MAR announced the inaugural issue of our quarterly newsletter–The MAReport.

Our goal is…

• to spotlight various aspects of our services and NLM resources
• to highlight a Network member
• to announce classes and training for the next quarter, and
• to touch on any number of possible topics in future issues

Make sure to sign-up to receive future issues using the Subscribe feature. Also, please share the newsletter with colleagues and friends:  http://nnlm.gov/mar/newsletter/.

The third in our series of resources for National Preparedness Month addresses the concerns of pet owners during an emergency or disaster.  According to the 2011-2012 American Pet Products Association, 72% of U.S. households own at least one pet.  Translated into numbers, approximately 78.2 million dogs and about 86.4 million cats are owned in the United States.  The Ready Campaign, FEMA, Citizen Corps, American Red Cross, and the Humane Society of the United States have developed a community pet preparedness toolkit for owners or pet caregivers.  The toolkit contains links to pet-friendly lodgings, Ready Campaign Pets Toolkit, a trifold brochure that you can print for your consumers and community members, plus much more to explore.

Michelle Burda

Network & Advocacy Coordinator

National Network of Libraries of Medicine

Middle Atlantic Region

The K-12 group of the National Library of Medicine (one of the 27 institutes of the National Institutes of Health), developed an afterschool science club curriculum for middle school students, called “Discovering the Connection: Your Environment, Your Health.” The curriculum combines research on the Tox Town website with hands-on experiments and communication and social action activities. The objective is to introduce middle school students to environmental health issues in their everyday life, stressing the relevance of science to informed citizenship.

The curriculum contains six units that each introduce one environmental health topic (e.g., Water, Air Quality, Chemicals in Your Home, Food Safety) and include three to four 50-60 minute lessons. All lessons come with teacher instructions and student handouts; the materials needed for hands-on experiments are simple items that can be found in a supermarket.

We are looking for several educators across the country who would partner with us by 1) conducting this club at their middle school, and 2) sharing their experience with colleagues via media and conference presentations. If interested, please, answer the following questions:

1. Your name

2. Name and location of your school

3. Grade level(s) and subject(s) you teach

4. Why are you interested in this opportunity? (one paragraph)

5. How could you share your club experience with other educators in your school, county, state, region? (one paragraph)

Please, email your answers and inquiries to Dr. Alla Keselman at keselmana@mail.nih.gov.

Check out the September issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research. In this edition:

See, Hear, Speak / Are Kids’ Senses Ready for School?
Early classroom success depends on healthy hearing, vision, speech and language. If a child has problems in these areas, the sooner they’re spotted, the better they can be treated.
Read more about hearing, language and vision at school.

Safe Driving for Distracted Teens / Steering in the Right Direction
Mile for mile, teens are involved in 3 times as many fatal crashes as more experienced drivers. Why are young drivers so vulnerable to accidents and injuries? And what can we do to reduce their risk? NIH-funded researchers are looking for some answers.
Read more about teen driving.

Health Capsules:

• Household Mold Linked to Asthma in Children
• Video Looks at the Science of Yoga

Featured Website: 52 Weeks for Women’s Health

MAR announced the inaugural issue of our quarterly newsletter–The MAReport.

Our goal is…

• to spotlight various aspects of our services and NLM resources
• to highlight a Network member
• to announce classes and training for the next quarter, and
• to touch on any number of possible topics in future issues

Make sure to sign-up to receive future issues using the Subscribe feature. Also, please share the newsletter with colleagues and friends:  http://nnlm.gov/mar/newsletter/.

Kids.gov is the U.S. government’s website for children (grades K-8). Kids, parents, and teachers can use the site to get help with homework, access lesson plans, watch videos, play games, and more.

If you’ve visited Kids.gov previously, you’ll notice that the website has been completely redesigned. The vibrant new site provides areas for three specific audiences: kids (grades K-5), teens (grades 6-8), and grown-ups (teachers and parents).

Enjoy exploring all that Kids.gov has to offer, including the following examples:

• How to Become President of the United States — Check out a colorful and informative poster to help kids understand the process of becoming President.
• Videos Featuring Various Careers — View videos describing different professions, ranging from an archeologist with the National Park Service to an executive chef at the White House.
• How Parents Can Get Involved –  Get homework tips, learn about school meal programs, find out how to help stop bullying, and more.
• Lesson Plans — Teachers can find lesson plans on math, history, science, music, and other topics.

This week, ONC added a number of resources to HealthIT.gov.  Highlights include:

Stage 2 Meaningful Use—Final Rules:  On Thursday, August 23, ONC and CMS released final requirements for the Stage 2 Electronic Health Records Incentive programs and Standards & Certification Criteria.  Information and resources about both rules are available on a new Meaningful Use Stage 2 page.

New Consumer Videos Available:  In recent weeks, ONC has expanded its library of consumer-friendly videos.  New videos available in the Patients and Families section of HealthIT.gov include an animated video about the benefits of health IT, as well as winners of two consumer video challenges.  Watch the videos.

Redesigned Federal Advisory Committee (FACA) Pages Launched:  Webpages for the Health IT Policy and Standards committees and workgroups meetings featuring a new meeting calendar are now available.  Visit the new FACA pages to view calendars and other resources for both the Health IT Policy Committee and the Health IT Standards Committee.

Read the Buzz from Your Mobile Device:  ONC launched its Health IT Buzz blog mobile website.  Readers can now access information about health IT and view important updates from ONC from their smartphone or other mobile devices.  Read the Health IT Buzz blog.

Visit HealthIT.gov often for the latest information and resources and to stay up-to-date on how health IT is improving America’s health and health care!

MAR announced the inaugural issue of our quarterly newsletter–The MAReport.

Our goal is…

• to spotlight various aspects of our services and NLM resources
• to highlight a Network member
• to announce classes and training for the next quarter, and
• to touch on any number of possible topics in future issues

Make sure to sign-up to receive future issues using the Subscribe feature. Also, please share the newsletter with colleagues and friends:  http://nnlm.gov/mar/newsletter/.

Location:  Free, Online:  http://nnlm.gov/mar/ (the URL is posted the morning of each session)

Date:  September 27, 2012

Awardee: Kristina Flathers, Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children of The Nemours Foundation
Project: iRound: Bringing EBM to Family Centered Clinical Teaching Rounds
Description: The project outfited three General Pediatrics Residency teams with iPads; one each will be distributed to the senior resident, the attending physician, the librarian and the nurse. Each team member was given the capability to access electronic medical records (EMRs) through the iPad on the Nemours secure network and perform their own searches within the library portal for access to electronic EBM and library resources.

Awardee: Bruce Johnston, Robert Morris University
Project: Advancing Technology in Nursing Education: Integrating iPads into Clinical Practice and Patient Education
Description: Robert Morris Library and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, along with UPMC Passavant, used state-of-the-art technology to augment and improve nursing education as well as patient education activities. By adding iPad2 devices and relevant apps, this project improved the technology mix for accessing health information. Nursing students were the target audience, along with clinical instructors working with the student nurses on patient care units, as well as the RMU Clinical Faculty Instructor and Health Sciences Librarian.

Awardee: Joey Nicholson, New York University School of Medicine
Project: Pilot Project using Anatomy Apps and Mobile Resources to Improve Learning in the Anatomy Lab
Description: NYU purchased an iPad for the Education and Curriculum Librarian to support and demonstrate new anatomy teaching technology, as well as 30 copies of the Netter’s Anatomy Atlas iPad application and Grant’s Dissector through Inkling to be used on 30 NYU School of Medicine iPads supplied to the anatomy lab. At the beginning of their anatomy course, students received a demonstration from the Librarian of how to access and use the iPads that included an overview of what is in each of the apps and how they can be used to support anatomy education. Students were able to go back and forth between the 3D visualization and the reference applications in real time as they dissected cadavers to support their learning and retention.

Awardee: Cristina Pope, Upstate University Health System, Health Sciences Library
Project: Emergency Preparedness: Enhancing Communication and Access to Health Information Resources
Description: The pilot project’s primary objective was to determine whether the incorporation of an iPad loaded with emergency preparedness resources and an online synchronous communication application would enhance the Emergency Preparedness Regional Partnership’s ability to prepare for catastrophic events through planning; provide a forum to strengthen collaboration among emergency preparedness partners throughout the healthcare system; facilitate the development of exercises and evaluations; facilitate the delivery of emergency preparedness training and education; provide information sharing and communication between preparedness partners and build emergency response capability.

New Genetics Education Resource:  http://geneed.nlm.nih.gov

The National Library of Medicine is pleased to announce the release of a new educational resource, GeneEd.  Developed in collaboration with the National Human Genome Institute (NHGRI), teachers and experts in genetics and genetic counseling, GeneEd is a safe and useful resource for students and teachers in grades 9 – 12 to learn genetics.  GeneEd allows students and teachers to explore topics such as Cell Biology, DNA, Genes, Chromosomes, Heredity/Inheritance Patterns, Epigenetics/Inheritance and the Environment, Genetic Conditions, Evolution, Biostatistics, Biotechnology, DNA Forensics, and Top Issues in Genetics.

Teachers can use the site to introduce topics, supplement existing materials, and provide as a reliable source to students conducting research. The site links to categories such as research articles, animation, games, videos, interactive tutorials, and labs and experiments.  3D images, illustrations and text from NHRGI help to enrich the user experience by providing vivid imagery to reinforce genetic concepts.  Text varies from easy-to-read to advanced reading levels, which makes this a versatile tool both in and out of the classroom.  Specialty pages including Teacher Resources and Labs and Experiments highlight those tools that teachers may find particularly helpful.  Other specialty pages such as Careers in Genetics and Highlights allow students to see what is new and noteworthy in the field of Genetics along with links to different careers related to the science of Genetics.

To stay up to date with all NLM’s K-12 resources subscribe to the K12NLMRESOURCES listserv, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.