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Public Health Informationist
Gillian Mayman, Public Health Library & Informatics staff member, has been awarded a two-year National Library of Medicine Fellowship for Informationist Training. Informationist fellows pursue an individually tailored program that includes formal coursework, practicum experience, and a research project that focuses on the application of information technology in a health sciences discipline. Gillian will work within Public Health Library & Informatics to expand public health informatics training and will work with local health departments in Michigan to assess information needs and to develop online, competency-based informatics resources.
A public health informationist is an information specialist who has received graduate training and practical experience that provides them with disciplinary background both in public health and in information sciences/informatics. This cross training provides informationists with a unique perspective on the acquisition, synthesis, and application of information to problem solving and program development.
The public health informationist can fulfill many roles. A few examples include: computer and information literacy training for the public health workforce; information retrieval and synthesis for grant proposals and evidence-based programs; knowledge management for large departments or organizations; information architecture and content management for public web sites; and reference services for health information queries from the public.
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