Advanced Literature Search in Health Sciences

Mark MacEachern is a prominent health sciences informationist at the University of Michigan's Taubman Health Sciences Library, where he has served since 2007. After earning his BA from McMaster University and Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Western Ontario, he began his career as a Liaison Services Librarian before advancing to his current role as Informationist in 2013. His expertise focuses on evidence-based practice, advanced search methodologies, and systematic reviews in healthcare research. MacEachern has made significant contributions to medical library education, including co-developing the innovative "Systematic Reviews: Opportunities for Librarians" course and serving as faculty for the Medical Library Association's Research Training Institute since 2018. His excellence has been recognized with several prestigious honors, including the Ida and George Eliot Prize (2018), the Estelle Brodman Award for Academic Medical Librarian of the Year (2019), and the University Librarian Achievement Award (2020). Currently, he leads the development of advanced literature searching courses at Michigan, collaborates with health professionals on review projects, and continues to shape the field of health sciences information through his research and teaching.

Judith (Judy) Smith is a Health Sciences Informationist at the University of Michigan's Taubman Health Sciences Library, where she specializes in health policy and health services research. After earning her BA in English from the University of Michigan and MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois, she established herself as an expert in research impact assessment and health policy information services. Her work focuses on supporting the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, the Center for Health and Research Transformation, and the Department of Health Management and Policy in the School of Public Health. Smith has made significant contributions to developing research impact metrics and assessment tools, co-leading the Research Impact Core initiative launched in 2017 to enhance understanding of citation metrics and alternative research impact measures

Jean Song is a prominent library administrator who currently serves as Director of the Mardigian Library at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Her career trajectory showcases extensive expertise in health sciences information services, beginning as Reference Coordinator at UM's Public Health Library & Informatics before gaining industry experience at Pfizer Global Research and Development as a systems administrator. Upon returning to academia, she served as Bioinformationist at the Taubman Health Sciences Library and liaison to the National Center for Integrative Biomedical Informatics. She later built and led the Research and Informatics unit before advancing to Associate Director for Academic and Clinical Engagement at Taubman Health Sciences Library. Her leadership has been particularly impactful in integrating library services with clinical enterprise and curriculum development across major health sciences schools. Song holds a BS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and an MSI from the University of Michigan. Her commitment to diversity and equity has made Taubman one of the most diverse units within the U-M Library System through her active mentorship of underrepresented groups in health sciences librarianship. Her research focuses on measuring library impact on patient and population care, recently co-authoring significant studies on assessment methodologies in health sciences libraries.

Tyler Nix is an accomplished informationist and Associate Director of the Research and Informatics unit at the University of Michigan's Taubman Health Sciences Library. After earning his Master of Science in Library Science from the University of Kentucky in 2015, he began his career as an Associate Fellow at the National Library of Medicine before joining the University of Michigan. His expertise spans advanced literature searching, research impact assessment, and data visualization. His research contributions include significant work on measuring research impact in medical publishing, exploring social determinants of health through data visualization, and examining the role of librarians in care navigation. A notable aspect of his scholarship addresses disability representation in library classifications, highlighting his commitment to inclusive information services. At Taubman Health Sciences Library, he collaborates with faculty and students on research projects, provides expertise in literature searching methodologies, and leads initiatives to enhance research impact assessment. His work continues to shape how health sciences libraries evaluate and demonstrate their impact on academic and clinical outcomes.

Patricia F. Anderson serves as the Emerging Technologies Informationist at the University of Michigan's Taubman Health Sciences Library, where she pioneers innovative approaches to health information services. With degrees in both French and German, she brings a diverse skill set to her role exploring cutting-edge technologies in healthcare education and research. Her creative work spans developing mobile apps, creating educational comics and video games, establishing virtual world library collections, and implementing 3D printing initiatives. Anderson's research focuses on multiple areas including social media in healthcare communities, wearable technologies, text mining applications, and systematic reviews. She has made significant contributions to health information science as the senior co-author of the Medical Library Association Encyclopedic Guide to Searching and Finding Health Information on the Web. Her current work involves collaborating with microbiome researchers and precision medicine specialists while exploring personal genomics applications. As a member of the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media Advisory Board, she continues to shape how emerging technologies can enhance health sciences education and research