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The staff at Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library would like to extend a warm welcome to the incoming Medical Student class of 2027! Over the coming days and weeks, you will grow familiar with the George Washington University campus and begin your medical school coursework. To help you learn more about Himmelfarb Library and the services available to you as students, this article will serve as a primer for everything you should know about the library. 

Himmelfarb Library is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Reference services are available Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am-8:00 pm, Fridays from 8:00 am- 4:00 pm and Sundays from 4:00 pm- 8:00 pm. 

The library has a collection of physical and electronic media including books, audiovisual media, scholarly journals, and databases. There are several special collections within the library, including the MD Program: Required Books & Information Resources, Himmelfarb Library New Books, and Humanities & Health Collection. Please see our full list of special collections for access to these and other special collections.

Our physical collection is spread across the library’s four floors with most books shelved on the basement level. If you are unsure of an item’s location, a staff member at the circulation desk will assist you. The collection catalog is located on the homepage at himmelfarb.gwu.edu. The search box’s default setting is ‘Articles + Himmelfarb Catalog.’ and will display results within our collection. If you would like a more in-depth overview of the library search box, read Tips for Using Himmelfarb’s Library Search Box. 

Himmelfarb has several interactive pieces of technology in its collection. There are two 3D printers in the library and faculty, students, and staff members are able to submit print job requests online. There is no charge for most print requests and pricing will be clearly communicated before printing begins. Our 3D Printing at Himmelfarb guide contains more information about the 3D printing program and explains Himmelfarb’s 3D printing policies. 

The BodyViz virtual anatomy software suite located in Himmelfarb 305 is an interactive software that lets you examine and manipulate anatomical models. There are over 1,000 data sets loaded onto the BodyViz software. To reserve the BodyViz suite, please use the online reservation system. The library also has two Quest VR headsets available for checkout. Both headsets are loaded with the Medicalholodeck Medical Virtual Reality platform and may be used to explore anatomical models. To check out the VR headsets, visit the circulation desk. 

There are multiple ways to contact a librarian if you need assistance. The Ask A Librarian service is available through our website. You may send an instant message to a member of the reference staff via the chat feature on our homepage or call the desk at (202) 994-2962. You may also send an email to himmelfarb@gwu.edu or stop by the circulation desk to speak with someone from the Himmelfarb team. 

In addition to our electronic and physical media, the library maintains general and subject-specific research guides to help you complete your coursework or engage in the research process. Some guides that may be useful as you start your time at GWU are the AMA Citation Style, APA Citation Style, Borrow from Himmelfarb, Borrow from Other Libraries, Library Tutorials, and Study Design 101 guides. There are also subject-specific research guides that provide links to readings, tutorials, databases, journals, and other resources related to the specific health sciences subject. Visit our homepage or our dedicated Research Guides page to see the current list of research guides. 

Study spaces are located on each floor of the library. Some spaces, such as the tables located on the first floor, are on a first-come, first-served basis. The study rooms on the basement, 2nd and 3rd levels must be reserved. If you are using a room without a reservation, you may be asked to move to honor a pre-existing reservation. To reserve a study room, visit our online reservation system. To learn about the quiet level zones in the library, please see our Studying at Himmelfarb? Know Our Zones article. 

Follow Himmelfarb Library’s Facebook and Instagram accounts to learn more about future events or changes to our collection. We look forward to working with you during your time at the George Washington University.

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Himmelfarb Library’s Scholarly Communications Committee produces short tutorial videos on scholarly publishing and communications topics for SMHS, GWSPH, and GW School of Nursing students, faculty, and staff. Five new videos are now available on our YouTube channel and Scholarly Publishing Research Guide!

2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy Resources by Sara Hoover - Sara is our resident expert on data management policy and resources. She provides an overview of the NIH policy, the essential elements of a data management and sharing plan, and highlights GW and non-GW resources that can aid you in putting together a data management and sharing plan. The video is 10 minutes in length. 

Animal Research Alternatives by Paul Levett - Paul demonstrates how to conduct 3Rs alternatives literature searches for animal research protocols. He defines the 3Rs and explains how to report the search in the GW Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) application form. Paul is currently a member of the GW IACUC. The video is 13 minutes long.

Artificial Intelligence Tools and Citations by Brittany Smith - As a Library Science graduate student, Brittany has an interest in how AI is impacting the student experience. She discusses how tools like Chat GPT can assist with your research, the GW policy on AI, and how to create citations for these resources. The video is 6.5 minutes in length.

UN Sustainable Development Goals: Finding Publications by Stacy Brody - Stacy addresses why the goals were developed, what they hope to achieve, and shows ways to find related publications in Scopus. The video is 5 minutes long.

Updating Your Biosketch via SciEncv by Tom Harrod - Tom talks about the differences between NIH’s SciEncv and Biosketch and demonstrates how to use SciEncv to populate a Biosketch profile. Tom advises GW SMHS, School of Nursing, and GWSPH researchers on creating and maintaining research profiles and he and Sara provide research profile audit services. The video is 5 minutes long.

You can find the rest of the videos in the Scholarly Communications series in this YouTube playlist or on the Scholarly Publishing Research Guide.

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We’d like to welcome everyone joining the SMHS, GW Nursing and GWSPH communities this month! Himmelfarb Library has a wealth of resources and services to meet your patient care, education, and research needs and you don’t need to visit the building to take advantage of most of what we offer. Our electronic collections are available 24/7 from anywhere, on campus or off campus when using VPN or web authentication services.  

Himmelfarb Resources and Collections

Himmelfarb has 125 databases to search, including PubMed, Scopus, and our library discovery service Health Information @ Himmelfarb. Health Information @ Himmelfarb enables users to search physical and electronic books, journals, articles, dissertations, and more from one search box.

To browse and access our collection of e-journals we recommend using BrowZine. BrowZine can be accessed on a browser or you can download the app to your IOS or Android device. You can assemble a personalized bookshelf of journal titles, follow your favorite journals, and be alerted to new issues with a table of contents.

We also recommend installing LibKey Nomad on your favorite browser for easy access to full-text when searching PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO databases, Google Scholar, Amazon, publisher sites, and more. Nomad will alert you to the full-text availability of articles and e-books from Himmelfarb and in many cases deliver a PDF with one click.

Himmelfarb provides a wide range of electronic book titles from Access Medicine, ClinicalKey, EBSCOhost, and R2 Digital Library. You can browse our e-book collections or view our special collections in Health Information @ Himmelfarb. We also have many print books! Our main book collection is on the basement level and most books can be borrowed for 3 weeks with up to 2 renewals.

If we don’t have what you need, we can get it for you through the Consortium Loan Service or Documents2Go. Consortium Loan Service provides free loans of materials from most of the academic libraries in the DC metro area. Documents2Go provides scanned article and chapter copies or physical book loans with up to 30 free requests for Himmelfarb users a year.

Clinical Tools and Applications

For those providing patient care, Himmelfarb has specialized apps and information services to support you. DynaMed, Lexicomp, and others are available to be downloaded as apps for easy access from your device. Check our App Shelf to browse for tools.

For residents specifically, we offer NEJM Resident 360. This resource contains interactive cases, videos, rotation prep materials, clinical pearls, morning reports, and more! To learn more about NEJM Resident 360 and our many resources for residents, check out our Residents and Fellows Research Guide.

Research Support

Himmelfarb can support you in your research from helping with literature searches or systematic reviews to organizing sources with RefWorks or Covidence. We can even assist with your data management and sharing plan if you are applying for NIH funding. See our Resources for Early Career Research Guide if you’re just getting started with research. Our Scholarly Publishing tutorials are a great way to learn about all aspects of the scholarly publishing lifecycle at your own pace. For more seasoned researchers, we offer a Research Profile Audit Service to get the most out of the various profile services, like ORCiD and SciENcv.

24/7 Access

For most of the academic year, the Himmelfarb Library facility is open 24/7. We will be observing shorter hours during the month of July - but will still be open nightly until midnight. Note that from June 12 to July 26, 2023 entry to both Himmelfarb Library and Ross Hall will be through the Himmelfarb courtyard entrance doors from 7pm to 7am Monday through Friday and on weekends. You need your GWorld badge to enter the library. There is space for quiet conversation and group work on the first floor and quieter spaces for study on the second floor. Reserve our study rooms in advance. 

Can’t come to the library? Our librarians can assist you via chat or phone (202-994-2850) during business hours or email us anytime at himmelfarb@gwu.edu. We look forward to seeing you in the library or assisting you remotely!

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In 2021, UNESCO developed a Recommendation on Open Science to be adopted by member states. This recommendation evolved from a 2017 Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers promoting science as a common good. 

UNESCO’s Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers, https://youtu.be/94T7NGirUlM

The Recommendation on Open Science includes a definition of open science:

Open science is … an inclusive construct that combines various movements and practices aiming to make multilingual scientific knowledge openly available, accessible and reusable for everyone, to increase scientific collaborations and sharing of information for the benefits of science and society, and to open the processes of scientific knowledge creation, evaluation and communication to societal actors beyond the traditional scientific community. It comprises all scientific disciplines and aspects of scholarly practices, including basic and applied sciences, natural and social sciences and the humanities, and it builds on the following key pillars: open scientific knowledge, open science infrastructures, science communication, open engagement of societal actors and open dialogue with other knowledge systems.

(UNESCO, 2021.)

The recommendation calls for scientific publications, research data, software and source code to be open and available to scientists internationally. The NIH adopted an open access policy for manuscripts resulting from funded research in 2008. Early this year the NIH adopted a policy requiring that all newly funded grants include a data management and sharing plan to make the underlying research data freely available to other researchers.  For more information on the data sharing policy and how to comply, explore our Research Guide.

Platforms that support the sharing and dissemination of research findings and their underlying data are becoming available. The Open Science Framework (OSF) is a “free, open platform to support your research and enable collaboration”. It provides tools to design a study, collect and analyze data, and publish and share results. OSF was designed and is maintained by the non-profit Center for Open Science. 

A helpful feature of OSF is the ability to generate a unique, persistent URL (uniform resource locator) for a project for sharing and attribution. There is also built-in version control and collaborators can be assigned a hierarchical level of permissions for data and document management. Researchers can decide to make all or parts of a project public and searchable and add licensing. Public projects can be searched on the OSF site. Registering a project creates a timestamped version for preservation. Pre-prints can also be hosted and made available for searching.

OSF has integrations with a number of useful tools including storage add-ons like Amazon S3, Google Drive, DropBox and figshare. Zotero and Mendeley can be integrated for citation management and GitHub can be used for managing software and code. 

Institutions can set up a custom landing page for OSF and build user communities to promote sharing and collaboration within the institution and beyond. Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and NYU are among the many research universities that are using OSF in this way.

Last month Nature and Code Ocean announced a partnership to launch and curate Open Science Library. The Open Science Library contains research software used in Nature journal articles. “Compute capsules” which include the code, data, and computing environment will allow researchers to reproduce results, re-use the code, and collaborate. As open science becomes the norm, more multifunction platforms that enhance sharing and reproducibility while preserving work and ensuring attribution will continue to emerge.

References:

UNESCO. (2021). UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000379949.locale=en

UNESCO. (2017). Consolidated Report on the Implementation by Member States of the 2017 Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000379704

Foster, E. D., & Deardorff, A. (2017). Open Science Framework (OSF). Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA, 105(2), 203–206. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2017.88

Code Ocean. (2023). Code Ocean Partners with Nature Portfolio to Launch the Open Science Library with Ready-to-Run Software from Authors in Nature Journals (Press Release). https://codeocean.com/press-release/code-ocean-partners-with-nature-portfolio-open-science-library/

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Himmelfarb Library’s Scholarly Communications Committee is pleased to announce five new short video tutorials have been added to our video library! This video library now includes 30 short 3-7 minute videos on a variety of scholarly publishing topics, perfect for microlearning! This round of new videos covers topics including human participant research support, addressing health misinformation and disinformation, using Dimensions Analytics, Cabells Journalytics, and finding an author’s H-Index using Google Scholar and Scopus.

Human Participants Research Support - Fall 2022

Are you interested in learning more about the resources available to support human participant research at George Washington University? This video includes information about the Office of Human Research (OHR), Institutional Review Boards (IRB), and CITI Training available through GW in this short three and half minute video.

Addressing Health Mis- and Dis- Information

This five-minute video discusses how to address health mis- and disinformation. Learn the difference between mis- and disinformation, the different types of mis- and disinformation, why this matters in relation to healthcare providers and health literacy, and how to address mis- and disinformation with patients. 

Dimensions Analytics: An Introduction

Dimensions, a database from Digital Science, tracks research output and has information about grants, publications, datasets, clinical trials, policy documents, and more. This tutorial provides a brief overview of Dimensions Analytics, which allows you to track and visualize research output trends, and allows for more comprehensive functionality. Several examples of use cases are also included.

Cabells Journalytics

This five-minute tutorial provides an overview of Cabells Journalytics, a tool that can be used to evaluate and compare journals in which to publish a manuscript. Learn how to access Cabells Journalytics, and see example journal records to see the depth of information provided about each journal. You’ll also learn how to compare up to five journals.

H-Index: Google Scholar vs. Scopus

In this five-minute tutorial, you’ll learn more about what the H-Index is (a measure of both quantity and quality of research output) and how it is used to track researcher productivity. This tutorial will then walk you through how to find an H-Index using both Google Scholar and Scopus, and why there is sometimes a difference in the H-Index value between these two sources.

This newest installment of videos is part of the Scholarly Communications Committee’s Short Video Series, which covers a wide range of scholarly communications-related topics and covers all phases of the research life cycle. Have a scholarly publishing topic that you’d like us to discuss? We’d love to hear from you! To suggest a topic for an upcoming video, please contact Sara Hoover at shoover@gwu.edu. 

To learn more about scholarly publishing, check out our Scholarly Publishing Guide. This guide includes resources to help scholars find an appropriate journal in which to publish their research, tips on how to spot and avoid predatory publishers, and information on how to promote and increase the visibility of your published research.

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Himmelfarb Library just launched a Research Guide on the NIH’s Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) requirements that come into effect in the new year. If you are applying for a research grant or renewing an existing grant through NIH on or after January 23, 2023 that will generate scientific data, you will need to comply with the new requirements and include a plan in your grant application.

Screenshot of Himmelfarb Library's NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) Research Guide
Screenshot of Himmelfarb Library's NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) Research Guide

The new research guide will help step you through the process of developing a plan, from general information to get you started, to storing, sharing and budgeting options. If you’re unsure if you need to comply, it defines what scientific data is and what activity codes are subject to the policy. The guide also includes freely available tools and sample DMSPs from a variety of sources.

Understanding and applying FAIR principles are key to a successful DMSP. FAIR stands for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. The Getting Started page breaks down the FAIR principles and how to apply them to your data practices.

The guide includes videos from a variety of sources, including a two webinar series from the NIH that provide an overview and more in depth look at the policy. You’ll find other videos on the Getting Started page on commonly used tools including the DMPTool site, NLM Common Data Elements Repository, and LabArchive.

Storage options available to you at GW are covered as well as options for sharing archived data through general and specialized repositories. Guidance on estimating costs and building them into your grant round out the guide.

Through the fall we’ve published a series of blog posts on data management and sharing, including data management resources, best practices for writing a data management plan and file naming conventions. All of these articles are linked on the guide’s homepage. We are planning additional blog posts in the coming months, so stay tuned to this space and check the Research Guide for updates and new materials.

Questions about DMSPs that you can’t find answers to in our research guide? You can reach out directly to Sara Hoover, Metadata and Scholarly Publishing Librarian, at shoover@gwu.edu for more information and guidance.

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This is the second in a series of articles on the changes to the NIH Data Management and Sharing policies that will come into effect for NIH grant applications starting January 2023. See our first article for a general overview.

If you’re preparing to apply for an NIH grant, having a plan to manage and share your data just turned up on your to-do list. Currently, only grants of $500,000 or more are required to have a data management plan. Effective January 25, 2023, ALL grant applications or renewals that generate scientific data must include a detailed plan related to managing and storing data through the duration of the funded period, including plans for data dissemination. NIH just released a list of activity codes for grants that will be subject to the new policy last week. Where do you start? What should be included in this plan? We’ll provide some answers and resources to guide you here. 

All data management plans should incorporate the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles to ensure optimal research data stewardship. Beyond following FAIR guidelines, what are the specific elements that must be included in a data management plan?  Here’s an outline of things to include and think through:

Who will be responsible for the data?

  • Usually, data is owned by the institution awarded the grant and the principal investigator is responsible for data collection and management.
  • If there are others responsible, this should be documented in the plan.

What types of data will be generated and where will they come from? Create a descriptive list of all the data that will be collected during the research process, as well as an estimate of how much data will be generated. Further things to consider include:

  • Why is it desirable to share this data and how could it be re-used? All data that is required to replicate results should be shared.
  • Are there any risks to disclosing this data? If any data cannot be shared due to legal, ethical, or technical reasons, exceptions for sharing can be written into the plan. However, all data must be managed.
  • At what point in the research process should data be shared? Will it be in a usable format at that time?
  • If you’re using data from other sources, include the source and any conditions for using it, also what relationship it may have to the original data generated during the research.

What formats and standards will be used for your data?

  • Non-proprietary file formats (.csv or .txt or XML or PDF, for example) are preferred. This ensures they will be readable in the future and is important for preservation.
  • Consider using a directory structure with a formalized naming convention and version control to better organize your data. Learn more about file management naming conventions from Cornell.

What formats and standards will be used for your metadata? Metadata describes your data and makes it findable. 

What will be the methods for archiving and sharing the data?

  • Where will the data be stored during the research process and how will it be backed up and secured (is encryption required)? Find tips on our data storage and security page. 
  • How will the data be made accessible after the research is complete? Find some options on our data repositories page. Cornell has considerations for selecting a repository site on their Sharing and archiving data page.
  • Determine the rights for sharing. A CC0 or CC-BY license is recommended when possible, but there may be commercial or intellectual property limitations for your research. Learn more about data licensing and protection in this guide from Cornell and about GW’s policies for sharing data.
  • Will any tools and software be needed to work with the data and metadata? How will those be provided?
  • How long should the data be preserved and made available? It may not be necessary or practical to preserve all the data in perpetuity. Making plans for how long it should be available is important to selecting a repository site.

Additional Resources:

If you have questions about creating data management plans or need further resources or information for guidance, contact Sara Hoover, Metadata and Scholarly Publishing Librarian at shoover@gwu.edu.

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With the 2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy going into effect on January 25, 2023, there’s no better time to explore data management resources! This post explores resources that can help you with your data management needs.

What is data management? 

Data management involves the process of collecting or producing, cleaning and analyzing, preserving, and sharing data from a research project. Data management takes place throughout the entire research life cycle, from deciding on consistent file naming conventions to depositing the data in a repository for long-term archiving. 

Why Data Management?

Data management is vital for transparency (showing your work promotes reproducibility of work), compliance (funding organizations and journals often require making data available), and personal and organizational benefit (using data within your own lab is easier with proper management).

I Think It’s FAIR to Say…

Understanding data management best practices is important to make well-informed decisions when selecting data management resources and tools. The FAIR Principles, first published in 2016, provide a set of guidelines for data management. FAIR stands for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. You can learn more about the FAIR Principles on our Data Management Guide. Another great resource to help guide your data management is Cornell University’s Research Data Management Service Group’s Comprehensive Data Management Planning and Services Best Practices which provides extensive information related to best practices for: 

Broad Data Management Resources

Himmelfarb’s Data Management Guide provides a wealth of information and resources related to data management. In addition to some basic information about data management, you’ll find information about NIH and NSF funder requirements. Data management plans (DMPs) are also covered in detail. The documentation and metadata page explains what metadata is, what should be included in your metadata, metadata schemas, controlled vocabularies, file naming conventions, and electronic lab notebooks. The data storage and security page includes data storage, storage formats, creating a backup plan, and data security. You’ll also learn about data sharing, including GW’s policy on regulated information, and data repositories.

I might need to make a plan for this… 

Creating a data management plan (DMP) is often part of the grant writing process required by funding institutions. A comprehensive data management plan should address:

  • Data Collection: Must be reliable and valid.
  • Data Storage: Appropriate amount of data so research can be reproduced.
  • Data Analysis: Interpretation of data from which conclusions can be derived.
  • Data Protection: Ensuring sensitive data is safe and secure, preventing tampering or loss of data.
  • Data Ownership: Addresses legal rights associated with data.
  • Data Retention: Addresses how long data should be kept and proper disposal of sensitive data.
  • Data Reporting: Publication of data.
  • Data Sharing: Addresses what data can be shared with others and how.

When it comes to creating a DMP, there are a number of tools available to help! The DMPTool is a free, open-source tool that helps researchers create DMPs that comply with funder requirements. DMPTool also provides links to funder websites, and best practices resources to help guide your data management efforts. Since GW is affiliated with DMPTool, GW users can create a personalized dashboard that allows them to see and organize the DMPs created through the tool. From the DMPTool’s website, simply click “sign in” and use Option 1 to search for George Washington University. Then log in with your GW UserID and password and create your data management plan! 

The Framework for Creating a Data Management Plan, created by ICPSR, is a great outline that will help you create a DMP for your grant application. The framework includes a list of elements to be included, explains why each element is important and provides examples for each element. Michener’s article Ten Simple Rules for Creating a Good Data Management Plan is another great starting point to gain an understanding of the principles and practices of creating a DMP and ensuring your data are safe and shareable. For more DMP resources and to see examples and templates, check out the Data Management Plan page of the data management guide.

What’s Next?

Stay tuned for future posts on best practices for writing a data management plan, data storage, file naming conventions, creating “readme” metadata, and other data management topics. In the meantime, check out the lists of GW resources and additional resources below to learn more!

Additional GW Resources:

Additional Data Management Resources:

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In recent years, clinical calculators have faced criticism for their treatment of race and ethnicity. The datasets on which these calculators were based, drawn from cohort studies and other longitudinal trials, are frequently homogeneous populations or of limited diversity. Reports of research methods have often been opaque. The data categories used for race and ethnicity, based on those created by the Office of Management and Budget, are limited and do not reflect the diversity of participants’ identities (see AMA Manual, 11th edition, Chapter 11.12.3). Furthermore, the data behind the calculators reflects existing disparities, which are perpetuated in their continued use (Vyas et al., 2020).

As the medical community confronts how the variable race serves a proxy for systemic racism in these calculations (Davidson et al., 2021), conversations have even risen to more mainstream media (e.g. Should Black People Get Race Adjustments In Kidney Medicine?, Racial bias in widely used hospital algorithm, study finds). As we reckon with the racism and discrimination that has been part of medicine; we advocate for, and work towards, change. 

Time and research is needed to identify predictive variables, develop algorithms, and validate calculators (Hamad et al., 2022 video abstract, Rodriguez et al., 2019, Cardiovascular Risk Assessment [DynaMed]). For ASCVD risk estimation, for instance, we often use the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE). The 2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease notes, “The PCE are best validated among non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks living in the United States. In other racial/ethnic groups or in some non-US populations, the PCE may overestimate or underestimate risk. Therefore, clinicians may consider the use of another risk prediction tool as an alternative to the PCE if the tool was validated in a population with characteristics similar to those of the evaluated patient” (Arnett et al., 2019, emphasis added). Fortunately, there are alternatives, which are listed in practice guidelines and in DynaMed, and work to develop and validate tools continues, e.g. Weale et al., 2021. 

Over years, we see new calculators developed and guidelines begin to include them. More immediately, we see a statement on Race in Medical Calculators and Risk Estimates describing MDCalc’s efforts to provide additional context and signposting. Going back to ASCVD risk estimation, the ASCVD Risk Estimator+ now notes that “estimates may underestimate the 10-year and lifetime risk for persons from some race/ethnic groups, especially American Indians, some Asian Americans (e.g., of south Asian ancestry), and some Hispanics (e.g., Puerto Ricans), and may overestimate the risk for others, including some Asian Americans (e.g., of east Asian ancestry) and some Hispanics (e.g., Mexican Americans)”. 

We can be advocates for changes. Medical students in a February 2022 informatics session questioned why one particular tool only had Black and White as options for race. (Other calculators offer Black | White | Other; the AMA manual of style notes that “The nonspecific group label "other"... is uninformative and may be considered pejorative" (AMA Manual of Style, Chapter 11.12.3).) Their librarian instructor contacted the tool developer, who responded by adding the option ‘Neither of these’. While the display changes are imperfect, they highlight the importance of continuing the discussion of how race is used in clinical calculators, and the  importance of highlighting where we need to adopt additional tools, develop new tools, reconsider what we are trying to measure, and invite more people to plan and participate in our studies to ensure that we have data that reflects our population. 

Research to improve these calculators continues. We have seen a reevaluation of the use of race as a variable at all in calculations like eGFR. Calculators are being developed and validated using data and variables that reflect more diverse populations. Researchers are being asked to consider how race as a social construct impacts their research questions, whether to use race as a variable, and, if so, what categories are appropriate. In the informatics session, we discuss how practitioners need to consider the data from which the calculators were derived, how that data does (not) reflect their patients, and what alternative tools they might use. Himmelfarb’s point-of-care tools highlight practice guidelines and recommended calculators. Our librarians are here to help you access and navigate these resources.  

For more on this topic, see:

Awareness in Writing and Publishing, for information on collecting and reporting on race and ethnicity in research [Additional Resources - Cultural Competency] 

Critical Data Literacy: Addressing Race as a Variable in a Preclinical Medical Education Session [poster; Research Guide]

Race Correction in the UTI Guidelines - The Curbsiders [podcast]

References

Vyas D. A., Eisenstein L. G., Jones D. S. Hidden in Plain Sight — Reconsidering the Use of Race Correction in Clinical Algorithms. The New England jJournal of medicine. 2020;383(9):874-882. https://doi.org/doi:10.1056/NEJMms2004740

Davidson, K. W., Krist, A. H., Tseng, C.-W., Simon, M., Doubeni, C. A., Kemper, A. R., Kubik, M., Ngo-Metzger, Q., Mills, J., & Borsky, A. (2021). Incorporation of Social Risk in US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations and Identification of Key Challenges for Primary Care. JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.12833

Hamad, R., Glymour, M. M., Calmasini, C., Nguyen, T. T., Walter, S., & Rehkopf, D. H. (2022). Explaining the variance in cardiovascular disease risk factors: A comparison of demographic, socioeconomic, and genetic predictors. Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.), 33(1), 25–33. https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0000000000001425

Rodriguez, F., Chung, S., Blum, M. R., Coulet, A., Basu, S., & Palaniappan, L. P. (2019). Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk prediction in disaggregated asian and hispanic subgroups using electronic health records. Journal of the American Heart Association, 8(14), e011874. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.118.011874 

Arnett D. K., Blumenthal R. S., Albert M. A., et al. 2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines [published correction appears in Circulation. 2019 Sep 10;140(11):e649-e650] [published correction appears in Circulation. 2020 Jan 28;141(4):e60] [published correction appears in Circulation. 2020 Apr 21;141(16):e774]. Circulation. 2019;140(11):e596-e646. https://doi.org:/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000678

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A person prepares to put a virtual reality headset on. Across from the person is an open laptop on a desk.

Did you know that Himmelfarb Library has two tools that allow you to interact with 3D anatomical models? Would you like to manipulate virtual anatomical models? Are you interested in performing ‘dissections’ with anatomical models?  BodyViz and the new Quest VR Headsets are two resources available to you!

BodyViz is an interactive anatomy visualization tool that allows you to view, study and manipulate 3D anatomical models. The BodyViz suite  is located on the 3rd floor near the Bloedorn Technology Center. Along with the large screen, the BodyViz toolkit includes a wireless mouse, keyboard, remote control and game controller. These tools will assist you in navigating the software and models. To use the BodyViz suite, you must reserve a time slot. You may reserve the suite for up to four hours and time slots are available in hour long increments. When using the BodyViz suite, please visit the Circulation Desk to check out the wireless keyboard and additional equipment. Make sure all items are returned at the end of your session. The BodyViz Research Guide provides additional information including a Quick Start Guide which provides step-by-step instruction on how to use the software and wireless devices. There is also a Troubleshooting guide in case you encounter issues with the software or devices. 

Himmelfarb Library recently acquired two Quest VR devices which are equipped with Medicalholodeck, a medical virtual reality platform. Medicalholodeck comes with three different educational features: Anatomy Master XR, Dissection Master XR and Medical Imaging XR. With Anatomy Master and Medical Imaging XR, you can view models with another Quest VR headset user. There is a new VR Headsets Research Guide that provides additional information about the capabilities of the headsets, information on how to use the headsets and the accompanying software and an overview on how to navigate the user interface in Medicalholodeck. Visit the Circulation Desk on the library’s first floor if you’re interested in checking out the VR headsets. Also, be sure to reserve a study room so you’re able to use the headsets without obstruction. 
BodyViz and Quest VR headsets with Medicalholodeck are two excellent educational tools available for use. If you encounter any issues while using one of these resources, please contact Brian McDonald at bmcdonald@gwu.edu, Ian Roberts at imroberts@gwu.edu or the library at himmelfarb@gwu.edu.

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