Expanded Content and New Faculty for the MLA Research Training Institute (RTI)
Submitted by: Susan Lessick
Four High-Demand Educational Areas for Advanced Research
The Research Training Institute (RTI) is a year-long, mentored research fellowship that prepares health sciences librarians and LIS graduate students to design, conduct, and disseminate high-quality, librarian-led research that advances health services, education, and library programs.
As the research landscape continues to evolve — shaped by rapid technological advances and growing expectations for rigor, transparency, and impact — RTI is expanding its curriculum to address these emerging needs. Building on an already strong foundation, we are excited to announce new content areas in our curriculum and faculty expertise that will further enhance the RTI learning experience. Beginning in 2026, RTI will incorporate four high-demand educational areas into the curriculum:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) in research
- Research reproducibility
- Research impact
- Survey validation
AI in Research
In response to the growing presence of AI tools in education and research, RTI’26 will introduce a new module focused on responsible AI use in the research process. This module will be taught by Alex Carroll, AHIP, Associate Director of the Science and Engineering Library at Vanderbilt University, Associate Editor of the Journal of the Medical Library Association, and author of Essentials of STEM Librarianship. Alex leads a team of librarians at Vanderbilt who are integrating AI literacy into their information literacy instruction and assessing AI tools for coding and content analysis. Drawing on his experience as a researcher and educator, Alex will discuss AI-supported uses in the research process, including capabilities and limitations, ethical considerations, and best practices.
Research Reproducibility
The RTI has long emphasized research quality, methodological rigor, and transparency as essential to advancing health sciences librarianship. To further support robust, transparent, and reproducible librarian-led research—and to encourage health sciences librarians to adopt best practices in research rigor and reproducibility—RTI’26 will introduce a new module on research reproducibility, designed to address the unique needs and challenges of health sciences librarianship. This module will be taught by Melissa Rethlefsen, PhD, MSLS, AHIP, Executive Director of the Health Sciences Library & Informatics Center at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. With her extensive expertise and national leadership in this field, Melissa will share practical strategies librarians can use to integrate transparency and reproducibility into their research designs, including reporting of research objectives, methods, and findings; data sharing; study registration; and more. Participants will also be introduced to best-practice reporting guidelines for various types of research studies, supporting the reliability, value, transparency, and reuse of their research — and of health information research more broadly.
Research Impact
Recognizing growing expectations to demonstrate value, outcomes, and influence, RTI ’26 will broaden its coverage of research impact. This new module will be taught by Karen Gutzman, Head of Research Assessment and Communications at the Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center at Northwestern University, who brings deep expertise in research visibility and digital dissemination. The module will move beyond dissemination alone and focus on examining the results of dissemination efforts. Participants will explore using both traditional metrics and altmetrics to show impact, including profile systems, tools for tracking metrics and altmetrics, social media metrics, media and policy mentions, and qualitative evidence of impact. Emphasis will be placed on selecting appropriate indicators, articulating impact for diverse audiences, and aligning research findings with institutional and community priorities—skills increasingly crucial for accountability, advocacy, and professional growth.
Survey Validation
Given the widespread use of surveys in health information research, RTI ’26 will introduce focused instruction on survey validation. Mark MacEachern, an Informationist at the Taubman Health Sciences Library at the University of Michigan, and co-lead and founding instructor of the RTI, will teach this new module. Mark will address core types of validity relevant to librarian-led research, with an emphasis on practical validation techniques, appropriate statistical support, and transparent reporting of validation methods. Participants will learn how to evaluate existing instruments, strengthen self-developed surveys, and document validation decisions, thereby enhancing the rigor and transparency of survey-based research.
Need Help with Your Application?
Join us for the next RTI Office Hours on February 4, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., central time. This is an informal and unrecorded session with RTI faculty and staff to help answer any questions regarding your application. Additional information and resources, including the RTI Jury Application Rubric and sample letter to make your case to attend are available on MLANET. Applications are due February 16, 2026. If you have any questions, please contact RTI founding director, Susan Lessick, AHIP, FMLA.
Together, these new content areas reflect RTI’s ongoing commitment to preparing health sciences librarians to conduct research that is methodologically sound, ethically grounded, and responsive to the evolving research environment. We look forward to welcoming the RTI ’26 cohort into an enriched curriculum that builds on RTI’s strong tradition of excellence, mentorship, and scholarly leadership.