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Gamechangers: Presidential Priorities for 2011/12

Submitted by Gerald (Jerry) Perry, AHIP, President-Elect, MLA

As the association of the most visible, valued, and trusted health information experts, MLA and its members are at a critical juncture. Health care and insurance reform, the transitioning of health care delivery toward prevention services, the emergence of e-science, and the evolution of translational research are but a few of the gamechangers that we face in our work lives. In nearly every environment and context in which we operate, ongoing transformational change is the norm, and it is incumbent upon us to perform beyond the expectations of even our most ardent supporters. The world in which we work as health information professionals demands now more than ever that we bring our “A” game.

MLA President Ruth Holst, AHIP, FMLA, encouraged us this past year to Rethink our values and roles. My priorities for the coming year leverage that groundwork and are intended to launch us into the next logical phase, one of implementation. My priorities ask us to step up and become the agents of the change we wish to see—to become gamechangers. After all, we have the ability, the acumen, and the audacity.

Every day, a health sciences librarian steps up to the plate and swings for the fences. Sometimes he or she hits it out of the park. Sometimes he or she whiffs. It is all part of the game of trying, of doing our best, of taking an intentional risk of succeeding. My priorities challenge us to consider our association’s and members’ signature strengths, and apply them strategically to what we know are critical priorities in the health information world in which we work. For we know the chances for our success greatly improve when we get in the game!

Every year, the MLA president works with the Board of Directors to consider progress made toward the strategic plan of the association, as well as the priorities of previous presidents. A conscientious effort is made to build on the successes of past initiatives and direct attention to emerging issues. Starting with President Connie Schardt, AHIP, FMLA, the association’s leadership and members have made terrific progress in enhancing virtual access to the association’s meetings; that work continued under Ruth Holst’s leadership and will be an area of ongoing interest and encouragement during my presidency. Ruth Holst also directed us to consider how we assess and measure our successes, and I am committed to continuing that work, particularly in coordination with our Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) friends.

The strategic priorities around which I will be asking MLA members to energize and engage during 2011/12 include:

articulating and promoting best practices for our effectively engaging in health information services and practices supporting clinical translational sciences initiatives
preparing the association for “succession planning” in light of the long-anticipated demographic changes to our profession, recognizing the impact that the “Great Recession” is having on our members
enhancing our readiness for engaging in the ongoing transition to a public health and prevention orientation in the delivery of health care services
taking our signature education programming “game” to the next level by establishing an MLA Academy of Teaching Excellence (MATE), which will provide mentoring and leadership by our most exceptional and talented instructors and educators for our members who teach

It’s time for all of us to swing for the fences!

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