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Picture of Dr. Louis Wade Sullivan, MD.
Louis Wade Sullivan at Spotlight Health Aspen Ideas Festival 2015. Creative Commons image.

The Rotation is proud to continue our observance of Black History Month with a look at the life of Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, MD, the founding Dean of Morehouse School of Medicine, and the second African American appointed as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Louis Wade Sullivan was born in 1933 in the rural town of Blakely, Georgia. From an early age, Wade knew he wanted to be a doctor thanks to the influence of Dr. Joseph Griffin, the only Black doctor in the region. According to Sullivan’s memoir, Breaking Ground: My Life in Medicine (available in print and e-book at Himmelfarb Library):

Sullivan’s father was the town of Blakely’s only African American mortician, and often used his hearse as an ambulance to transport black patients who did not have other means of transportation to Dr. Griffin’s hospital to receive the medical care they needed (Sullivan, Chanoff, &Young, 2014). Sullivan recalls being “completely taken by how a doctor could help very ill people get better. … I wanted to be exactly like Dr. Griffin” (Sullivan, Chanoff, &Young, 2014).

Sullivan studied pre-med at Morehouse College (Harvard College, 2020). He graduated from Morehouse in 1954 - the same year as the historic Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that declared school segregation unconstitutional (Talesnik, 2016). He then started medical school at Boston University School of Medicine, where he was the only African American student in his class, and only one of three African American students in the medical school (Talesnik, 2016). He graduated third in his medical school class in 1958 (Harvard College, 2020). 

He completed his medical training at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, where he was the first Black intern at the institution (Talesnik, 2016). During his time at Cornell Medical Center, Sullivan completed a fellowship in hematology. He followed that up with a pathology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and a hematology fellowship at Harvard’s Thorndike Laboratory at Boston City Hospital (Sullivan, Chanoff, &Young, 2014). One of his most notable research studies looked at the correlation between alcoholism and its impact on the human-blood-forming system (Rees & Labosier, 2023). In 1966, Sullivan became the co-director of Hematology at Boston University Medical Center, in 1967, he founded Boston University Hematology Service at Boston City Hospital and directed the Boston Sickle Cell Center (Rees & Labosier, 2023).

In the mid-1970s, Sullivan returned to Morehouse to help establish and serve as the founding dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine (Harvard College, 2020). The Morehouse School of Medicine became “the only four-year medical school organized for black students in the 20th century, joining Howard University School of Medicine and Meharry Medical College, which had been founded in the 19th century” (Talesnik, 2016). In 1976, Sullivan partnered with Dr. Walter Bowie, and Anthony Rachal to found the Association on Minority Health Professions Schools (AMHPS) to promote a national minority health agenda and “quantifying the health status and health personnel needs of the minority community” (Association of Minority Health Professions Schools, n.d.).

In 1989, Sullivan was appointed as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) by President George H.W. Bush becoming only the second African American to serve in this position (Harvard College, 2020). During his time as Secretary of HHS, Sullivan spearheaded the creation of the NIH Office of Minority Health, which is now the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), as well as the appointment of Dr. Bernadine Healy as the first female director of the NIH, Dr. Antonia Novello as the first female and Hispanic surgeon general, and the first female HHS chief of staff (Talesnik, 2016). One key accomplishment of Sullivan’s time as Secretary of HHS was getting new standardized nutrition labels on packaged foods to help Americans make healthier choices, which received pushback from the FDA and the Department of Agriculture over concerns of potential harm to the dairy and cattle industries (Talesnik, 2016). Sullivan stated that grocery stores have “become a Tower of Babel and consumers need to be linguists, scientists, and mind readers to understand the many labels they see” before the new standardized food labels were adopted (Institute of Medicine US Committee on Examination of Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols, 2010).

When his term as Secretary of HHS ended, Sullivan returned to Morehouse School of Medicine to serve as two-time dean and president of the school (1980-1989 and 1993-2002) and was named President Emeritus in 2003 (Morehouse School of Medicine, 2025). Sullivan has served in numerous other leadership roles during his career including the Co-Chair of the President’s Commission on HIV and AIDS (2001-2006), Chairman of the President’s Commission on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (2002-2009), and currently serves as Chairman and Founder of the Sullivan Alliance to Transform the Health Professions (Harvard College, 2020).

Sullivan published his latest book We’ll Fight It Out Here: A History of the Ongoing Struggle for Health Equity in 2022. To learn more about Dr. Sullivan through his own words, here’s a fascinating video of an NIH Fireside Chat with Dr. Sullivan:  

https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=54588

References: 

Association of Minority Health Professions Schools. (n.d.). Homepage. https://amhps.org/

Harvard College. (2020). Louis Wade Sullivan, MD (Second African-American U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services). Perspectives of Change. https://perspectivesofchange.hms.harvard.edu/node/191

Haskins, J. (February 25, 2019). Celebrating 10 African-American medical pioneers. AAMC News. https://www.aamc.org/news/celebrating-10-african-american-medical-pioneers

Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Examination of Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols, Wartella, E. A., Lichtenstein, A. H., & Boon, C. S. (Eds.). (2010). Front-of-package nutrition rating systems and symbols: Phase I report. National Academies Press (US).

Morehouse School of Medicine. (2025). Presidents of Morehouse School of Medicine. Morehouse School of Medicine website. https://www.msm.edu/about_us/PastPresidents.php

Rees, J.P, Labosier, J. (November 2, 2023). Louis W. Sullivan papers now available for research. Circulating Now. https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2023/11/02/louis-w-sullivan-papers-now-available-for-research/

Sullivan, L.W., Chanoff, D., & Young, A. (2014). Breaking ground: My life in medicine (1st ed.). The University of Georgia Press.

Talesnik, D. (November 18, 2016). Former HHS Secretary devotes life to diversity. NIH Record LXVIII, 24). https://nihrecord.nih.gov/2016/11/18/former-hhs-secretary-devotes-life-diversity

Picture of 2 women of color studying in a library.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

It’s time for many students to start studying for board exams. Whether you are studying for Step 1, PANCE/PANRE, or another board exam, Himmelfarb Library has plenty of great resources to help you feel prepared and ready to ace your board exams!

PA Exam Prep

If you’re getting ready for PANCE exam, check out our PANCE resources in the Physician Assistants Guide. This guide includes study and review resources including the PANCE/PANRE Challenge: Quick Q&A Review and the LANGE Q&A Physician Assistant Examination books. The PA Exam Prep resource can help you prepare. Practice questions and a self-assessment are also available! Create a free personal account to access this great resource!

Exam Master

Exam Master uses question banks to prepare you for the USMLE Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, PANCE, and PANRE exams. Intended to simulate the experience of an actual board exam, Exam Master provides scoring feedback that helps you identify areas you need to focus on. Access is available from on-campus and via VPN from off-campus. Create a free personal account to access this great resource!

Case Files Collection

The Case Files Collection provides an interactive series of case scenarios that mimic real-life cases. Clinical cases, explanations, and quizzes will help you retain knowledge. Personalized functionality lets you track your progress through completed and unseen cases. Create a free MyAccess personal account using your @gwu.edu email address and start studying!

Step 1 Guide

If you're getting ready to take Step 1, our Board Preparation: USMLE Step 1 Guide is a great place to start! This guide is a one-stop shop for all things Step 1. You’ll find general information about Step 1 including a content outline, sample test questions, and a USMLE practice session. Study tools like Exam Master and Case Files Collection are also available from this guide. You’ll also find plenty of review books including First AID for the USMLE Step 1. Need to brush up on a specific topic? This guide has resources that can help you review topics including anatomy, neuroscience, pharmacology, and more! 

When it’s time for Step 2, check out our Step 2 Guide!

Picture of Dr. Chelsey Baldwin. Text: "National Thyroid Awareness Month with Dr. Chelsey Baldwin"

January is Thyroid Awareness Month. To observe it, Rotation author and Himmelfarb Librarian Ruth Bueter spoke with Dr. Chelsey Baldwin, MD to learn more about the thyroid. Dr. Baldwin is a board-certified endocrinologist at the GW Medical Faculty Associates (GW Medicine) where she treats patients with thyroid conditions. Dr. Baldwin is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at SMHS and a thyroid expert. 

The Rotation: I’d like to start by saying thank you for meeting with me and helping our readers learn about the thyroid during Thyroid Awareness Month!

Dr. Baldwin: You’re welcome! I’m happy someone wants to talk about it!

Can you tell us a little about what inspired you to become an endocrinologist and how you became interested in the thyroid?

I thought I was going to be a primary care doctor. I enjoy the outpatient setting and I enjoy long-term relationships. I found that I really enjoyed having expertise and that I wanted to be an authority on some topic. I think that primary care is incredibly challenging because you’re in charge of so much, and this gave me a way to keep some of those things that I really wanted - those long-term relationships, and an outpatient setting - and I got to develop an expertise.

The physiology of endocrine is my favorite, so that’s what led me to choose endocrine. And then thyroid, interestingly enough, when I was a fellow I thought I was going to do pituitary. I enjoyed it, and it’s the control center of the endocrine system. But I had a mentor who was a thyroidologist and essentially took me under his wing as far as interest in research, and that’s how it developed, meeting the right person at the right time in my career.

What brought you to GW?

My husband works for the federal government and we were told that we were moving from New York City to DC. I knew I needed to find an academic institution to continue what I had begun at NYU, which is an academic career. I really enjoy seeing patients, but it really balanced things out for me to also have teaching, and to be around people who are thought leaders and are trying to push the envelope, find something new, and are thinking about how to make medicine better than it was 10 years ago. That’s what you find in academic medicine. I actually stayed behind in New York for a year and a half waiting for the right job to open for me, and that was GW.

We at GW are very glad to have you! 

Thank you, Ruth!

Many people outside of medicine might not be familiar with the thyroid. I wasn’t familiar with it until I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism a few years ago. Can you tell us a little bit about it, its role in the body, and how healthy thyroid function contributes to overall health?

Sure. So the thyroid is a relatively small gland, it’s about 15 grams, and it sits in the midline at the base of the neck. So this little gland produces thyroid hormone, and thyroid hormone travels via the blood to all cell types of the body. Of course, I’m a little biased, but what I like to say is that by being a thyroidologist, I have my hand in the physiology of almost every tissue type: the heart beating at the right rate, blood pressure maintenance, how fast the gut moves, or when there’s disease - too slow, too fast - weight management, mental health. The list goes on and on. It makes my job challenging, but also, it’s quite intriguing physiology. 

So again, for people who may not be as familiar with the thyroid, what are some of the things that can go wrong with the thyroid? What are the most common thyroid problems you see with your patients? 

When I’m giving an overview of things that can go wrong with the thyroid, we can think of hormonal problems and we can think about structural problems. For hormonal problems, the thyroid can either not function well enough - the hypothyroidism that you suggested - and again you just think of the metabolism of all of the cell types slowing down, not getting the correct signals. And then the opposite can happen where there’s too much thyroid hormone, and think about being in an overdrive state when it comes to metabolism. And so both [hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism] are one, incredibly common, and as you shared, can happen to young patients. So I see a large diversity of patients, and interestingly enough, a lot of young patients. 

When we think about structural problems - nodule development. These nodules can be benign, the majority of nodules will be benign. But sometimes, they can one, overproduce hormone and we’re back into that overactive state. Or two, they’re just large enough that they’re causing symptoms due to the fact that the neck is a small space, and they either need to be removed or shrunk in order to alleviate symptoms.

And then finally, thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer is a passion of mine. I truly am excited about all of the progress we are making in fine-tuning the treatment of thyroid cancer to individualize patient needs. And so that’s kind of a brief overview of what can go wrong with the thyroid.

You talked a little bit about thyroid cancer being a passion of yours. So what are some things that you can do to help patients with thyroid cancer? Are there new treatments, or something that you’re excited about in that area?

Well, interestingly enough, it’s not necessarily new treatments, at least for a majority of patients, it’s learning when treatment isn’t necessary. We’re learning more and more that some of these small cancers and early cancers do not have an aggressive course. And maybe we went a little overboard in the past giving patients treatments that didn’t necessarily change the outcome and took on risk. We’re getting much better at fine-tuning that, making sure that, as one of the famous thyroidologists once said “make sure that the punishment fits the crime.” 

That has been a huge change in thyroid cancer culture, and making sure that the expertise disseminates that practitioners are more comfortable not being aggressive. Because that can actually be really hard on the clinician too, you feel like you’re not doing every little thing you can to prevent recurrence and/or progression. But the bottom line is that knowing when to hold back is truly important.

And then, advancements in thyroid cancers that are new: There are some really rare, aggressive thyroid cancers. Being at a tertiary care center like we are, I, unfortunately, get to see those more often than many clinicians will. And it is so exciting to see that based on molecular or genetic therapies, we are able to make huge impacts on patient survival. There’s a cancer called anaplastic thyroid cancer, that had a dismal overall survival of about 6 months. We are drastically changing that outcome by being able to target these molecular targets within the tumor. It’s really exciting! We published a paper on a case just like that last year. So again, I’m just excited to be a part of that shift and see real progress.

Are there things that we can do to help maintain healthy thyroid function as patients?

This question is usually the one that is the most difficult. There isn’t a whole lot to do for preventative measures when it comes to the most common hormonal problems which are autoimmune. Unfortunately, those are genetic predisposition risks, and as I tell my patients, there’s nothing you’re gonna do about that. You were born with that code. 

And then that second factor, we’re not totally sure what it is that triggers autoimmune disease. Was it a virus? Was it something environmental? But we don’t know what that is to tell people to avoid it. And maybe can’t even avoid it if it’s something common, like a virus or a cold.

Dietarily, the United States and many developed countries iodinate their salt, so iodine is no longer a concern, which at one point was a nutritional problem with the thyroid. But that is really limited to countries that don’t have a national iodination program and are mountainous. Otherwise, natural iodine from the sea protects populations closer to the ocean.

As far as thyroid cancer risks, those tend to be radiation exposures, are things that we know. Those tend to be things like disasters that are non-intentional. So I’m not sure a patient can do much to avoid that. The tough answer there is that there are not a whole lot of preventative measures. But of course, regular exercise and a good diet are the things that I harp on because those are important for everyone’s health.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of treating patients with thyroid disease? And/or what is your favorite aspect of your work?

I think one that struck me yesterday was when I was seeing a young patient with a recent diagnosis of thyroid cancer, and rightfully so, they were nervous, they were anxious about how is this going to look for them, and what is this going to be. It’s really nice to be that guide for that patient. Essentially setting up expectations, what are we going to do to get the very best outcome? I find that part of my job incredibly rewarding.

And two, while I’m giving this talk to the patient, I’ve got a resident and a fellow with me who are learning how to do the same thing for their patients. So it’s kind of full circle - you serve the patient in front of you, and then you additionally serve patients that benefit from your students.

So you touched a little on some thyroid research you’ve done related to thyroid cancer, but can you tell us about some of the thyroid research you have done?

We did talk about that thyroid cancer paper where we published the first case of using targeted therapies, Dabrafenib and Trametinib, to target a patient with differentiated thyroid cancer that was unresectable harboring a BRAF mutation, using those targeted therapies. The uniqueness of this was that it wasn’t an anaplastic cancer, it was a differentiated thyroid cancer, but we used the prior research to apply there.

Some other projects that I work on, I do a lot with minimally invasive techniques for thyroid structural disease, so that means those big nodules that are bothersome, those nodules that overproduce hormones, and very small thyroid cancers. Within the last 5-10 years, there has been a new modality on the block, minimally invasive techniques like laser therapy, and radio frequency, which is my expertise. Coming down the road even newer things like nanopulsed therapy. I do a lot of work there. 

Currently, we’re working on a project looking at thyroid ultrasonography, and predictive factors for whether or not a patient will end up hypothyroid after removing half of the thyroid. Additionally, I’m working with Dr. Khati in radiology and Dr. Joshi, one of our surgeons. We’re looking at the reliability of a system called TI-RADS - it’s a radiology system for grading thyroid nodules, and how do we make that reproducible not only between providers but interdisciplinary providers, because that has been a critique of the system in the past. We’re trying to say that at GW, we figured out how to make this a reliable system. Those are some of the projects that I’ve worked on and that are still ongoing.

In addition to your clinical duties, you teach first and second-year medical students here at GW. You said you also work with fellows and residents. Can you tell us why you enjoy sharing your passion for medicine and endocrinology with medical students? 

Sure. When teaching, you get to go back over that physiology for endocrine, which is really fun, and it’s fun to see the students kind of find that same passion again. Beyond that, I enjoy working with students, residents, and fellows because they remind me of how important it is to be a lifelong learner, constantly being curious, and constantly being willing to explore and go outside of your comfort zone, especially the students. They’re so altruistic still, and I hope that they continue that, and it actually reignites altruism in me. There are multiple benefits to teaching.

When you aren’t treating patients or teaching medical students, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I have a dog that takes up as much time as I can give her. And I’m learning French, so that is something that I’ve been trying to do for self-growth. My husband, whenever he’s not traveling for work, we try to make sure we’re out and about exploring the town. And so I keep myself quite busy outside of work as well.

What advice do you have for students just starting in medicine?

Be curious! Ask any question. There aren’t dumb questions. I remember looking back and being so scared to ask something. Like maybe that wasn’t a good enough question. You wonder what stones you left unturned. And this is that time in your life when you get to ask anything and be curious, and you never know what you might find that sparks your interest, and your passion, and leads you down the path that could be the most rewarding career in medicine.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I think I’ve said it all!

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today! Happy Thyroid Awareness Month!

Black and white image of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Himmelfarb Library has honored Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with numerous blog posts, and as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. again today, we wanted to take a look back at some of our previous posts. These posts can serve as an opportunity to reflect on Dr. King’s life and legacy, celebrate the progress made toward continuing Dr. King’s work, and recommit to the work that still needs to be done. 

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Health Equity

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is well known for his passionate and thoughtful speeches that examined racial discrimination in the United States, the negative impacts of poverty, and the need for communities to rally behind and support vulnerable populations. His iconic “I Have a Dream” speech focused on education, access to housing, racial desegregation, and building an equitable country. Dr. King also fought to end racial inequities in healthcare. 

On March 25, 1966, Dr. King spoke at a meeting of the Medical Committee for Human Rights. While the full transcript of this speech has not been discovered, fragments were printed in newspapers. This speech addressed the harsh realities that people of color, particularly Black Americans, faced in America and urged listeners to educate themselves on these inequities and work to dismantle systemic oppression. It was during a press conference documented by the Associated Press before this speech that Dr. King is thought to have spoken one of his most famous quotes about health according to Professor Charlene Galarneau:

“We are concerned about the constant use of federal funds to support this most notorious expression of segregation. Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death” (Galarneau, 2018, p.5). 

Dr. King’s speech was a call to action encouraging people to educate themselves about the issues of racism and economic inequality and use this knowledge to establish and maintain inclusive communities. If you’d like to learn more about Dr. King’s speech to the Medical Committee for Human Rights, read the full post!

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy Through Self-Education

If we are to take up Dr. King’s call to action and educate ourselves on the issues of racism and economic inequality, last year’s post about honoring King’s legacy through self-education can be a great place to start! This post highlights resources that can help you learn about these topics so you can put that knowledge into action!

Himmelfarb’s Antiracism in Healthcare Guide is a fantastic starting point! You’ll find links to organizations, including the SMHS Anti-Racism Coalition (ARC), student associations, and professional healthcare organizations focused on diversity and health justice issues. The Journal Special Collections tab includes journal issues and health news on antiracism issues. The Antiracism Books at Himmelfarb tab includes books and ebooks available at Himmelfarb.

This guide also provides links to podcasts, tutorials, and videos including:

To learn more about these resources, read the full post!

References: Galarneau, C. (2018). Getting King’s Words Right. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 29(1), 5–8. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2018.0001

Sign with text that says "Welcome Back!" Star, smiley face, and heart icons.
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

We hope you had a restful and relaxing Winter Break! We’ve enjoyed having so many of you in the library again during the first week of Spring Semester classes! It’s always fun to feel the buzz of excitement in the library at the start of a new semester! 

We’d like to take a minute to remind you that Himmelfarb Library is here to support you as you pursue your goals this term, so let’s review some ways Himmelfarb can help you make the most of the Spring Semester.

Library Hours 

Himmelfarb’s regular operating hours are:

Himmelfarb LibraryReference ServicesConsultation
Monday - Friday6:00 am - Midnight8:00 am - 8:00 pm8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday8:00 am - MidnightNot staffedNot staffed
Sunday8:00 am - Midnight4:00 pm - 8:00 pmNot staffed

Visit our Hours page to view any exceptions to our normal hours, such as holiday closures. 

Study Zones

Himmelfarb is also a great place to study with numerous options to meet your needs and preferences. 

  • Social Zone - 1st Floor: Our first floor is not quiet and is the perfect place to study with your friends, hang out, and be social, or take a study break with a game of chess, our current puzzle, coloring books, board games, or hula hoops! 
  • Silent Zone - 2nd Floor: Our second floor is a silent floor reserved for graduate and advanced degree students. Silence is golden on this floor - it’s the perfect place to study if you need pristine silence to focus while you study. Don’t let the 4-person tables tempt you to be social - even whispering can disturb your fellow silence seekers. 
  • Quiet Zone - 3rd Floor: Our third floor is a quiet study area, where whispering is acceptable, but please be respectful to others and keep things quiet.
  • Group Study Rooms: Our study rooms are located on the second and third floors and are great for studying with friends! Reserve your study room in advance to secure a room. These rooms aren’t noise-proof, so please keep conversations quiet so you don’t disturb others in the Silent and Quiet Zones!

Our Collections

Himmelfarb has extensive collections that include more than 125 databases, 6,700 e-books, and 6,500 journals, available 24/7 from on and off campus! Our print book collection, located in the basement-level stacks, is available for checkout. Most books can be borrowed for three weeks, with two renewals available if you need an item longer. To renew your items, stop by the first-floor service desk, call us (202-994-2962), or log in to your library account and renew online.

If you can’t find what you need in our collection, we can get it through our Docs2Go (ILL) or Consortium Loan Service (CLS) programs. Learn which option is best for you on our Borrowing From Other Libraries page.

Technology Resources

While we pride ourselves on our books and collections, Himmelfarb offers a lot of things you might not expect from a library. Take some time this semester to explore some of the more unique things Himmelfarb has to offer!

  • Virtual Reality Headsets: Check out the awesome virtual anatomy and healthy living apps! 
  • 3D Printing: We proudly offer free 3D printing!
  • BodyViz: This interactive anatomy visualization tool is a fantastic way to explore and learn anatomy in a fun and exciting way!
  • Statistical Software: Some of our third-floor computers come equipped with statistical software including SPSS, Stata, SAS, NVivo, MATLAB, and Atlas.ti.
  • Tech Equipment: Our digital camcorders, digital voice recorders, and ring lights can be reserved in advance for your media-related projects.
  • Medical Gear: We have suture kits, an ultrasound machine, a blood pressure monitor, an ECG monitor, an iPhone otoscope, and a fitness tracker available for checkout!
  • Tech & Support: We have chargers for iPhones and MacBooks, USB-C to HDMI OUT and USB-C to USB-A IN adapters, HDMI cables, headphones, and dry-erase markers available for checkout. We also have free earplugs at the first-floor service desk!

Reference and Research Support

Himmelfarb is more than just a great space to study and fantastic resources! Our librarians and staff can help you find the resources you need for your studies and research. Whether you’re looking for the right book or journal article for an assignment, need help with a literature search or a systematic review, or want to learn how to organize your sources with RefWorks or Covidence, our reference librarians and staff can help! 

Stop by the first-floor service desk to get help from our knowledgeable and friendly reference librarians and staff in person, or use our Ask a Librarian service to chat virtually. Our Ask a Librarian service is staffed by real Himmelfarb librarians and staff, so you can be sure you’re getting the help you need! You can also email us a question, or schedule a consultation with a reference librarian at himmelfarb@gwu.edu.

Connect with Us!

Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube for the latest Himmelfarb news and updates! Subscribe to our blog to make sure you never miss a post!

We’re excited to help you do your best this semester! Here’s to a successful Spring Semester!

Snow covered pine trees surrounding a snow covered path. Text: Himmelfarb is Closed! January 7, 2025"

Due to snow, the Himmelfarb Library's building will be closed on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. However, our electronic databases, e-books, and journals are still available through our website! You can also get reference help via our Ask Us chat reference service.

We are in the final days of the Fall semester! Congratulations on completing the semester! As the semester draws to a close, we’d like to share some end-of-semester tips to help make life less stressful during this busy time.

Studying for Exams:

Himmelfarb Library is a great place to study and prepare for exams. We recognize that each person’s study needs are different. Some people need complete silence to focus, while others prefer being able to chat with others and bounce ideas off each other. Himmelfarb has a space for all noise level preferences!

1st Floor: The first floor of Himmelfarb is not quiet and is perfect for group study! You’ll find some tall tables and 4-person tables that are great for group study sessions. The numerous rolling dry-erase boards available on this floor are perfect for jotting down your study notes! The first floor also has comfortable sofas and chairs near the elevator where you can get caught up with your colleagues. 

If you need a study break, check out our Healthy Living Collection located near the sofas! During your study break, you can help finish the current puzzle on the puzzle table, get rid of some excess energy with our hula hoops, play a friendly game of chess or another board game, destress with some adult color books, or even use the yoga mats to get in some stretching after long hours of studying.

Picture of puzzle table with puzzle and adult coloring pages.

2nd Floor: Himmelfarb’s second floor is a silent floor reserved for graduate and advanced degree students. While there are 4-person tables on this floor, please don’t be tempted to talk or whisper with others while on the second floor. Silence is golden on this floor, and students seeking a silent place to focus value the pristine silence of this space. You’ll find open and closed study carrels on this floor to meet your silent study needs.

Librarian action figure making a shhhing gesture in front of a "No Talking - This is a silent floor" sign.

3rd Floor: The main portion of the third floor is a quiet study area. The Bloedorn Technology Center provides areas for collaboration including the Levine Lounge, which can be used for our BodyViz software, and the tables with anatomical models. The SMHS IT Help Desk is also on the third floor as well as computer labs with statistical software installed. 

Group Study Rooms

Himmelfarb has 28 study rooms available for use. Reserve your study room in advance to be sure you secure a room. Forgot to reserve a room in advance? No problem! Scan the QR code outside of the study room and reserve an available room when you arrive. Study rooms can be reserved for up to 4 hours at a time, and can be made a week in advance. All study rooms come equipped with computer monitors and dry-erase boards. While study rooms are a great place to study as a group, they are not noise-proof, so please keep conversations quiet. Study rooms are located on the silent second floor and the quiet third floor - so please be respectful of others while using these spaces.

Helpful Study Supplies & Technology

Himmelfarb has a variety of study supplies and technology that can be checked out at the first floor Circulation Desk, including:

  • Dry-Erase Markers
  • Remote Controls (for the study room monitors)
  • HDMI, VGA, VGA to HDMI Adaptors
  • MacBook and iPhone Chargers
  • Headphones

Earplugs are also available at the Circulation Desk.

Returning Library Materials

Before leaving campus for Winter Break, check your library account to make sure you don’t need to return library materials. You can return items to the Circulation Desk. If you have materials borrowed through Interlibrary Loan, check your Docs2Go account for due dates, and return items on time so we can ship them back to their home library.

Himmelfarb’s Winter Break Hours

Himmelfarb Library will close for the Winter Break at 8:00 pm on Sunday, December 22, 2024. Our building will be closed from December 23, 2024, through January 1, 2025. We will reopen at 8:00 am on Thursday, January 2, 2025. While our building is closed over the break, our databases, journals, and e-books are available from anywhere through our website! Visit our hours page to view our full hours and holiday closures.

Picture of a pumpkin. Text: "Happy Thanksgiving"

Himmelfarb Library wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

As a reminder, we are currently closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. Our holiday hours are as follows:

Date:Day:Hours
November 28, 2024ThursdayCLOSED!
November 29, 2024FridayCLOSED!
November 30, 2024Saturday9:00 am - 8:00 pm
December 1, 2024Sunday9:00 am - Midnight

Our electronic databases, journals, and e-books are still available through our website.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Picture of a small pumpkin, coffee mug, and coffee beans. Text: "Happy Thanksgiving"

Himmelfarb Library will be closed during the Thanksgiving Holiday. Our hours this week are as follows:

Date:Day:Hours:
November 27, 2024Wednesday7:30 am - 6:00 pm
November 28, 2024ThursdayCLOSED!
November 29, 2024FridayCLOSED!
November 30, 2024Saturday9:00 am - 8:00 pm
December 1, 2024Sunday9:00 am - Midnight

We will resume normal hours on Monday, December 2, 2024.

Even though our building is closed, our electronic resources (including our databases, e-books, and e-journals) are still available during this time.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!