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Published on Leave a comment on Rock the Boards: Find Study Resources at Himmelfarb!
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!

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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

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With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic – and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World,” by Steven Johnson. 

A copy of The Ghost Map is displayed on a shelf.

About the Book: A story of epidemiology in its infancy, Steven Johnson analyzes the cholera outbreak in 1854 and the key investigators unraveling the mystery of transmission. Balancing urban planning, biology, and politics, The Ghost Map explores the rise of ultra-dense urban communities and the trial-and-error discovery of basic civic needs, like waste management. It’s a book about ideas: both why we cling to bad ones and the consequences of doing so. 

Reasons to Read: If you enjoy medical detective stories, Johnson provides an excellent one, assembling information into an efficient and intelligible chain of cause and effect while commenting insightfully on the history of disease. The book has no shortage of Victorian horrors, as well, if you want to further your gratitude for 21st century life. 

Reasons to Avoid: well, it is fundamentally a book about poop (and ingesting it); "what cholera wants is an environment where people are eating other people's excrement” (Johnson, 2006, pg. 40). Scatological tolerances aside, it’s a book as much about urban planning and the competition of ideas as it is a straightforward disease narrative, compared to something like Pale Rider. 

Further Reading: 

References

Johnson, S. (2006). The Ghost Map. Penguin.

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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!

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Picture of black hands folded around a rainbow ribbon.
Photo by Anete Lusina

Himmelfarb Library’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI Committee) is proud to announce the release of the new LGBTQ+ Health Research Guide! The guide features resources that address LBGTQ+ healthcare in clinical and research settings and explores sexual orientation and gender identity barriers to accessing healthcare. You’ll also find general resources including links to LGBTQ+ health organizations at GW and in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. Relevant books, e-books, and journals from Himmelfarb’s collection, educational resources about pronouns and preferred terminology, and podcasts to help you learn about LGBTQ+ healthcare are showcased in the guide. 

Featured books from Himmelfarb’s Diversity and Disparities in Health Care Collection include:

Highlighted journals on LGBTQ+ health include:

Please note that some resources, such as e-books and journal collections, may require GW credentials to access.

The Researchers tab of the guide provides insight into useful MeSH search terms, links to helpful research-related guides, and information about conducting research. This tab also features published works related to LGBTQ+ health by GW authors in Himmelfarb’s Health Sciences Research Commons (HSRC).

The DEI Committee wants this guide to be a high-quality resource relevant to our community, and we encourage our users to share relevant resources for inclusion in the LGBTQ+ Health Guide through our Resource Suggestion Form. If you are a member of a GW organization and would like your organization to be featured in this guide, or if you’re interested in partnering with the DEI Committee, please contact the current committee chair, Brittany Smith, at bsmith91@gwu.edu. 

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Picture of a woman physical therapist working with an older woman of color. "Happy National Physical Therapy Month."

October is National Physical Therapy Month! This National Physical Therapy (PT) Month, we want to celebrate and acknowledge the fantastic work of Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs), and PT educators. Himmelfarb Library is proud to provide resources to support PT research and learning to help further education and understanding within the field. Here are some great physical therapy resources provided by Himmelfarb Library:

Journals

Our journal collection includes some great PT titles! Here are just a few of what we offer:

  • American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: This journal publishes cutting-edge basic and clinical research, clinical case reports, and in-depth topical reviews of interest to rehabilitation professionals.
  • Current Sports Medicine Reports: The official clinical journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), this journal focuses entirely on clinical sports medicine, including aspects of physical therapy such as training, prevention, and rehabilitation, and sport-specific illness and injury.
  • Journal of Physical Therapy Education: This journal publishes works of discovery, application, and integration and enriches academic and clinical PT education with evidence-based decision-making processes to prepare learners, support faculty and clinicians, and inform administrators.
  • Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal (PTJ): This leading journal for research in PT and related fields publishes content for clinicians and scientists using a variety of interactive approaches to improve patient care.

Textbooks

We also have a great selection of textbooks on PT-related topics including human anatomy and mechanics, rehabilitation, evidence-based practice, exercise therapy, and patient care planning. 

Here’s a sample of textbooks from each of these topics:

Databases

Databases can be a great way to find journal articles, practice guidelines, and reviews! The following databases are great for physical therapy-related searches:

  • PEDro: Physiotherapy Evidence Database: Physiotherapy randomized trials, systematic reviews, and clinical practice guidelines.
  • DiTA, Diagnostic Test Accuracy: PT database includes primary studies and systematic reviews evaluating diagnostic tests used by physical therapists.
  • CINAHL: Authoritative coverage of nursing and allied health literature.
  • PubMed: Health sciences articles including clinical, basic sciences, and public health information.
  • Scopus: Interdisciplinary citation and abstract database.

Software & Tech Tools

Our PT collection is much more than just a collection of journals, databases, and books. We also have some great software, apps, and other digital resources to support PT teaching and learning! 

  • BodyViz: Interactive 3D anatomy visualization tool that includes over 1,000 data sets from human and animal models in healthy and pathological states at different developmental stages.
  • Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy: 300+ videos of real human anatomic specimens in their natural colors.
  • NetAnatomy: Review basic concepts and study gross anatomy, radiographic anatomy, and cross-sectional anatomy.
  • Visible Body Human Anatomy Atlas: View specific structures and layers from head to toe in this online anatomy atlas.
  • Bates Visual Guide to Physical Examination: Content and clinical skills videos covering head-to-toe and systems-based physical examination techniques.

Find more great PT resources on Himmelfarb’s Physical Therapy Research Guide! 

With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers,” by Mary Roach. 
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With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers,” by Mary Roach. 

A copy of "Stiff" by Mary Roach sits on a shelf.

About the Book: The book that launched Mary Roach's science-writing career, "Stiff" investigates the contribution of human cadavers to science [with studies ranging from humane to grisly to wacky; from crash safety to the physics of crucifixion], as well as human burial practices [including alternatives to burial or cremation]. Written with humor and respect – and without sacrificing the ethical questions – Roach follows her journalistic interest while guiding readers along the various labs, morgues, and fields of rotting corpses in the industry.

Reasons to Read: If you like books that make you say "dang" a lot (or your preferred utterance), if you want to take a steady (but never overly macabre) look at death (and maybe get a party fact about Victorian medicine along the way), or if you want to understand the reality of cadaver testing for you or your loved one.

Reasons to Avoid: If you like your books to be focused [Roach encompasses the history of anatomy, organ donation, crash and ballistics testing, embalming techniques, funeral practices, and more.], or if you'd rather dial down the wisecracks in books about death.

Further Reading: 

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Red book cover
Latino, Hispanic, or of Spanish Origin+ Identified Student Leaders in Medicine

September 15 to October 15 each year is celebrated as Hispanic Heritage Month. In honor of the contributions of Latinx people to the health sciences, we spotlight the open access book, Latino, Hispanic, or of Spanish Origin+ Identified Student Leaders in Medicine. The acronym used to identify this population in the book is LHS+. This book, published under the auspices of the United Nations, traces the 50 year history of LHS+ leadership in the field. The volume was authored by members of the Latino Medical Student Association, a national organization which was formed from five regional associations that were founded in the 1970s and 1980s.

The book brings together personal narratives from LHS+ medical students and regional perspectives from organizations across the United States which led to the formation of the national body. The chapter "Tu Lucha es Mi Lucha" (Your Struggle is My Struggle) examines the development of a health policy initiative led by LHS+ medical students. Other chapters focus on the role of faculty/physician advisors who are partners in the success of LHS+ students, as well as the support roles of Student Affairs offices, and the role of Medical Education offices in training future practitioners to care for LHS+ individuals. The book also covers faculty development and advancement of LHS+ faculty in graduate medical education, which touches on topics such as culturally relevant faculty mentoring.

For those interested and engaged in medical education, or those wishing to gain more detailed insight into the history of LHS+ people in the graduate medical education field, this book is a unique and comprehensive resource.

References

Sánchez, J. P., & Rodriguez, D. (2023). Latino, Hispanic, or of Spanish Origin+ Identified Student Leaders in Medicine : Recognizing More Than 50 Years of Presence, Activism, and Leadership. (1st ed.). Springer International Publishing AG.

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Image of diverse group of people talking. Text about raising awareness for suicide prevention & treatment.
Image from the National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/awareness-resources/

September is Suicide Prevention Month - making it a good opportunity to raise awareness about suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, immediate help is available. Call, text, or chat 988 to speak to a trained crisis counselor.

Just like other mental health conditions, suicidal thoughts can impact anyone. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022, equating to one death every eleven minutes (CDC, 2024a). Between 2000 and 2018, suicide rates increased by 37%, and returned to their peak in 2022 following a brief decline between 2018 to 2020 (CDC, 2024a). 

Knowing the risk factors of suicidal ideation and behavior is important for everyone. According to a 2016 review published in The Lancet, “approximately 45% of individuals who die by suicide consult a primary care physician within one month of death, yet there is rarely documentation of physician inquiry or patient disclosure” of suicidal ideation or behavior (Turecki, & Brent, 2016). 

While many individuals with suicidal ideation do not attempt suicide (Dlonsky, et al., 2016), recognizing the risk factors can help you identify someone in need of help and help you find the help they need. According to the CDC, factors that contribute to suicide risk range from individual, relationship, community, and societal factors and can include, but are not limited to the following:

Individual Risk Factors:

  • Previous suicide attempt
  • History of depression and other mental illness
  • Serious illness 
  • Job or financial problems
  • Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
  • Sense of hopelessness

Relationship Risk Factors:

  • Bullying
  • Family or loved one’s history of suicide
  • Loss of relationships
  • Social isolation
  • High-conflict or violent relationships

Community Risk Factors:

  • Lack of access to healthcare
  • Community violence
  • Historical trauma
  • Discrimination

Societal Risk Factors:

  • Stigma associated with seeking help and mental illness
  • Easy access to lethal means of suicide 
  • Unsafe media portrayals of suicide

(CDC, 2024b)

Some factors can protect people from experiencing suicidal ideation and behavior. These include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Effective coping and problem-solving skills
  • Strong sense of cultural identity
  • Support from loved ones
  • Feeling connected to others
  • Feeling connected to school, community, and social institutions
  • Availability of high-quality physical and behavioral healthcare

If you are interested in learning more about suicide prevention, Himmelfarb Library has a Suicide and Suicidology Collection that includes numerous books on this topic. Notable books from this collection include: 

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024a). Suicide data and statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/data.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024b). Risk and protective factors for suicide. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/risk-factors/index.html

Klonsky, E. D., May, A. M., & Saffer, B. Y. (2016). Suicide, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation. Annual review of clinical psychology, 12, 307–330. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093204

Turecki, G., & Brent, D. A. (2016). Suicide and suicidal behaviour. Lancet (London, England), 387(10024), 1227–1239. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00234-2

With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “An Anthropologist on Mars,” by Oliver Sacks. 
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With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “An Anthropologist on Mars,” by Oliver Sacks. 

A copy of "An Anthropologist on Mars" by Oliver Sacks is displayed on a shelf.

About the Book: "An Anthropologist on Mars" explores seven fascinating cases of mental conditions, depicting outliers who not only had a rare experience but the talent or background to make sense of it. Drawing from his direct contact with these patients, Sacks enriches the facts of these accounts with history and a strong narrative sense. These limit cases help us not only understand others with these conditions but human cognition itself.

Reasons to Read: If you like listicles but want something more robust and literary; "Anthropologist" is a set of seven attention-grabbing, memorable cases; except, unlike the average listicle (which features recycled content and minimal research), the stories in "Anthropologist" come from first-hand accounts and benefit from Sacks bountiful knowledge and narrative capabilities. Recommended if you enjoy thinking about creativity and the relationship between limitations and strengths.

Reasons to Avoid: While eloquent and readable, the book is aimed at general readers (and therefore contains broad overviews of neurological conditions that might be redundant to researchers); moreover, Sacks interacts with patients in a "gonzo journalism" kind of way, embedding himself in their lives outside of a clinical setting. This gonzo psychiatry makes excellent reading but may be of less clinical use.

Further Reading: 

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