With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “Everyman,” by Philip Roth.
About the Book: Winner of the Pen/Faulkner award in 2007, Philip Roth’s slim novel portrays a man’s life in miniature that begins with the main character’s funeral. Eschewing conventional narrative structure, Roth weaves in and out of memories, forming a tapestry of regret and loss as the main character pursues a long-forestalled art career amidst health failure. Everyman is a novel that collapses personal history with medical history, investigating the way disease and aging shape us.
Reasons to Read: if you’re looking for scathing insights into complex emotions around aging and the disappointments of aging, brisk novels that offer an easy entry point into an acclaimed author’s oeuvre, or novels built around poetic (and surprisingly, often funny) moments rather than plot.
Reasons to Avoid: if you don’t like novels that lack chapter breaks, stories about serial philanderers who can’t stop philandering (even in the retirement home), or if you prefer developed characters rather than generalizations.
Within the graphic novel sector is a subgenre known as Graphic Medicine, a term coined in 2007 by Dr. Ian Williams, a cartoonist and the founder of a website of the same name. Graphic Medicine provides comprehensive information about the genre, including reviews of new publications and podcasts. Since 2010, they have also sponsored an annual conference – the 2024 conference just wrapped in Athlone, Ireland.
Graphic medicine is also a subset of the field of narrative medicine, which centers patient narratives in clinical practice, research, and medical education. One practitioner within this field is Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, who completed his medical training, but is now a cartoonist for the New Yorker, and a professor of narrative medicine at Columbia University. You can read an interview with him at the website, Doctors Who Create. You can view some of Schwartz’s work for the New Yorker here.
Himmelfarb’s Reference and Instruction Librarian Rebecca Kyser, herself a cartoonist, suggests the following titles to help you delve into the world of graphic medicine:
Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos, by Lucy Knisley (available to borrow through our local consortium) follows the cartoonist as she goes through the process of trying to become pregnant, being pregnant and her birth experience. As she chronicles her own experiences with miscarriage, morning sickness and preeclampsia, Knisley also explores the history of pregnancy, women’s health, myths and superstitions around miscarriage and pregnancy, and the decisions that factor into the choice to have kids in the first place. Entertaining, emotional and well researched, this is a great book for anyone, regardless if they plan to have kids, have kids or never intend to have kids at all.
The Nib (website): The Nib used to be a magazine publisher of anthology comics, usually all revolving around a specific issue, as well as daily comics. While the magazine stopped publishing last year, the entire site is still live for those who wish to buy back issues or view any of the older strips, which sometimes feature medical themes. There’s plenty to check out such as a comic regarding the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on the Navajo nation, living with OCD during Covid-19, and the high maternal mortality Black women face .
Comics for Choice, Second Edition (anthology, currently on New Books Shelf) Published after 2021, this anthology takes a look at the history of abortion in the United States from a range of perspectives. From personal stories about their own abortions to narratives about those who sought to provide access even when the procedure was entirely illegal, this collection showcases the multiple ways reproductive choice and access impacts everyone.
Memento Mori by Tiitu Takalo (coming soon to DC Public Library). Takalo, a cartoonist from Finland, tackles her own experience dealing with a cerebral hemorrhage with honesty and a dynamic drawing style. Using color to reflect her own emotions, Takalo takes us through her frightening medical emergency, the monotony of the hospital and her struggle to access proper health care upon her release. It’s an engaging story bringing to light the reality of an experience most people rarely face themselves
Lighter Than My Shadow by Katie Green (available at DC Public Library). Mental health conditions can be hard to understand, especially given that the symptoms are often internal. By using comics as her medium of choice, Green gives physicality to her own battle with an eating disorder in her teens and college years. Black scribbles follow her from page to page, growing more busy and large as her anorexia worsens. Later, a mouth on her stomach grows and grows as she struggles against the urge to binge food. It’s a difficult read at times – as it should be given what Green was facing – but it explores her own battle with empathy and thoughtfulness.
For a break from studying, or for a way to see the health professions from a different perspective, dive into some graphic medicine!
With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “The Healing of America,” by T.R. Reid.
With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Healthcare,” by T.R. Reid.
About the Book: A unique and grounded book on comparative policy: author T.R. Reid takes his ailing shoulder to healthcare systems around the world, creating a highly personal/practical look at different healthcare options [a healthcare Big Mac Index of sorts], all while informing the reader about the systems themselves. Morally-minded but never overwrought, “The Healing of America” lays out practical steps for improving America’s healthcare system that appeal both to a love of efficiency and a concern for human flourishing.
Reasons to Read: If you want to educate yourself about policy but would rather read about anything else, “The Healing of America” is exceptionally readable and filled with concrete examples. If you’re looking for a hopeful take on the subject, Reid provides simple and tested adjustments to improve healthcare and delivers them with the pluckiness of someone who believes victory is possible.
Reasons to Avoid: If you want to avoid jealousy over almost anyone’s healthcare system but our own. If you’re less interested in Otto Von Bismarck and just want to read about policy, you might begrudge the frequent history lessons. And if you would rather have the most succinct reading, the book (like many of its kind) becomes repetitive at points.
As Pride Month 2024 draws to a close, we want to take this opportunity to look back at some of our favorite LGBTQ+ blog posts. Whether you’re new to Himmelfarb Library or have been following our blog for years, this retrospective look at Himmelfarb’s Pride posts can serve as an opportunity to reflect on the history of Pride, celebrate the progress that’s been made towards LGBTQ+ equality and those who have fought for this progress, and recommit to the work that still needs to be done.
LGBTQ+ History
Most people don’t associate October with Pride Month, but October is LGBTQ History Month. In an October 2023 post titled The History Behind LGBTQ History Month, we took a look at the history behind LGBTQ History Month starting from its origins in 1994 when high school history teacher, Rodney Wilson addressed a lack of LGBTQ representation in school curriculum and worked with organizations such as the Human Rights Campain to have LGBTQ History Month recognized at the national level. October has additional significance within the LGBTQ community as the first March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights took place in October of 1979, and a second March on Washington took place on October 11, 1987. In 1988, October 11th was recognized as National Coming Out Day. If you’d like to learn more about the 1979 and 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, read the full post!
LGBTQ+ Profiles
At GW, we are lucky to have many influential members of the LGBTQ+ community who have been members of our faculty for many years! We’ve profiled some prominent GW faculty and one prominent national figure on our blog.
In June 2021, we posted a piece titled “Just Speak:” Lawrence “Bopper” Deyton. This in-depth profile of Dr. Deyton explores an influential experience Dr. Deyton had as a patient that would have a profound impact on the course of his career and inspire him to work to be a positive influence for change within the field of medicine and healthcare for his entire career. In 1978, Dr. Deyton co-founded what is now Whitman-Walker Health as “a health clinic for gay men and lesbians before AIDS redefined everything and the clinic became a hub for HIV treatment” (Sullivan, 2011). After attending medical school at GW and completing his residency at the University of Southern California Los Angeles County Medical Center, Dr. Deyton began working at the NIH, where he became friends with Dr. Anthony Fauci, and together they would play a crucial role in HIV/AIDS research during the early 1990s epidemic. Dr. Deyton was instrumental in overseeing the “clinical research on the development and approval of antiretroviral drugs and treatment strategies, including the first trials of combination therapies, the cornerstone of current HIV treatments” (GW SMHS, 2017). Read the full post to learn more about Dr. Deyton’s fascinating and impactful career!
In September of 2021, we posted a profile titled Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz: Aim for What You’re Passionate About. In this post, Dr. Rodriguez-Diaz discusses what inspired him to go into public health and get involved with HIV care and prevention. He discusses the privilege of being a “young Latino gay man and to have access to education and contribute to my community by engaging in public health training, practice, and research” (Puro, 2021).
Dr. Rodriguez-Diaz talks about how he ended up at GW, what lessons scientists can learn from the spread of misinformation related to the COVID-19 vaccine, and how to make research more transparent and accessible. Included in his answer, he explains that “we should facilitate those scientists from minority populations (e.g. Latinos, Black, LGBTQ, Native Americans) to have access to mass media and platforms to reach out to their communities. No one else can speak to a community like a community member” (Puro, 2021). Read the full article to learn more about Dr. Rodriguez-Diaz.
In June of 2021, our post titled PRIDE: Dr. Rachel Levine: Physician and LGBTQ+ Health Advocate profiled Dr. Rachel Levine, the first openly transgender woman to be confirmed for federal office by the United States Senate in 2021. Dr. Levine is still serving as the 17th Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) at the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Levine served as the Pennslyvania Physician General from 2015 to 2018, during which time she was responsible for an initiative that allowed law enforcement agents to carry Naloxone, an anti-overdose drug, and also allowed Pennsylvanians to purchase Naloxone from a pharmacy without a prescription. Levine has used her platform to highlight health inequality issues impacting marginalized communities, including the LGBTQ+ community. In a 2020 interview with Philadelphia magazine, Dr. Levine said “One of my goals, being a state health official…is that people will see me. … it’s about letting people put a face to something they might not understand, so they aren’t fearful, so that they don’t get angry, so that it doesn’t lead to hate.”
June 19th is Juneteenth, also known as “Black Independence Day,” “Freedom Day,” or “Emancipation Day.” Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, enslaved people living in Confederate states, specifically Texas, would not learn of their freedom until two months after the Civil War ended in April of 1965. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger and his soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed the state’s residents that slavery had been abolished and that enslaved people were now free. Mary Elliot, Curator of American Slavery at the National Museum of African American History and Culture stated that “although there were enslavers who were aware of the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation, it wasn’t until June 19th, 1865 that it was enforced with the Union Army” (Smithsonian Institution, n.d.).
While Juneteenth has long been a celebration of hope and freedom within the African American community, Juneteenth did not become a federally recognized holiday until 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Juneteenth, read our Understanding and Honoring Juneteenth post from last year.
Juneteenth and the Health Sciences
So how is Juneteenth related to medicine, the health sciences, and public health? In many ways, Juneteenth is more relevant than ever considering the focus in recent years on confronting health inequities and the structural racism that is at the root of those health inequities. In 2020, The American Medical Association (AMA) declared that racism threatens public health and created a strategic plan to advance health equity. The 2020 statement recognizes that “when race is described as a risk factor, it is more likely to be a proxy for influences including structural racism than a proxy for genetics” (O’Reilly, 2020). Race has long been considered a risk factor for many conditions and “is present in numerous clinical guidelines and algorithms” and “can impact medical decision-making that potentially worsens health disparities” (The Oregon Clinic, 2021).
Juneteenth has many lessons that medical, nursing, and public health professionals and students can apply to further the cause of health equity and provide high-quality care to patients. Practicing critical reflection, “the process of identifying, questioning, and assessing deep-seated assumptions upon which our beliefs are built” can help us “better recognize and arrest our biases that can manifest in our interpersonal encounters with patients, colleagues, and trainees” (Opara, et al., 2021). Participating in “transformational conversations” can help “raise the consciousness within the spaces we occupy” and bring important issues to light so they can be addressed (Opara, et al., 2021).
From all of us at Himmelfarb Library, we’d like to welcome all of the new residents, fellows, students, faculty, and staff who joined the GW SMHS, GWSPH, and GW Nursing community this month! We are thrilled that you’re here and we look forward to serving you during your time at GW! We know that the start of any new endeavor can be daunting, so we’d like to make it easier for you to get to know Himmelfarb Library.
To help you get the lay of the land, watch this short, video tour of the library with Himmelfarb’s Library Director, Laura Abate:
Himmelfarb Hours
Our physical space, accessible through Ross Hall, is open the following hours:
Monday - Thursday: 7:30 am - Midnight
Friday: 7:30 am - 10:00 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sunday: 8:00 am - Midnight
Our current hours of operation are available on our website and include exceptions to normal hours (i.e. holiday closures). If you can’t make it to the library in person, you can get help from our librarians and staff via chat or phone (202-994-2850), or email himmelfarb@gwu.edu. Our databases, journals, and e-books are available 24/7, so even when our building is closed, you can access our electronic resources from anywhere.
Himmelfarb Resources and Collections
Himmelfarb’s collection is much larger than just the books in our stacks. We have 125 databases to search, including PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL. The search bar towards the top of our library homepage, known as Health Information @ Himmelfarb, can be used to search for physical and electronic books, journals, articles, dissertations, and more all in just a single search box!
You can also browse and access our collection of journals from our e-journals page, or by using BrowZine. You can use BrowZine directly from your internet browser, or download the app to your IOS or Android device. BrowZine allows you to create a personalized bookshelf of journal titles, follow your favorite journals, and create alerts for new issues and tables of contents.
Here’s another pro tip: installing the LibKey Nomad browser extension on your favorite browser will provide easy access to full text when searching PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO databases, Google Scholar, Amazon, publisher sites, and more. With LibKey Nomad, you’ll be alerted when the full-text articles and e-books are available from Himmelfarb, and be able to get the PDF with a single click in most cases.
Himmelfarb provides specialized apps and information services to support those of you who provide patient care. DynaMed and Lexidrug are our go-to resources for easy access to clinical care resources. If you want resources available on your smartphone or other mobile device, check out our App Shelf to download apps to selected resources. Learn more about resources available to residents on our Residents and Fellows Guide!
Research Support
Himmelfarb is more than just a physical space with lots of study space and great databases, journals, books, and e-books! Our librarians and staff can support you in your research by helping with literature searches, conducting systematic reviews, and organizing sources with RefWorks or Covidence. We can also help guide you through the constantly evolving scholarly publishing landscape through our author services.
Get help with your research from our knowledgeable reference librarians and staff. Stop by our circulation desk to get your questions answered in person, or use our Ask a Librarian service to chat with a reference librarian 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! We also have a wealth of research guides that can connect you with resources on a variety of topics.
Every person is different, and that diversity makes human beings so fascinating. In order to serve diverse populations, it’s important for us here at Himmelfarb Library to have a wide variety of materials for students to learn from. One of these populations is the LGBTQ+community.
To help students locate material related to diverse populations, we have a Diversity and Disparities in Health Care collection. This collection covers a wide range of unrepresented groups, including queer people. Given the wide variety of content we offer, it would be impossible to cover everything in one blog post (which is a good thing). Instead, here are a few books from our collection to give readers a glimpse of what the library has to offer.
By: Hwahng, Sel J. editor.; Kaufman, Michelle R. editor.
This book takes a look at the intersection of global and LBGTQ+health. Aiming to take a larger look at LGBTQ+health across the world, this text offers insight into issues on both a regional and global scale.
While many states have now banned the practice known as “conversion therapy” there are still places where it is used, often on LGBTQ+ youth. This text takes a look at the motivations behind the practice, the decades of evidence showing it to be actively harmful, and why LGBTQ+identities are not something to be “cured” but embraced.
This text covers both the history and contemporary practice of Trans medicine. Medicine for transgender people is often misunderstood due to both a lack of knowledge and misinformation. In this book, readers can not only learn that Trans medicine is not new, but is backed by decades of science.
Shanker, Adrian, editor.; Levine, Rachel Leland, 1957- writer of foreword.; Kendell, Kate, writer of afterword.
Health disparities can exist for a variety of reasons. In this text, multiple queer activists explain some of the factors that lead to such disparities, what negative outcomes result, and ideas on how to fix them.
Wortham, J., film producer.; Fryer, Brit, film director.; Schamus, Noah, film director.; Multitude Films, production company.; Good Docs (Firm), distributor
Our last resource for this post is a film. Using recreations of personal interviews, this film takes a look at how transgender and nonbinary people interact with the medical system, and how practitioners and patients interact with one another.
References:
Haldeman DC, ed. The Case against Conversion “Therapy”: Evidence, Ethics, and Alternatives. American Psychological Association; 2022.
Hwahng SJ, Kaufman MR, eds. Global LGBTQ Health: Research, Policy, Practice, and Pathways. First edition. Springer; 2024. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-36204-0
Shuster SM. Trans Medicine: The Emergence and Practice of Treating Gender. New York University Press; 2021.
Shanker A, ed. Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health. PM Press; 2020.
Wortham J, Fryer B, Schamus N. The Script - Queer Futures. [Distributed by] GOOD DOCS; 2023.
Summer’s here, and with its lengthier vacations and (potentially) lighter workloads, it’s the perfect time to broaden your horizons and read. To help you navigate the almost endless sea of options, we’ve queried the Himmelfarb staff for their summer reading recommendations. Whether you’re at a lake house or a beach, an air-conditioned metro or your living room, you can’t go wrong with one of these summer reads.
Coming of Age and Plot Driven Dramas
Summer is the time of heat and action, the season of youth and change, but it can also be languid, a time to lie around and dream. If you want moving entertainment or a slice of life that makes you reflect on who you are and who you want to be, one of these recommendations is for you.
Author: John Green Genre: Fiction, Young Adult Reason for Recommendation: “In addition to being a fantastic and honest portrayal of anxiety and OCD, this one is just a fun read. It was recently made into a film (currently streaming on HBO Max).”
But summer isn’t all sunshine and snappy plots. Warm nights are the perfect time for chills: fictional or non-fictional. If you’re interested in a ghost story, consider one of these recommendations and remember that no matter how dark the summer night, the sun is never far from the horizon.
Ian Roberts, Acquisitions & Resource Sharing Librarian, recommends:
Title: Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places
Author: Colin Dickey
Genre: Non-Fiction/Ghosts and folklore/Sociology
Reason for Recommendation: “A sometimes fun, sometimes weighty examination of ghost stories, the places they happen (houses, burial sites, hospitals, prisons), and what they say about us and our history.”
If you seek linguistic fireworks, story-telling prowess, and big themes, then in the season of blue skies and bigger horizons, these might be the books for you.
Randy Plym, Evening Circulation Supervisor, recommends:
Title: The Moviegoer
Author: Walker Percy Genre: Fiction Reason for Recommendation: Existential but never dour, The Moviegoer’s off-beat view of the world captures a playful search for meaning against a background of ennui. At least for me, it succeeds in coining a philosophical vocabulary for everyday experience.
Author: Jeanette Winterson Genre: Fiction Reason for Recommendation: “In this retelling of the myth of Atlas and Heracles, Winterson tackles questions of choice, destiny, and fate. It's a brilliant reimagination of these two classic tales with a heartwarming twist.”
Lastly, between semesters can be a great time to step back from your normal field of study and explore ideas: where society has been and how it’s been shaped.
Jolinda Thompson, Systems Librarian, recommends:
Title: Gods of the Upper Air: How a Renegade Group of Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex and Gender in the 20th Century
Author: Charles King
Genre: Non-fiction/Biography
Reason for Recommendation: “In the early 20th century, it was commonly believed that race and gender determined an individual’s intelligence, ability, and temperament. The pseudoscience that emerged to back these beliefs led to the quota-based restrictions of the 1924 Immigration Act and the abuse and horrors of the eugenics movement. Franz Boas would challenge these theories through fieldwork and research, founding the field of cultural anthropology, and inspiring a group of revolutionary anthropologists at Columbia University and Barnard College in the 1920s and 30s, including Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, and Zora Neale-Hurston. Their work ushered in new understandings about gender, sexual expression, diverse cultures, and values systems. The personal stories of these groundbreaking researchers makes this an entertaining as well as enlightening read.”
With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “Patient: the True Story of a Rare Illness,” by DJ and musician Ben Watt.
With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “Patient: the True Story of a Rare Illness,” by DJ and alt-rock musician Ben Watt, one half of the duo Everything But The Girl.
About the Book: A memoir of Ben Watt's hospital days after being diagnosed with the rare auto-immune disease Churg-Strauss syndrome – just before his world tour. Told in sparse, poetic prose with candor and a lack of self-pity, this novella-length work expertly captures the gulf between the healthy and unwell.
Reasons to Read: If you like stories of novel medical situations, if you savor great observational details (of his experience and ICU neighbors: a gallery that wouldn't be out of place in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) or understated tales of romantic devotion, or if you simply seek insight into the detachment, uncertainty, and unexpected clarity that can come from illness.
Bonus reason: if you're nostalgic for the 90s (and casual mentions of floppy disks).
Reasons to Avoid: If you hope for information about Ben's music – or how his illness inspired or impacted Everything But The Girl's breakthrough albums – you'll find almost no information about it. Similarly, if you want a medical-mystery à la House, be warned the mystery is backseated to the patient-experience, which could prove disappointing.
Further Listening/Reading:
As soundtrack to the memoir, check out Everything But the Girl's most successful albums, which released in the years following his diagnosis:
It’s officially clerkship season! Third-year medical students started clerkships during the past few weeks, so this is a great time to remind you that Himmelfarb Library has some great sources to help you get through clerkships!
Are you looking to find specific types of resources that you can count on during each clerkship? Check out the following list of resources!
Drug Information - Choosing the right medication, dosage, drug interactions, contraindications, and drug coverage:
LexiDrug (aka LexiComp): Clinical drug information with integrated access to multiple drug databases plus access to Trissel's IV Compatibility, drug interaction checker, drug I.D., patient education, calculators, and additional clinical tools. Includes access to adult, pediatric, and neonatal drug information, pharmacogenomics, lab tests and diagnostic procedures, toxicology, and drug allergy and idiosyncratic reactions.
NatMed Pro (aka Natural Medicines): Supports evidence-based alternative therapy decision-making including 1,400+ natural ingredient and alternative therapy monographs, and 185,000+ commercial products. Searchable by scientific, common, or brand name; includes interactive tools for safety, effectiveness, and interactions.
ClinicalKey: Search the Drug Monographs section for drug and dosing information to guide treatment.
DynaMed Drugs A-Z: Click on Drugs A-Z or the Drug Interactions in the top menu.
Epocrates+: Click on the Briefcase + Icon on the left side of the screen to find tools including Drugs, Interaction Check, Pill ID, etc.
Differential Diagnosis - Creating your Ddx using reputable sources:
DynaMed: When looking at a condition in DynaMed, there is a Differential Diagnosis area in the Diagnosis area (on the left side menu).
Epocrates+: Like DynaMed, there's a Differential Diagnosis area in the Diagnosis area on the left side menu.
Evidence-Based Guidelines - Finding current practice guidelines to drive your assessment and plan:
DynaMed: Check out the Guidelines & Resources area towards the bottom of the left-side menu.
Epocrates+: Check out the Guidelines area (under References) towards the bottom of the left-side menu.
PubMed: If you use Himmelfarb's link to PubMed, you can use our filters on the left side of the search results page to limit your results by Practice Guidelines.
ClinicalKey: Click on the "Guidelines" area to search for clinical guidelines from leading organizations.
On Monday, May 20, 2024, Himmelfarb Library, in partnership with GW Libraries and Academic Innovation, changed the underlying system that provides access to our online collections (including ebooks, databases, and journals). We’ve worked hard to make this transition seamless with only minor changes. However, if you experience issues accessing any of the resources mentioned above, please let us know so we can fix the issue. To let us know about a problem with a resource, or if you have questions about access, reach out to himmelfarb@gwu.edu or Ask A Librarian. If you’d like to learn more about this change, read our recent blog post.
