Skip to content

Resource Spotlight: World Health Day – April 7

This year’s theme is Our Planet, Our Health: Clean our Air, Water, and Food. The World Health Organization (WHO) sponsors this annual awareness day to draw attention to specific global health issues. They chose April 7th because it marks the founding of WHO in 1948.

This year, the campaign has a multipronged focus exploring how pollution (in its many forms) and the climate crisis negatively impact the planet and human health. They urge leaders, corporations, and individuals to promote and practice healthful eating, energy conservation, and anti-pollutive habits. Acknowledging the interconnectedness of the health of our planet to human well-being, this year’s message encourages a holistic approach to health at every level—from societies, governments, and health facilities to the individuals that populate them.

 

UW Resources

Environmental Health in the 21st Century: From Air Pollution to Zoonotic Diseases (2018). This text provides encyclopedic entries on environmental health topics.

 

 

From Flint: Voices of a Poisoned City (2017). This documentary details the water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan and the devastating impact on the families living there.
 

 

Risk on the Table: Food Production, Health, and the Environment (2021). This text covers the history of food safety with respect to environmental issues and consumer health.
 

 

India Inhales (2017): A documentary on tobacco use in children in India and the rise in cancer cases as a result of this use. While harmful to human health, tobacco use is also an environmental issue.
 

 

All We can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis (2020). Editors Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson present a collection of essays from women environmental activists, lawyers, and scientists. Also lending their voices to this anthology are various feminist poets and artists who are passionate about the climate movement.

 

 

Cover image credit:

World Health Organization. (2022). Our Planet, Our Health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2022/

Resource Spotlight: World Water Day – March 22

A yearly United Nations observance, World Water Day brings awareness to the fact that over 2 billion people on our planet are living without access to safe drinking water. The theme for 2022 is GROUNDWATER – MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE.

Read more about groundwater, what makes it special, and why it will become increasingly important as the world deals with climate change. As water is an essential resource for everyone, one of the main focal points of this international campaign is Clean Water and Sanitation, one of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals.

 

UW Resources on Water and Public/Global Health

The Water Cries (2009), a documentary on the water crisis in China.

 

Cover image credit:

UN Water. (2022). World Water Day 2022. Retrieved from https://www.worldwaterday.org

Resource Spotlight: National Kidney Month

March is National Kidney Month!

The campaign for 2022 is Building Paths to Better Kidney Care. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reports that an estimated 37 million people in the U.S. have chronic kidney disease, but many don’t know it. Diabetics and those with high blood pressure have a greater risk of developing kidney disease. Because American Indian, African American, and Hispanic communities have higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure, they are also at greater risk for kidney disease.

NIDDK suggests three ways to help care for your kidneys including actively participating in your care with your health care team; following your care plan and staying up to date on your vaccinations; and building a kidney healthy lifestyle by eating healthily, staying active, and maintaining a quality sleep routine.

UW Resources

 

HSL Anatomical Models

Anatomical Kidney Model (library use only)

Anatomical Urinary Organs Model (library use only)

Image credit:

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2022). National Kidney Month 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022 from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/community-health-outreach/national-kidney-month

Celebrating Fair Use Week

Do you have questions about how to legally cite and use others’ resources in your instruction, coursework or scholarly output? How can you share your own work to promote equity of access and retain ownership of your intellectual property?

This week is Fair Use Week. Check out University of Washington Libraries Blog on Fair Use, Copyright and more, including history, tips and tools to help you understand this complex information.

Additionally, learn about Creative Commons licenses and how you can apply it to your intellectual property to say how it can be used.

Finally, see further resources collaboratively developed by University of Washington Libraries and School of Medicine Learning Technologies for a summary of these topics and more.

Content Sources for Pressbooks | UW SOM Learning Technologies

Open Education Week: It’s Bigger than Free Textbooks | UW Libraries Blog

Pressbooks and Open Education Resources | UW SOM Learning Technologies

 

Image credit:

Association of Research Libraries (2015). Fair Use week: Brand style guide. Retrieved February 23, 2022 from https://www.fairuseweek.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/FUW-2015-Style-Guide.pdf

Resource Spotlight: ECRI Guidelines Trust: Cultural Competence Corner

ECRI Guidelines Trust: Cultural Competence Corner provides high quality resources to address health inequity issues that disproportionately affects underserved populations.

This edition provides resources for improving Cardiovascular Health in African American and Black Adults such as articles (below) and more:

  1. Improvements in Diet and Physical Activity–Related Psychosocial Factors Among African Americans Using a Mobile Health Lifestyle Intervention to Promote Cardiovascular Health: The FAITH! (Fostering African American Improvement in Total Health) App Pilot Study
  2. Impact of Technology-Based Intervention for Improving Self-Management Behaviors in Black Adults with Poor Cardiovascular Health: A Randomized Control Trial
  3. Perceptions of Heart-Healthy Behaviors among African American Adults: A Mixed Methods Study

Find articles, factsheets, statistics, and guidelines, for the support African Americans and Black Adult Cardiovascular Health at ECRI — Featured Population: African Americans and Black Adults & Featured Topic: Cardiovascular Health.

Register for a free account at ECRI Guidelines Trust to get more Evidence-based Guideline Briefs based on guidelines from participating guideline developers, medical specialty societies, and other healthcare organizations.

Additional Resources:

ECRI. (2022). ECRI Logo, Retrieved February 11,2022 from https://guidelines.ecri.org/culture

ECRI Cultural Competence Corner logo

ECRI. (2022), Cultural Competence, Retrieved February 11,2022 from https://guidelines.ecri.org/culture

Die Blutgefasse Des Menschen (1898), an antique lithograph of the human blood vessels and cardiovascular system

Rawpixel. (2022). Die Blutgefasse Des Menschen (1898), an antique lithograph of the human blood vessels and cardiovascular system. Digitally enhanced from the original plate. Retrieved February 11,2022 from https://wordpress.org/openverse/image/5c14ea24-ea0b-46b0-b187-30725c8cbd45

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

February 11th is International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

This year’s theme is Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us.

 

UW Organizations & Programs

Global WACh: Three UW departments—Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Global Health—pool their expertise to promote health education, reduce health inequities, and develop strategies to improve the health of women, adolescents, and children across the globe.

Burke Museum’s Girls in Science program: The UW Girls in Science program connects middle and high school students with womxn scientists, Indigenous Knowledge Holders, and real UW lab experiences.

Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE): WiSE recruits and supports women of all ethnic backgrounds in science and engineering (S&E) and fosters a healthy academic and social environment for men and women in engineering at all levels of study.

Multimedia Resources

Picture a Scientist is a documentary on sex discrimination in science. Women scientists recount their experiences studying and working in scientific fields.

 

Women in Science : 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World is a book for young readers (10-17) briefly detailing the biographies of fifty women scientists.

Lost Women of Science is a podcast offering stories of important women who made significant contributions to various fields of science but remain virtually unknown.

 

February is Black History Month

This year’s theme—Black Health and Wellness—acknowledges the work of Black physicians, researchers, midwives, nurses, and other clinicians and healthcare professionals.

UW Organizations and Programs

National Society of Black Health Professionals provides encouragement and support to black undergraduate students interested in healthcare professions.

Black Health Justice Pathway aids medical students in advocating for health equity in UWSOM and in Black communities where they may serve.

List of Black Student Organizations at UW

External Resources

Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly podcast centered on mental health

Library of Congress Resource Guide: Blacks in Science and Related Disciplines (1985)

Library of Congress Resource Guide: African-American Women in the Sciences and Related Disciplines (1993)

Library of Congress Resource Guide: Soul Food with a Focus on Health

National Museum of African American History & Culture: The First African American Physician

National Museum of African American History & Culture: Health

New Health Sciences Library Coming in 2022

In 2022, the University of Washington Health Sciences will launch its next chapter with the opening of a new library space in the upcoming Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB). Centrally located on the third floor and steps away from lecture halls, the new space will extend existing Health Sciences Library services and introduce innovative new ones that meet the evolving needs of the next generation of health care workers.

The new Library space aims to play a foundational role embedded in UW's Interprofessional Education (IPE) curriculum, which allows future dentists, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, public health professionals, and social workers to learn and train together. Inspired by an "active edge" approach, the technology-enhanced study and instruction spaces will facilitate interactive learning opportunities and library instruction on topics including data management, data visualization, citation management, REDCap, database searching, and scholarly communication and publishing, among others.

Programming will focus on four cornerstones:


INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION


ACTIVE LEARNING


SIMULATED LEARNING


INFORMATION SYNTHESIS & DATA MANAGEMENT

UW Libraries Town Hall Presentation - January 2022

Contact

Leah DeSantis, MLIS
Active Edge and Research Services Librarian
desa3413@uw.edu

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. and because there are often no noticeable symptoms in the beginning stages, eye exams are critical for early detection. Though there is no cure, early treatment is key to preventing further vision loss. While anyone can get glaucoma, certain groups have a higher risk including African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, seniors over 60, diabetics, and those with a family history of glaucoma. The National Eye Institute encourages eye exams for early detection, especially for those populations with increased risk for developing glaucoma.

A few resources for ophthalmology students:

Glaucoma in the Elderly

Ultrasound Biomicroscopy: A Game Changer for Childhood Glaucoma

Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery : A Practical Guide

Glaucoma Disparities in the Hispanic Population

HSL eBooks list subject: Ophthalmology

International Day of Epidemic Preparedness: Dec. 27

Last year, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the United Nations General Assembly designated December 27th as the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness. The Covid-19 pandemic brought to light the need for communities at local, national, and global levels to have systems in place to effectively deal with epidemics when they occur, but to also work towards preventing future epidemics.

Resources:

v1