The 2026 Research Training Institute (RTI) is offered in a virtual format from May 2026 to June 2027. 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.
Thea Atwood, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8348-1097, is an Associate Librarian for Public Health at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB). She received her master’s in library and information science from Syracuse University. Atwood works with faculty, students, and researchers in Public Health to help meet their instructional and research needs and leads the Evidence Synthesis Service at IUB. Her current research explores the intersection of boundary setting, creativity, time management, slow librarianship, and the practice of librarianship.
Nicole Bentinganan, https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7447-3616, is the Health Sciences Librarian at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Since beginning her role in February 2025, she has supported clinicians and researchers through literature searching, instruction, and research services. She actively engages in outreach, professional presentations, and the development of research support initiatives. Nicole’s current research interests focus on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in medical research and evaluating the significance of “high-impact” journal designations, including their relevance for evidence-based practice and scholarly publishing.
Alison Beshur, https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3854-4515, graduated in May with an MLS and Certificate in Evidence-Based Health Sciences Librarianship from Texas Woman’s University. During her final semester, she completed her internship at the University of Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine Library. As a part of her internship, Alison researched AI chat tools and health sciences research, wrote a blog post, and presented her research to university librarians and faculty. Alison hopes to continue researching AI and health sciences research in the RTI program. Currently, she works fulltime for UnitedHealthcare as a Network Program Consultant managing provider Medicaid manuals.
Jennifer Brady, EdD, AHIP, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5203-7284, is the Head Librarian for the Zalk Veterinary Medical Library for the Mizzou Libraries in Columbia, Missouri. She holds an EdD in Higher Education Administration and Instructional Design from Lindenwood University and an MLIS from University of Washington. In her role at Mizzou, she provides instructional and research support to the departments of Vet Med, pathobiology & integrative biomedical sciences, animal sciences, & OneHealth. Jenn’s research focuses on how embedded libraries and librarians impact the culture of the colleges they serve, and how to convey that to stakeholders.
Vana Chalian, https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7033-6276, is a graduate student from Los Angeles pursuing her MLIS at San José State University, graduating in May 2026. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley. Vana has interned at the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, supporting information services in an academic medical setting. She is actively involved in professional organizations, including the Medical Library Group of Southern California & Arizona (MLGSCA) and the California Library Association. Her research focuses on misinformation and the information‑seeking behavior of medical students, particularly how future clinicians evaluate source credibility, navigate digital health information, and develop evidence‑based decision‑making skills.
Brianna Chatmon, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6584-6689, is the Research Impact Informationist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where she supports faculty and researchers through bibliometric analysis, research visibility, scholarly identity management, and data informed reporting for promotion, tenure, accreditation, and strategic planning. She previously served as Instruction and Scholarly Communications Librarian and Assistant Professor at Marymount University and has held roles at Johns Hopkins University and the National Library of Medicine. Her work focuses on research impact assessment, responsible use of metrics, and translating complex scholarly data into clear, actionable insights, alongside teaching and presenting on citation analysis, publication strategy, and research readiness in higher education.
Andrew Crow, https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3068-142X, is a Knowledge Consultant Librarian at Allina Health Library Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His professional activities include literature searching, EBM promotion/outreach, and conducting institutional-based research. While Andrew has a focused research interest in reducing the systemic problem of workplace violence with clinicians, he is open to additional research possibilities.
LaVentra E. Danquah, MLIS, AHIP-D, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6279-3761, is a forward-thinking medical librarian and leader who is committed to improving workforce development, promoting equitable community outreach, and encouraging student-centered research. She makes significant contributions to the development of library services as Director of Wayne State University’s Vera P. Shiffman Medical Library and Learning Resource Center. Her research focuses on understanding how preclinical medical students use library resources in medical education. LaVentra’s goal is to improve access, discovery, and the application of evidence-based practices within library services by examining the barriers and motivators that influence their use. She has received over 200,000 in funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Region 3 and serves on EBSCO’s inaugural Medical Library Leaders Advisory Board.
Maria Deptula, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7605-8936, is an experienced librarian with a diverse background in academic, special, and public libraries. She holds an MLIS from Rutgers University and an MA in History and Archives from John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin, Poland. Currently, Maria serves as the Health Sciences Collections Librarian at Rutgers University, George F. Smith Library. She has presented a wide range of library topics at local, national, and international conferences, and her current research focuses on Open Access and bibliometrics. Maria has held leadership positions in professional organizations, including serving as President of the New Jersey Academic Librarians (NJAL).
Spencer DesAutels, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6120-2496, is a Senior Information Scientist at the Center for Knowledge Management at Vanderbilt Health. In this role he participates in collaborative strategic projects to improve workflows with custom internal and trusted external knowledge sources. His research interests include information seeking behaviors, community engagement, and scholarly publishing policy. He holds an MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh.
Amy Faltinek, AHIP, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5896-3318, is the Senior Director of Technical Services at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Preston Smith Library, Lubbock. She has a MLS degree from Texas Woman’s University, a Certificate of Advanced Study in Health Informatics from the University of North Texas, and a bachelor’s degree in Community, Family, and Addiction Sciences from Texas Tech University and in Journalism from West Texas A&M University. She is a Distinguished Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP). She specializes in substance use disorder and addiction research and is an editorial board member for the Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly. She is also an editorial review board member for the International Journal of Library and Information Services and a peer reviewer for the International Journal of Digital Literacy and Digital Competence and the Journal of the Medical Library Association.
Francesca Frati, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4380-7958, is associate librarian at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. As liaison for the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, she provides support for teaching, learning, and research for students and faculty. She has over 20 years of experience in health sciences libraries in hospital and academic settings and holds an MLIS from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She received the Margaret Ridley Charlton Award for Outstanding Achievement in 2023. Her interests include value of libraries and library standards, patient education and consumer health, and the responsible use of gen AI in libraries and knowledge synthesis.
Jimmy Gonzalez-Vicker, https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3687-7555, is an Assistant Professor, Dentistry and Student Success Librarian at the University of Illinois Chicago Library of the Health Sciences. Jimmy’s research interests include the intersection of evidence-based practice, health sciences librarianship, and the maker movement. Before becoming a full-time academic librarian, Jimmy spent ten years in public libraries, mostly in makerspaces.
Brianna “Bri” Hales, https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2266-2203, is a graduate student at Simmons University, pursuing a master’s in library and information science (MLIS). She holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Missouri in Health Sciences and Communication and decided to pursue her MLIS while living abroad in Saudi Arabia. She has a background in non-profits, health care, and e-commerce, and looks forward to exploring medical librarianship. She was one of the 2025 NNLM Region 3 Student Development Award winners, currently serving on the executive board for Simmons Student Special Library Association, and is an active SCC-MLA member. Her research interests include data analytics, evidence synthesis, student engagement, and health information literacy.
Emily Hannum, https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1051-104X, joined the Harriet F. Ginsburg Health Sciences Library at the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine in 2023 and serves as the Research Services Librarian. She is responsible for supporting research services and scholarly communication. Emily earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Maryland University College, her master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati, and her master’s degree in library and information science from the University of South Florida in 2024. Her research interests include intersectionality within criminal justice systems, particularly health topics such as health education, promotion, and literacy.
Tenisha Jones, MLIS, https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3735-5342,is a medical librarian for the Kaiser Permanente healthcare organization. She worked as an assistant cataloger and metadata analyst and now works as a systems librarian managing platforms that provide access to both print and electronic resources. Tenisha received a Master of Librarianship in Information Science (MLIS) degree from San Jose State University and a bachelor’s degree in communication and digital media from the University of San Francisco. Her area of research interest is the intersection of professional and personal identities of BIPOC health sciences librarians. In her spare time, she’s an avid reader and watcher of anything fantasy, sci-fi, horror, magical realism or other speculative fiction.
Hailey Kang, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4890-0457, is a graduate student currently preparing for legal qualification in the United Kingdom, building upon a master’s degree in information studies from McGill University. With a diverse professional background in digital arts and language education, her research interest lies at the intersection of cognitive psychology and legal frameworks. Ms. Kang’s professional activities are characterized by an interdisciplinary approach to law, aiming to integrate her expertise in information systems and human cognition into the UK legal sector.
Rebecca Kaplan, https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9511-4847, is a Data Catalog Coordinator at the NYU Langone Health Sciences Library. She holds an MSc in Research Methods in Psychology from the University of St Andrews and a BA in Psychology from Bryn Mawr College and previously worked as a Data Curator for the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). In her current role, she works with researchers in population health and the clinical sciences to share their data and make it more discoverable through the NYU Data Catalog. Her research interests include data and metadata curation, open science, and meta-research.
Ashley Jane Leonard, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5048-8532, is a Medical Librarian with Library Services, within Acute Care Alberta. She has over ten years’ experience in health sciences librarianship and holds an MLIS from the University of British Columbia. At Acute Care Alberta she provides reference services, mediated literature searching, and information literacy training to healthcare staff across the province of Alberta. She also acts as the Addiction and Mental Health Liaison Librarian for the Calgary, Central, and South healthcare regions of the province. Her current research interests include information literacy needs of healthcare professionals, accessibility, and hospital-based liaison and outreach practices.
Adorée Makusztak, https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9340-9514, is a Research & Instruction Librarian at Loma Linda University, serving as liaison to the Schools of Allied Health Professions and Public Health. With nearly a decade of experience as a librarian and five years specializing in health sciences, she brings a broad perspective to her work. She is the current President of the International Association of SDA Librarians and has held leadership roles in other professional associations, including serving as Chair of the MLA Membership Committee. Her interests include evidence synthesis, AI and information literacy, service efficiency, and instructional design for health sciences education.
Rowan Marye, https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7853-3052, is the Public Services Librarian for LSU Health Sciences Center – New Orleans and liaison to the School of Nursing. In addition to managing the Public Services department, Rowan provides research support for students and faculty in the School of Nursing, with a particular focus on supporting Systematic and Scoping Reviews. His research interests include LGBTQ+ health, medical illustration, and artificial intelligence.
Alyssa M. Portwood, MLS, AHIP, https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2815-0708, is the Manager of the Mary Hower Medical Library at Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron, Ohio where she’s worked for over 25 years. She is active in the Pediatrics Caucus of MLA, the Ohio Health Sciences Library Association (OHSLA), and Midwest Chapter MLA. She reports to the Hospital’s Research Institute and is interested in all aspects of the research process, but like many hospital librarians, often has little time to spend on her own pursuits. She’s interested in issues relating to Hospital/Health Sciences Librarian wellness, burnout, and resilience.
Tariq Rahaman, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4314-910X, is a Librarian and Instructor of Medical Education at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. In this role, he provides references, research, and instructional support to staff, faculty, clinicians, researchers and learners. Tariq earned his MLIS from Florida State University in 2016 and has served on committees for MLA and SCMLA. His research interests include project management and collaboration on evidence syntheses projects, as well as the evolving role of reference services in hospital libraries, particularly with advancements in Gen-AI.
Emily Roberts, https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9211-3343, is the Nursing and Allied Health Sciences Librarian and an Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center. She has ten years of experience working in public, academic, special and now medical libraries. She liaises with the College of Nursing and many allied health programs (primarily Occupational Therapy and Social Work) to provide curricular and research support to faculty, staff and students. Her research interests include how nurses understand and use their professional identities when evaluating, sharing and producing information online.
Esmeralda Rodgers, AHIP, https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6952-2497, is an Evidence Review and Synthesis Librarian at the Texas A&M University Medical Sciences Library, where she specializes in expert literature search design and serves as a methodological advisor for multidisciplinary evidence synthesis (ES) teams. Esmeralda earned her MLIS from Valdosta State University in 2023 and holds a BA in international studies from Baylor University. Her current research interests include streamlining ES workflows to optimize librarian capacity, discovering measurable ES project metrics for evidence-based staffing and resource utilization, and assessing the impact of artificial intelligence on ES workflows.
Erin Sheedy, https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5995-1403, is the medical librarian at the Kim Barrett Memorial Library at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. As a solo librarian, she manages the collections, provides literature support, teaches evidence-based practice methods, runs the evidence synthesis service, and oversees the archival program. She holds a BA in history from Boston College and an MLIS from University College Dublin. Her current research interests include predatory publishing, paper mills, and the effects of AI on academic publishing.
Ansley Stuart, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1154-0435, is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Information Librarian working at the Kornhauser Health Sciences Library at the University of Louisville (UofL) in Kentucky. She provides research and reference support to the Cardiology, Endocrinology, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology departments at UofL Health. She also teaches and works with the students and faculty at the UofL School of Medicine. Ansley is interested in communication and health literacy research.
Ken Sullivan (She/They), https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0248-4131, is a MLIS student at Louisiana State University curating her studies for medical/health science librarianship. They have a BA in Interdepartmental Studies: Health Science from University of Iowa and currently work at the Phoenix Public Library as a library assistant. Their research interests primarily focus on lived experience, academic library accessibility, premodern disability studies, history of medicine, and rare disease education. She is currently the 2026-2027 chair-elect of the Accessibility and Disability Caucus.
Dr. Fantasia Thorne-Ortiz, https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5760-3854, is currently the Library Director and Campus Values and Library Programming Coordinator at Northeast College of Health Sciences in Seneca Falls, NY. She was previously the Library Department Chair at SUNY’s Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, NY. She began her full-time career as a librarian at Syracuse University’s Bird Library as a Learning Commons Librarian. Her interests and areas of study include equity, diversity, and inclusion, effective leadership, and maintaining positive collaborative relationships. Dr. Fantasia Thorne-Ortiz holds a Doctorate in Education from Northeastern University in Boston, MA., focusing on organizational leadership.
Breck Turner, AHIP, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0933-6398, is a Health Sciences Librarian – Assistant Professor, at Saint Louis University’s Medical Center Library, where he is the liaison librarian for the College for Public Health and research programs within the School of Medicine. He received his MSLS from the University of Kentucky. Breck has previous work experience as an Informationist at Johns Hopkins University’s Welch Medical Library and as a Biomedical Librarian at the National Institutes of Health Library. His research interests include evidence synthesis methodologies and tools, instructional technologies, and search strategy reproducibility.
Megan West, https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9405-674X, is a current graduate student in San Jose State University’s School of Information pursing a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS). She also works as a Writing Specialist for the University of California, Davis School of Medicine where she supports students in the school’s medical pathway programs with their applications to medical school and residency. Her interests stem from her work supporting students who want to serve in physician shortage areas of California, along with her combined passion for libraries, health literacy, and public health. Megan’s research interests include exploring how public libraries can help meet the health information needs of California’s rural, underserved communities and developing collaborative partnerships between medical institutions and community information resources.
Will White, https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4538-7011, is the Scholarly Communications Librarian and an Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center in Albuquerque, NM. Will oversees the Health Sciences Center’s digital repository and runs workshops related to research impact and research policies. Will’s research interests include post-retraction citation, research integrity, and how digital repositories can reflect changes to the scholarly record.
Shannon Yarbrough, https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7384-3276, is a Research and Teaching Librarian for the Portland Campus for the Health Sciences at the University of New England. Previous roles include serving the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences as NW Clinical Campus Librarian as well as the Director of the Trinity Health Hospital library in Minot, ND. She is an active member of the North Atlantic Health Sciences Libraries (NAHSL), as well as the Medical Library Association (MLA) and holds a senior level of the MLA AHIP credential. Current team projects focus on faculty development, interprofessional education, library apprenticeship program development, and understanding faculty-to-student resource pathways.