The 2025 Research Training Institute (RTI) is offered in a virtual format from May 2025 to June 2026. The institute provides high-quality advanced research methods curriculum and learning model, with mentoring and support for one year while participants complete their research projects.
Angela Ackerman, https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7714-6911, is currently a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) with a concentration in Archives Resources and Services, along with an Applied Data-Driven Methods certificate from the School of Computing and Information. Angela has interned at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Library Archives and is currently interning at Yale New Haven Health Archives, focusing on digital preservation and metadata management. Angela graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor’s degree in Biopsychology, with a track in Neuroscience and a concentration in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Angela is actively involved in professional organizations, including the Connecticut Library Association and the New England Archivists (NEA). Her research interests focus on the intersection of archival science, data analytics, and technology.
Kinza Alizai, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9286-0881, is a doctoral candidate in the College of Information Science program at the University of North Texas. Originally from Pakistan, her research focuses on analyzing the health behaviors of displaced Afghan women residing in displacement camps in Pakistan. In addition, she aims to create digital archives to preserve undocumented herbal wisdom, which is increasingly at risk due to global warming and the digital divide prevalent in South Asia, encompassing countries such as Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
Caroline Allen, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1039-8684, is a medical librarian in the Iowa Healthcare Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. She is a member of the Association of Vision Science Librarians and its Vetted Journals Committee. Additionally, she is the immediate past chair of the Vision Science Caucus and the current president of the Midwest Chapter of MLA. She is primarily interested in the creation and dissemination of misinformation and disinformation, as well as why people hold unwarranted beliefs, and how to help individuals move away from such beliefs.
Caroline Axthelm, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7817-7840, is a Librarian at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, DC. She has over 15 years of experience in health sciences libraries and holds an MSLIS from Drexel University. Caroline supports researchers and leadership by providing evidence-based information for clinical care and policy development. She leads digital resource training, literature searching, and collaboration on library integration projects. Caroline’s research interests focus on how libraries may impact nursing retention and other workforce outcomes in healthcare settings.
Victoria Caine, https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3659-0583, is a Health Sciences Librarian for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. She has been a health sciences librarian since January 2024 and previously worked at a public library and the state historical research library. She received her MLIS from the University of Arizona in 2021 and also holds a Master of Arts degree in International Leadership from Crown College. In her role with the University of Arizona, she provides information services to students, faculty, and researchers. She is also serving as secretary for the Medical Library Group of Southern California and Arizona (MLGSCA) for the 2025-2026 calendar year.
Jennie Crumpton, https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0515-3262, is a health science liaison librarian at the University of Florida, with a master’s degree in information science (2023) and occupational therapy (2017). Jennie primarily serves the College of Dentistry, several departments in the College of Medicine, and the Health and Human Performance department. Additionally, she upholds a current CPR/First Aid certification and a Florida Dental Hygiene license. Jennie has over seven years of combined experience in the medical field through volunteering, various internships, and work experiences. She is an active member of SCMLA and MLA, and her primary research interests include health humanities, sustainability practices, collection development, and wellness and community building.
Sarah Engleking, https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8317-6142, is a graduate student in the Master of Information Science program at the University of North Texas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. Sarah has several years of experience as a middle school science teacher in Frisco ISD and Katy ISD. She also worked as a Library Clerk at the Salado Public Library. Her area of concentration is Health Science Librarianship, with research interests in digital consumer health literacy and the mitigation of health misinformation.
Jennifer Feldman, AHIP, https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6070-8280, is a hospital librarian at the Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center, where she has served since 2021. In this role, she supports numerous clinical departments by providing a wide range of information services, including access to point-of-care information resources, guidance on navigating medical literature, and support for evidence-based practice and research. She also delivers regular training sessions and individual consultations across multiple hospital departments. Previously, she held various roles within the Ohio Health Sciences Library Association. She is an active member of multiple MLA caucuses and a senior member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP). Her research interests focus on how the information-seeking behaviors of clinical providers influence their ability to provide patient care.
Andrea Harrow, AHIP-D, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2240-819X, is a Clinical Librarian for Norris Medical Library and Keck Medical Center of USC at the University of Southern California. She received her bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her master’s degree in information services management from London Metropolitan University, London, England. She has been an active member of the Medical Library Association since 2006, and is currently serving as President, 2024-25 of her local chapter, the Medical Library Group of Southern California & Arizona. Andrea has been a hospital librarian for over 20 years and is interested in evidence-based practice, supporting clinician scholarly communication, and evolving library information service models.
Molly Hemphill, https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5727-428X, is the Medical Education Librarian at UCLA in the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library. She currently serves as the library liaison to the David Geffen School of Medicine, develops instruction and outreach programming for students, faculty, and researchers, and contributes to the library’s systematic review service. Molly holds an MLIS from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and has previous work experience in special collections and public libraries. Her current research interests are misinformation and information-seeking behavior of medical students.
Alyssa Huffman, https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5766-9666, is an Urban Health Research Librarian at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from Eastern Michigan University and a master’s in library and information science, as well as a graduate certificate in Archival Administration from Wayne State University. Her previous work experience includes public librarianship and corporate archiving. Alyssa is serving a three-year residency position with a focus on scholarly communications and publishing. Her current research interests include information literacy and artificial intelligence literacy in medical education.
Jane Jun, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8938-4028, is a health sciences Librarian at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan. She mostly grew up on unceded, ancestral Musqueam Territory (UBC Vancouver) and is deeply grateful to be currently living and working on unceded and ancestral Syilx Territory (Kelowna). She has a BEd and MLIS with a background in English and German and is currently learning the nsyilxcən language. At UBC, she provides instructional and research support and helped to establish the institution’s Knowledge Synthesis Service. Her research interests are rooted in decolonizing learning environments and intersectional social justice, with a current focus on cultural safety and competency in case-based learning (CBL).
Poppy Krump, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3081-6487, is currently an Information Scientist at the Center for Knowledge Management (CKM) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In this role, she actively works and collaborates on a diverse range of projects aimed at improving access to health information for researchers, clinicians, and communities in need. Poppy earned her master’s in information sciences from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Recently, as artificial intelligence continues to expand and penetrate into the health sciences, she and several colleagues have been engaged in research exploring the most relevant and appropriate use of large language models within medical librarianship.
Corinne Miller, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9262-152X, is a clinical librarian at Northwestern University’s Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Cornell University and an MLIS from Dominican University. In her role, she supports faculty, fellows, residents, and students during rounds by providing evidence to inform decision-making and patient care. She also leads library-based instruction sessions and collaborates on systematic reviews. Her research interests include the impact of librarian involvement on systematic review quality and the effect of librarian/informationist support on clinical decision-making and patient outcomes.
Kelsey Molseed, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8295-0891, is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Arkansas Libraries, where she supports faculty and students in nursing, exercise science, public health, and other programs within the College of Education and Health Professions. She earned her MLIS from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, in 2018 and was a Research and Instruction Librarian at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia, until she began her current role in 2024. She also holds a BA in history from Juniata College. Her research interests include misinformation in healthcare and information literacy among health professionals.
Laurel Mueller, https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4460-9558, is the Medical and Biomedical Sciences Liaison Librarian at the University at Buffalo. Here, she serves as the primary liaison for undergraduate students and residents in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Laurel received her MS in Library & Information Sciences and MA in History from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2024, where she specialized in the history of medicine and reproductive health. Her current research interests include health literacy, misinformation, user experience, and the history of medical librarianship.
Zemirah Ngow, AHIP, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7121-2949, is a Collection Strategist for Life and Health Sciences at UC San Diego, leading initiatives that bridge academic and clinical resource needs. With expertise in licensing negotiations and transformative agreements, she optimizes collection budgets while building strategic partnerships with UC San Diego Health. As didactic faculty at Gurnick Academy and National University, she teaches Research Methods within various healthcare programs. Her research focuses on student engagement in research, mentorship models, and interprofessional education. Zemirah’s work spans systematic review methodology, evidence-based practice, and advancing scholarly communications through sustainable access models.
Ruby L. Nugent, AHIP, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8426-4729, is the Biomedical Research Librarian at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, having earned her MALIS degree from the University of Arizona as Knowledge River Scholar in 2019. With a BA in Chicano Studies and over 20 years of working in various types of libraries, she utilizes her experience and background to support staff, faculty, clinicians, researchers, and patients. Ruby’s scholarly interests include reinforcing the role of librarians in providing access to health information and increasing health literacy for diverse communities, developing best practices for comprehensive searching and evidence synthesis, and supporting the educational and professional pipeline to medical librarianship.
Annabel Pinkney, https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5255-0871, is a Metadata Librarian at PEDSnet, a multi-institutional pediatric learning health system headquartered at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. At PEDSnet, she manages an institutional repository containing computable biomedical knowledge (CBK) artifacts. Annabel received her BA in chemistry from The Ohio State University and her MSLIS from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Annabel is interested in applications of AI in metadata description and developing metadata standards for the description of CBK artifacts.
Ashley Purvis, https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6658-8826, is the Health Sciences Student Success & Instruction Librarian at West Virginia University. Ashley provides instruction to the majority of the Health Science Campus including the School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, and School of Nursing. She also assists in research support services and serves as an instructor for the introductory health science research course for undergraduates. Her research interests include health literacy, evidence-based practice instruction methods, and accessibility.
Amy Taylor, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3631-8374, is a Medical Librarian for Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Amy holds a Master of Library Science with a focus on Health Informatics from the University of North Texas. Her work has contributed to numerous published systematic reviews in peer-reviewed journals, and she has been actively involved in professional organizations, including the Medical Library Association (MLA), where she helped develop the Living Library program as part of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. For this initiative, she received the Hospital Library Caucus Innovation Award and the MLA President’s Award. Her current research interests include librarianship within the independent academic medical centers and systematic reviews.
Rachel Whitney, AHIP, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9648-055X, is an Assistant Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she works as a Research and Education Informationist. In this role, she provides reference assistance, research consultations, and instruction to students and faculty. Rachel earned her MLIS from the University of South Florida in 2015 and was part of the 2023–2024 MLA Rising Stars cohort. Her current research interests include evidence-based librarianship, the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL), evidence synthesis, and finding ways to improve student engagement and integrate new technologies in the classroom.
April Wright, https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9036-8770, is an Outreach and Education Librarian with Region 1 of the Network of the National Library of Medicine and a current student working on her Master’s in Public Health Practice and Policy at the University of Maryland. Before coming to the health sciences/medical library sector, she worked in public libraries. Her current research interests are healthcare and information access for people who are incarcerated and social determinants of health.
Emily Zimmerman, AHIP, https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2748-6245, is a Health Sciences Librarian at Marshall B. Ketchum University, supporting the research and instruction of the Optometry, Pharmacy, and PA programs. Emily has a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BA in Architecture from the University of Toronto. Her research interests are consumer health information online, generative AI in education, and public health. She is committed to lifelong learning, promoting inclusivity, and helping others. She is outgoing and curious, and loves connecting with people while fostering an environment of creativity and positivity.