved women (1), textbooks asserted that Black people could feel less pain (2), and Black men were lied to about receiving treatment, leading them to die of curable illnesses (3). Today, Black women are more likely to die in childbirth than white women (4), and elderly Black Americans are less likely to be insured than their white counterparts (5). 

Thankfully, there are multiple groups working to combat health disparities in African American populations. These groups, often led by members of these communities themselves, cover a variety of health topics but all work to bridge the gap in healthcare. Below is a sampling of organizations working to tackle this system-wide problem. While this list is only a small sample of groups approaching this issue, it is a glimpse into initiatives to eliminate health disparities and how we can identify problems we have yet to solve. 

Black Women’s Health Imperative: Founded in 1983 by Byllye Y. Avery, the Black Women’s Health Imperative is the oldest national organization working to improve the health of Black women and girls. The organization has programs that tackle prediabetes/diabetes awareness, reproductive health, HIV awareness, and much more. This organization even has a comic series, Luna Unleashed. 

The Society for the Analysis of African American Public Health Issues (SAAPHI): SAAPHI is a nonprofit that works to improve the health of African Americans. To do this, they work to research the causes and issues that impact African American communities, advocate for policy changes to address these health disparities, provide webinars on community issues, and organize mentorship programs. 

Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT): This organization is led by Black women to address reproductive and birthing justice.  The organization has programs focused on providing training for doulas and peer-to-peer reproductive education for young adults. For those interested in learning more about the mission of ROOTT, their founder, Jessica M. Roach, has a Ted Talk where she speaks about her organization and its mission. 

Black AIDS Institute: Founded in 1999, the Black AIDS Institute seeks to inform Black Americans about HIV prevention and care. The organization works on both providing care and education to those with or at risk of HIV, but also training staff and medical professionals in providing these services. 

National Black Leadership Commission on Health: This organization seeks to reduce disparities for Black communities and work toward health equity. They offer a variety of educational programs and workshops for medical professionals, including ones on mental health. 

Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM): Health isn’t just physical; mental and emotional health are important, too. When addressing disparities, it’s important to address disparities in this sector as well. BEAM works to help Black and other marginalized communities access mental and emotional health care.

For more resources regarding antiracism in healthcare, check out the Himmelfarb libguide on the topic.

  1.  Brown DL. Critics say 'father of gynecology' deserves scorn, not a statue. The Washington Post. 2017.

2. Trawalter S, Hoffman KM, Waytz A. Racial bias in perceptions of others' pain. PloS one. 2012;7(11):e48546. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048546.

3. Heller J. 50 years ago, AP exposed Tuskegee syphilis study details. The Philadelphia tribune (1884). 2022:4A.

4. Oribhabor GI, Nelson ML, Buchanan-Peart K, Cancarevic I. A mother's cry: A race to eliminate the influence of racial disparities on maternal morbidity and mortality rates among Black women in America. Curēus (Palo Alto, CA). 2020;12(7):e9207. doi: 10.7759/cureus.9207.

5. Stewart KA, London AS. Falling Through the Cracks: Lack of Health Insurance Among Elderly Foreign- and Native-Born Blacks. Journal of immigrant and minority health. 2015;17(5):1391-1400. doi:10.1007/s10903-014-0099-3

6. Society for the analysis of Sfrican Smerican Public Health Issues. SAAPHI Web site. https://www.saaphi.org/home. Accessed 2/25, 2025.

7.  Restoring our own through transformation. ROOTT Web site. https://www.roottrj.org/. Accessed 2/25, 2025.

 8. Who we are. Black Aids Institute Web site. https://blackaids.org/who-we-are/. Accessed 2/25, 2025.

9. About us. National Black Leadership Commission on Health Web site. https://natlblackhealth.org/programs/. Accessed 02/25, 2025.

10. About. BEAM website. https://beam.community/about/. Accessed 2/25, 2025.

11.  Our story. Black Women's Health Imperative Web site. https://bwhi.org/our-story/. Accessed 2/25, 2025.

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For this month's comic, we're diving into a story of a diagnostic case gone wrong, and what might have led to it.

Panel 1: Narration: In 2020, I spent a week in the hospital for severe anemia. Image: An image of Rebecca, a white woman with curly brown hair, sits in a hospital bed in a hospital gown. She is hooked up to a blood bag and looks depressed.
Panel 2: Narration: Before this, I’d spent a month trying to get tested for anemia.. I displayed a lot of symptoms: Image: An image of Rebecca, wearing a face mask, very pale, is in the center. There are various symptoms of anemia pointing to her. They say: Lightheadedness, pulsatile tinnitus, cold even in August, Palor, fatigue, short of breath Panel 3: Narration: But I kept being refused as my GP was on vacation. When I tried to push the test, I was told: Image: Three speech bubbles are below: they read as “It’s just anxiety” and “This never happens” and “It’ll be fine to wait for your GP to come back.”
Panel 4: I’d planned to wait for my GP, but after almost fainting, I got a rival medical system to run the test. I got my results that night via the phone. It went something like this: Image: Rebecca, incredibly pale, is holding her cell phone. Her cat watches from a counter. From the phone, audio goes: Phone: So. You are very anemic.
Panel 5: Image: Rebecca drops her phone. Rebecca, gleeful, with her hands raised yells “Yes I’m not crazy” From her phone, it states: “Also you need to go to the nearest ER” Her cat watches the phone fall with alarm
Panel 6: Rebecca, with her hands still raised looks confused. She says: “Wait what?” Her phone, now resting where the cat once was, says: “as soon as possible, actually.”
Panel 7: Narration: Thankfully I managed to recover from my bout with vampirism, but after everything was said and done, my doctors, family, friends and myself all had the same question: Image: Rebecca, dressed as a vampire with red eyes and fangs asks “How did this happen?”
Panel 8: While I’d only spent a month seeking out a test, I’d voiced my concerns about some symptoms I had for the past 9 months. My concerns usually were answered with the same response: Image: Four separate scenes are shown. The upper left hand corner features a nurse with a goatee and a half shaved head. The upper right hand corner a doctor reaches out over a sink. The bottom left hand corner shows a phone. The bottom right hand corner shows three doctors discussing in front of a hospital bed. All four of them say “No one gets severe anemia at your age?”
Panel 9: (I did not respond well to that answer, once in the hospital) Image: Rebecca, in a hospital gown, yells “YET HERE WE ARE”
Panel 10: So how did this get overlooked for so lon g? I can’t say for sure but I think cognitive bias had something to do with it. Image: A chibi version of Rebecca speaks, with text under it labeling it as a “disclaimer.” Rebecca’s speech bubble: “I do want to stress I think cognitive bias was one of the many potential factors in my case. I’m using my own story here not to cast blame on anyone but to provide narrative for us to explore this concept. Panel 11: Narration: What are cognitive biases? They are patterns of thinking, often quick or subconscious, that are prone to error (1). Image: A picture of a video game is shown, labeled fallacy dodge. In the game, a humanoid rabbit wearing a scarf faces a frozen tundra full of hazards. Spikes on the floor are labeled as “spikes of confirmation bias” stalactites on the ceiling are labeled as “attentional bias” . a large jump with a coin on it is labeled as “authority bias”, and a pool of frozen water is labeled as “anchoring bias”
Panel 12: Narration: Let’s take a look at some common fallacies that can be seen in medical practice Image: Rebecca stands in front of a blackboard where “cognitive bias 101” is written in chalk
Panel 13: Narration: Anchoring bias: relying on only one piece of information (often the 1st piece one hears) when making choices (1). Image: a thought bubble leads to an anchor where it rests at the bottom of the ocean
Panel 14: Narration: Confirmation bias: looking for, focusing on and recalling information that aligns with one’s beliefs Image: A scientist cheers, holding one paper. Behind him is a large pile of papers labeled as “studies that disprove theory.” Scientist speech bubble: Look! This study proves my theory!” Panel 15: Narration: The ostrich effect: ignoring or avoiding negative information Image: An ostrich, wearing a lab coat, buries its head in the sand. Another ostrich, half off screen, looks down at it confused.
Panel 16: Narration: Conjunction fallacy: the tendency to assume that multiple specific conditions are more likely than one general 1 (1). Image: Zoey, a Black woman wearing glasses in a hospital gown, stands in the middle of the screen. The text around her reads as follows Text box 1: Zoey has a cough, a fever and body aches. Text box 2: Is it? Bullet 1: Asbestosis Bullet 2: Invasive Candidiasis Bullet 3: Lyme disease Text box 3: Or the flu?* Text box 4: It could be either, but it’s important to confirm it isn’t the likely answer.
Panel 17: Narration: Posthoc Fallacy: Assuming one event caused a later event because on happened before the other assuming correlation=causation can be an example of this(1) Image: A bald Black man in a suit looks at a line up of an ice cream cone and a virus labeled as “flu” Both hold signs. The ice cream sign says “ice cream.” The man says “Who made me sick….I did just have the ice cream recently” and the ice cream says “I’m innocent i swear”
Narration: framing bias: our perception of data depends on how it is presented(1) Image: A woman in a hijab and a person with brown skin and brown hair sit watching television. On the television, there is an advertisement for Radiant made with Calciferol. The woman in the hijab says “Wait isn’t calciferol just vitamin D?” and the person across from them says “but it looks so fancy!”
Panel 19: Narration: There are countless other fallacies that can interfere with decision making. But mistakes occur due to reasons other than fallacies. Image: Rebecca, shrugging, says “think about your quality of choices when you’re tired.”
Panel 20: Narration: Systematic issues such as understaffing and long hours can lead to increased mistakes. Image: A nurse and a doctor stand across from each other. The doctor is holding up his hand and making an L, like people use to tell directions. They speak as follows: Nurse: Doc, you’re exhausted. Can you even tell left from right? Doctor: Of course, left is…uh” Nurse: This is not inspiring confidence. Panel 21: Narration: When extra stressors like covid further strain such overworked systems, it’s possible that more errors can occur. Image: The doctor and nurse stand masked surrounded by virus particles, looking more tired.
Panel 22: Narration: Frankly, I think Covid played the largest role in my own situation. With folks tired and overworked from the pandemic, it was easier for my own case to slip through the cracks. Image: Rebecca falling between two cliffs.
Panel 23: Narration: Stereotypes and Implicit bias also play a role in errors, along with health disparities. Image: Four people speak regarding health. A women with brown skin and long black hair says: 24% of women feel a health care provider has ignored or dismissed their symptoms (2) A latino man with curly brown hair says: 32% of hispanic patients felt they had to speak up to get proper care (3). A black woman with her hair in two buns says : Black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women (4). A white person with orange hair and freckles in a wheelchair who has a right leg amputation says “A 2021 study found that US doctors believed disabled people have a lower quality of life than non-disabled people (5)
Panel 24: Narration: There are efforts to address implicit bias and stereotypes in medicine but there is still a lot of work to do. Image: Rebecca looking depressed says: I’ve heard a lot of stories from folks feeling dismissed or not listened to and I have my own that I haven’t told here.
Panel 25: Narration: All types of bias lead not only to clinical errors but a lack of trust in medicine as a whole Image: A snake next to a bottle of snake oil and “ms. Bettys cure all” says: Lack of trust in medicine can lead to folks buying into pseudoscience or snake oil. Panel 26: Narration: There is no way to truly eliminate cognitive bias, but we can try to reduce it. Image: the nurse from earlier says “for systematic issues, we need more top down solutions.”
Panel 27: Narration: Taking a moment to think about why we’re thinking something can help. Diagnosing fast and slow recommends we ask ourselves the following: Image: Three doctors stand thinking. Above them are the following thought bubbles: Doctor 1: Why do I think this? Doctor 2: Could I be wrong? Doctor 3: What else could this be?
Panel 28: Narration: And maybe with those questions in mind we can prevent more patients from falling through the cracks Image: a sidewalk is shown with flowers growing out of the cracks

SOURCES:

  1. Coughlan JJ, Mullins CF, Kiernan TJ. Diagnosing, fast and slow. Postgrad Med J. 2021;97(1144):103-109. doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2019-137412
  2. Long M, Frederiksen B, Ranji U, Diep K, Published AS. Women’s Experiences with Provider Communication and Interactions in Health Care Settings: Findings from the 2022 KFF Women’s Health Survey. KFF. February 22, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2024.https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/womens-experiences-with-provider-communication-interactions-health-care-settings-findings-from-2022-kff-womens-health-survey/
  3. Lopez CF and MH. 2. Hispanic Americans’ experiences with health care. Pew Research Center. June 14, 2022. Accessed October 10, 2024. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/06/14/hispanic-americans-experiences-with-health-care/
  4. Hill L, Artiga S, Published UR. Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Efforts to Address Them. KFF. November 1, 2022. Accessed October 10, 2024. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/racial-disparities-in-maternal-and-infant-health-current-status-and-efforts-to-address-them/
  5. Jackson L. Doctors must challenge ableism in healthcare. BMJ. 2023;383:2968. Published 2023 Dec 20. doi:10.1136/bmj.p2968
  6. Dahm, M. R., Williams, M., & Crock, C. (2022). ‘More than words’ – Interpersonal communication, cognitive bias and diagnostic errors. Patient Education and Counseling, 105(1), 252–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.05.012

Five blocks spell out "study" in front of some textbooks
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Five cubes that spell out "study" are shown in front of some textbooks

Finals season getting to you? Feeling anxious about exams? Are you considering locking yourself in the library until you memorize your textbooks? Before you go to drastic measures, consider trying out some of the following tips and tricks to make studying for finals go smoothly. 

  1. Try making some practice exams: Reviewing class notes is a great way to study but after a second or third pass, it can feel like you’re just skimming through the information, rather than taking it in. If you want your studying method to be more active, consider making a practice exam to see if your notes are actually sticking in your memory. If you take questions from old exams, study guides, and assignments, you can make a practice exam that not only covers important concepts but forces you to review your notes as you make it more in-depth. Want to take this tip to the next level? Rope in a friend to make their own practice test and swap with one another. 
  2. Flip through some flashcards: Flashcards are a tried and tested method for a reason. If you don’t want to make your own flashcards, Access Medicine provides plenty of flashcards for all sorts of medical topics. 
  3. Review pre-printed textbooks and guides: Himmelfarb has plenty of study material in our collection, including guides on various medical topics. Materials are available both digitally and physically, so make sure to pick one that suits your preferred studying style.
  4. Find the right environment: Need a quiet place to study? Have trouble staying on task at home? Try the library! Study better as a group? Our first floor has plenty of space for folks to gather to discuss in teams. Need a quieter environment? If you’re one of our Graduate students, try Himmelfarb’s second floor is for silent study, and our third floor is for quiet study. If you want to go even quieter, feel free to take some of the complementary earplugs at the front desk. 

Finals can be stressful but hopefully, with these study tips, you’ll be ready for exams with as little stress as possible!

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A picture of a forest in winter is shown with the sun setting. Snow covers the ground and a lake has frozen over.

After a busy semester of fall classes, winter is finally here. While there is plenty to enjoy about winter - the holidays, freshly fallen snow, warm beverages - winter also brings with it shorter days, the sun setting before 5PM most days. It’s no surprise that this change can bring on some negative mood shifts, but in some people, this shift is so pronounced that it becomes clinical.  

Seasonal affective disorder more commonly known as SAD is a type of depression that occurs when the seasons change. While there is a type of SAD for the summer months, SAD that occurs in winter is far more common and tends to be what people think of when they hear the term. While feeling a little down is normal, people who have SAD can suffer from a myriad of symptoms such as loss of appetite, sleeping too much, fatigue, social withdrawal, anxiety, sadness, and other symptoms that are consistent with depression (1). 

We don’t know what exactly causes SAD (theories range from lack of vitamin, melatonin overproduction, or serotonin underproduction), but we do know that some groups are at higher risk of the disorder than others (2). People who live in more northern climates tend to be at a higher risk, as do people whose schedules limit their exposure to sunlight. People who have another psychiatric disorder such as bipolar disorder or anxiety have a comorbidity with SAD (3). 

Thankfully, SAD is treatable. It’s important to see a doctor, who will prescribe a treatment to deal with the condition. There are multiple ways to treat SAD but one of the most common is light therapy (4). Light therapy involves sitting in front of a type of lightbox each morning for a period of time. These lightboxes are available commercially, though make sure they give off the recommended amount of light. Therapy, counseling, and medication can also be used. 

This winter, make sure to take care of your body AND your mind. If any of the symptoms above seem familiar, don’t be afraid to reach out to your doctor. 

Sources: 

  1. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services and Administration. February 8, 2023. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/seasonal-affective-disorder
  2. Sanassi LA. Seasonal affective disorder: is there light at the end of the tunnel? JAAPA. 2014;27(2):18-23. doi:10.1097/01.JAA.0000442698.03223.f3
  3. Melrose S. Seasonal Affective Disorder: An Overview of Assessment and Treatment Approaches. Depress Res Treat. 2015;2015:178564. doi:10.1155/2015/178564
  4. Ravindran AV, Balneaves LG, Faulkner G, et al. Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) 2016 Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Adults with Major Depressive Disorder: Section 5. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments. Can J Psychiatry. 2016;61(9):576-587. doi:10.1177/0706743716660290

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This week is Open Access week! Open access is an international movement that looks to remove barriers to scientific research and data. The goal is that everyone can access academic scholarship equally without running into legal, financial or technical barriers (1).

This year's theme for Open Access Week is “Community Over Commercialization.” The goal is to look at ways we can share scholarship in ways that benefit everyone. 

If you want to get involved and learn more, check out these on-campus events run by the George Washington Open Source Project:

Oct 22nd, 7pm-9:30pm Movie Night with Q&A for Open Access Week

University Student Center Amphitheater

Join the GW OSPO for a showing of "The Internet's Own Boy: The Aaron Swartz Story", an award-winning movie about a computer programmer, writer, political organizer, and internet activist and his battle with the U.S. government and the publishing industry as he risks everything in the pursuit of sharing knowledge. The screening will be followed by a Q&A panel to talk about research, publishing, access to information, and other important topics raised throughout this film.

Popcorn will be provided. The first 25 attendees will get a homemade chocolate chip peanut butter cookie!

Oct 24, 11:30am-12:30pm GW Coders' Lunch and Learn: Care Work and Accessibility in p5.js and Open Source Software*

Join us in SEH, B2600 or online in Zoom: https://go.gwu.edu/gwcoderszoom

We are very excited to host the lead maintainer of the open source project p5.js.  p5.js is a friendly tool for learning to code and make art. It is a free and open-source JavaScript library built by an inclusive, nurturing community. p5.js welcomes artists, designers, beginners, educators, and anyone else! Qianqian Ye, the lead maintainer will discuss care work, accessibility, demonstrate the tool, and answer questions.

Oct 25, 12pm-1pm GW OSPO Webinar Panel Discussion: Can Diamond Open Access disrupt the broken paywall publishing model and save science with the help of open source software?

Join us online: GW OSPO Zoom Webinar

Our distinguished panel of Diamond Open Access experts from across the globe will explore possible paths forward for open access publishing.  Please come and bring your hard questions for this group to try to answer.

If you want to explore and learn about Open Access on your own time, here are some materials and resources to explore Open Access:

Paywall Documentary: Not familiar with the world of Scholarly Publishing, or the Open Access movement? Take some time to watch the documentary “Paywall.” Paywall is an excellent introduction to the world of Open Access for complete beginners and it’s a great watch. 

PHD Comics: Don’t have the time for a full documentary? Try this video comic from PHD comics about Open Access that provides a dynamic illustrated introduction to the topic. 

Open Access and Your Research: Curious what Open Access means for you and your own work? Check out this instructional video from the Scholarly Communications Committee about what to expect. 

OA LibGuide: Need to find open access material to learn about medicine? Try our Open Access LibGuide which contains links to textbooks, journals, and other resources people can use. 

  1. What is open access? International Open Access Week. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.openaccess.nl/en/what-is-open-access
  2. Paywall: The Business of Scholarship. The Movie.; 2018. Accessed October 18, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAzTR8eq20k
  3. Open Access Explained!; 2012. Accessed October 18, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5rVH1KGBCY
  4. Open Access and Your Research.; 2022. Accessed October 18, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SpLN7BbzGg

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Two jack of lantern pumpkins shine in darkness

With October upon us, comes celebration of spooky season. The classic signs of Halloween approaching are here: theaters show scary movie marathons for those who want thrills and frights, skeleton and ghost decor begins to grace front yards and debate over what to wear for the event itself reaches a fever pitch. But witches, ghosts, and ghouls weren’t always reserved for just Halloween. In fact, some legends were born out of explanations for very real phenomena that used to strike terror across villages.  

One particular example comes to mind. The year is 1788. Your friend has fallen ill recently. She’s lost a lot of weight, she has a fever, and her skin is growing paler by the day. She has even started coughing up blood. Even worse, these symptoms mimic that of her late brother, who died a few months previously.  Thankfully, a neighbor has identified the culprit and knows the solution: dig up her brother’s corpse, cut out his heart, and burn it. 

Wait, what? As strange as it sounds, this was a real series of events that happened in New England. Before the Germ Theory of disease, people needed explanations for the spread of disease. While bad air (Miasma Theory) or the four humors were potential explanations, when it came to the disease known as tuberculosis, vampires were offered as a potential explanation (1). 

The original legend was brought over by immigrants from European countries (2). While the exact way vampires worked depended on the region, the general idea was that those who died came back to drain life from the living, often their family members. Given how tuberculosis spreads, family members did become ill, especially given members of one family might share the same bed. Digging up the corpse of the deceased family member was seen as a way to stop the illness and put it to bed at last. Given the cold winters in the region, sometimes bodies would be well preserved when they were dug up, further playing into the idea that the dead were feasting on the living. While the burning of organs didn’t actually do anything, in the face of an invisible illness, it provided those afraid with a feeling of some agency. 

The vampire legend doesn’t arise solely from tuberculosis, but some hallmarks of the blood suckers can be traced to the pathogen: the pallor vampires are known for, along with sleeping in coffins. Other aspects of the mythical monster are hypothesized to come from other illnesses. Vampire’s aversion to light (photophobia), running water and biting others may all originate from rabies cases. Those afflicted with rabies can showcase these symptoms, and those who wrote early vampire stories may have drawn inspiration from the deadly disease (3). Symptoms of the genetic disease porphyria have also been attributed to perhaps inspiring the myth as it also causes issues with being in the sun (4).

Thankfully, we eventually figured out the real culprit behind tuberculosis wasn’t the walking dead, but a bacterium, and that we could defeat it with antibiotics, not wooden stakes. But it’s important not to judge those who believed in the vampire theory too harshly. They had figured out the contagious part of the disease. They only misattributed the vector. 

So this October, remember where part of the fear of vampirism comes from. It’s not fangs, or gothic mansions, or poor book adaptations. Instead, think of those who latched onto the legend as an explanation, who knew something deadly was spreading, but didn’t know where to look or where it would strike next. 

1. Blanding M. Vampire panic gripped New England in the 1800s. the real evil was in the air. Boston Globe (Online). Oct 27 2023. Available from: https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/vampire-panic-gripped-new-england-1800s-real-evil/docview/2882529806/se-2. 

2. Groom N. UNEARTHING THE DEAD: Medicine and Detection, Body and Mind. In: The Vampire. A New History. Yale University Press; 2018:23-40. doi:10.2307/j.ctv6gqxp2.9

3. Gómez-Alonso J. Rabies: a possible explanation for the vampire legend. Neurology. 1998;51(3):856-859. doi:10.1212/wnl.51.3.856

4. McGrath J. Are vampires real? scientists have linked diseases and decomposition to all the historical tropes of nosferatu. Business Insider. Oct 21, 2023. Available from: https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/are-vampires-real-scientists-have-linked-diseases/docview/2879550637/se-2. 

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Graphic of books with the text Himmelfarb 2024 booksale

Are your bookshelves looking a little empty? Do you have an interest in having a physical copy of some textbooks or study guides? Want a piece of medical history to call your own? The Himmelfarb Annual Book Sale has all of this and more.

From October 8th to October 11th, Himmelfarb will sell books in the first-floor alcove. The cost of hardback books is $4 and the cost of paperbacks is $2. All payments must be made by card. The sale is open from 8:00am to 8:00pm Tuesday to Thursday, and from 8:00am to Noon on Friday.

We hope to see you there!

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What do librarians do anyway? If you want to find out, check out the comic below!

Panel 1: Narration: When people think of librarians, they often picture the following: an older woman with glasses and a cardigan. Image: A librarian, who looks as the narration described, shushes the audience. Panel 2: Narration: Who mainly spends her time shushing people, reading and sitting at a desk. Image:The same librarian from the first panel sits at a desk with a sign that says “silence is mandatory”
Panel 3: Narration: Like all stereotypes, some folks do fit the mold demographically, the realities of the job are much different than what folks expect. Image: Rebecca, a librarian with brown curly hair and glasses, shrugs and says “honestly, I can’t remember the last time I shushed anyone.”
Panel 4: The tools librarians use might look different in the digital age, but the basic goal of ensuring information is accessible and discoverable remains the same. Image: A stack of books is placed next to a laptop.
Panel 5: To achieve this goal, along with other library functions, there’s actually a wide variety of types of librarians. Image: A librarian building is held up by the silhouettes of five people of various body types and skin colors.
Panel 6: Let’s take a closer look at some of the variety out there… Image: There are eight boxes, each featuring a different person. The box labeled Circulation contains a heavy set pale blonde man with glasses. The Acquisition box contains a lean person of older age with gray hair, brown skin and wrinkles. The box labeled Serials contains a man with dark skin and dreads, wearing a red suit. The box labeled Scholarly Communication, has a medium sized woman with tan skin and black hair. The box labeled childrens has a heavy set black woman with her hair in two buns, smiling. The box labeled Specialists, features a lean tan man with a goatee and wrinkles with graying hair. The box labeled archivists features a pal skinned red headed woman with glasses. The last box contains Rebecca, and is labeled reference.
The circulation librarian sits at a desk, facing the audience. He says “Circulation doesn’t just check out books, but things like chargers, electronics or even dry erase markers.”
Panel 8: Like circulation acquisitions can also be a team effort. Acquisitions involves ordering and acquiring new material for the library. Image: The acquisitions librarian sits behind a stack of books, saying “an acquisitions librarian works with vendors and publishers to acquire material”
Image: A laptop is open on a desk and on the screen is the serials librarian. He says “these days many serial publications can be found digitally.”
Panel 10: In academic libraries, scholarly communication librarians help students and faculty alike publish their work. This can be by helping journals to publish in or managing an institutional repository. Image: The scholarly communications librarian is in a sailor’s outfit on a tiny boat, where a shark swims. She says “when it comes to avoiding predatory publishers, we can help.”
Panel 11: Children’s librarians work with children and young adults. They help select material for different age groups and organize events and outreach for patrons. Storytime for young kids is a good example of an event they run. Image: The children’s librarian sits in front of a group of children with a picture book she is reading out loud. Behind her is a teddy bear and books.
Panel 12: Specialists librarians work in special libraries where the often specialize in a topic or field. Law librarians and medical librarians fall into this category. Image: The specialist librarian stands in front of a cabinet with a scale on it. He says “around one-third of law librarians have a law degree”
Panel 13: Archivists aren’t the same as librarians but they often have the same masters degree. They are specialists in preserving material and helping people access it. Image: The archivist reads a book in front of a desk and several file cabinets
Panel 14: Reference librarians, like myself, help people do research and find materials. They may also specialize in a topic or subject area. Image: Rebecca stands in a hedge maze, with a torch. She says “There’s so much material to look through it can feel like a maze. Our job in reference is to help people navigate that maze.”
Panel 15: There are other types of librarians not mentioned here, such as library directors, as well as library jobs that are done by staff. Both librarians and library staff are essential to keeping the library running. Image: a puzzle in the shape of a library is shown Panel 16: TThe things that tie libraries together are our commitment to some shared ideals.The American Library association has a whole list of professional standards and guidelines on its website. Image: The ALA logo is shown
Panel 17: There are initiatives to recruit librarians from underrepresented groups and organizations dedicated to supporting these groups. Image: Rebecca is shown, saying “there are efforts to also recruit librarians from underrepresented groups.”
Panel 17: Libraries seek to protect intellectual freedom and preserve privacy. The American library association opposed the Patriot Act and in 2006. Four connecticut librarians went to court regarding gag orders. Image: Uncle Sam stands in front of an American flag, saying “I wasn’t trying to spy on patron records…I just wanted…uh. Book recommendations.”
Panel 18: Libraries also promise literacy and not just for books. Image: Different types of images are shown next to types of literacy: a computer with computer literacy, a stethoscope next to health literacy, a dollar next to financial literacy, a ballot box next to civic literacy and a phone next to media literacy.
Panel 19: Teaching, instruction, budget management, programming, research: all of these skills are needed to keep libraries going. Image: two shelves are shown with different kind of hats on them. The hats are labeled with different kinds of library skills.
Panel 20: And only one of them, on rare occasions, is to shush people. END Image: Rebecca stands in front of two shelves and a reminder to keep quiet on the second floor. She winks as she says “shush”
  1. Acquisitions | ALA. American Library Association. May 5, 2009. Accessed September 16, 2024. https://www.ala.org/tools/topics/atoz/profresourcesacquisitions/acquisitions
  2. Serials | ALA. American Library Association. April 29, 2010. Accessed September 16, 2024. https://www.ala.org/tools/atoz/Serials/serials
  3. Education. American Association of Law Librarians. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://www.aallnet.org/careers/about-the-profession/education
  4. What’s an Archivist? National Archives. June 7, 2022. Accessed September 19, 2024. https://www.archives.gov/about/info/whats-an-archivist.html
  5. ALA Standards & Guidelines | ALA. American Library Association. June 13, 2008. Accessed September 25, 2024. https://www.ala.org/tools/guidelines
  6. Vinopal J. The Quest for Diversity in Library Staffing: From Awareness to Action – In the Library with the Lead Pipe. In the Library With The Lead Pipe. January 13, 2016. Accessed September 25, 2024. https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2016/quest-for-diversity/
  7. Elliott J. Remember When the Patriot Act Debate Was All About Library Records? ProPublica. June 17, 2013. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www.propublica.org/article/remember-when-the-patriot-act-debate-was-about-library-records

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Televisions and stereos line a wall

With September in full swing, folks might find themselves short on downtime as exams and courses wind into full gear. Thankfully, this month’s medical media recommendation from our new Scholarly Communications and Metadata Librarian, Brittany Smith, is a sitcom that might be easy to sneak watching an episode during a tight schedule. 

Known for its humor and heart, Scrubs is a sitcom that ran from 2001-2010 that follows a group of interns and continues throughout their residency at Sacred Heart Hospital(1). While the show centered around its lead J.D, it also spent time building out its extended cast such as fellow residents Turk and Reid, nurse Carla Espinosa, Doctor Cox and the mysterious Janitor. Winning multiple awards, the wacky series wasn’t afraid to get silly despite the medical setting; there was even an entire episode that was a musical. 

Despite the zany antics, what really made Scrubs a treat to watch was its heart. The show “wrestled with the humanity of the characters in a meaningful way,” said Smith. Both patients and the physicians are shown as real people, and when Scrubs tackled those moments, it did so with empathy and thought. Some examples include a doctor struggling with OCD, the loss of a fellow staff member, and how losing patients can impact those who care for them (2). 

Scrubs can be streamed on multiple streaming services online. 

Works Cited

1.Scrubs. Doozer, Towers Productions, ABC Signature; 2001.

2. Pantoja K. Scrubs: 15 Saddest Moments, Ranked. ScreenRant. June 23, 2019. Accessed September 12, 2024. https://screenrant.com/scrubs-tv-show-saddest-moments-ranked/

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