Annual Report 1999/2000 

Medical Informatics Section

Progress on Goals and Objectives

Goal 1. Professional Development

• MIS is the lead section for two co-sponsored contributed paper sessions at MLA 2000 meeting in Vancouver, BC: 1) Clinical applications of technologies: Linking knowledge-based information to the clinical record with the Medical School Libraries section; and 2) Life-long learning: Information competencies for the health practitioner with the Medical School Libraries and Public Health/Health Administration Libraries sections. Topic areas focused on core responses to the section’s continuing education survey. Ten papers were selected from a competitive pool. Diana Cunningham chaired the program committee.
• MIS is sponsoring three sessions at the 8th International Congress of Medical Librarians to be held July 1-5, 2000, in London, England. Each session will include four presentations under the following titles: Librarians and Informatics: Making It Work, Advanced Technologies for Digital Libraries, and The Visible Human Project: An International Imaging Resource. T. Scott Pultchak chaired the coordinating committee.
• MIS/MLA Career Development Grant Jury recommended two applications from a pool of thirteen applicants, which were confirmed by the MLA board. Recipients were Kathleen Bauer and Kathryn Kerdolff. Roger Guard chaired the jury committee.
• The spring 1999 MIS Continuing Education Needs Assessment, conducted by email, was posted to the section Website. Results of this survey were incorporated into program planning for the annual meeting. A Self-Education Resources Project was developed and posted on the section’s Website. The project offers starting points for a number of informatics topics identified in the CE survey. Each topic includes approximately three Websites and a linked PubMed search. Kristine Alpi served as the professional development liaison and David Yamamoto as the Website editor.

Goal 2. Advocacy

• For the second year, MIS members wrote a series of short articles on informatics topics for the MLA News. Those published to date are: 1) Medical Informatics Education and Training: Our Dual Roles of Teacher and Learner, Jan 2000; and 2) The AAMC Medical Informatics Objectives and Librarian Roles, Mar 2000. Trudy Gardner served as the series editor.
• The section sponsored the development of the Internet SIG, in particular to establish a Website and email discussion list, and support an informal meeting at MLA 2000.

MOTION
This report is informational and requires no action by the Board of Directors.

Debra S. Ketchell
Chair