This month we're hosting The Community Service Learning Conference art exhibition, presented by the Charles E. Cheever, Jr. Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics.
The theme of the 2024 conference is "One Planet. One Health" and focuses on the interconnectedness of the environment and animal/human health and the role of the health professional.
With the theme of planetary health, artists are invited to explore the joy and awe of Earth and of being among Earth’s many inhabitants, but also notions of loss, worry and peril. What is your vision of the planet and your community? What are the roles of different health care providers in caring for patients affected by planetary health conditions like heat illness, asthma, mental health, etc.? How are vulnerable populations (indigenous peoples, farm workers, migrants, pregnant women, etc.) disproportionately affected by inequities of planetary health? What does it mean to live in a changing climate? How do we address poverty, environmental justice, nutritional literacy?
The exhibit features artwork created and submitted by UT Health SA students, focusing on the theme of the conference. The artwork will be on display through the month of February and student posters will be featured through February 12th.
The updates to the 4th Floor of the library are now complete! We appreciate your patience with us during this project and the necessary extensions.
The first of the updates was a revamp and modernization of the sprinkler and fire safety systems.
The more noticeable change is the removal of the metal shelving that took up a large part of the 4th Floor. This floor once housed our print journals and book collection, and the frames were left behind after their removal to offsite storage in 2022.
This floor is planned to continue as silent study. Furniture has been added and shifted into the area to make use of the newly accessible space.
LibKey Nomad has a new look! LibKey Nomad automatically provides instant links to full text content for article subscribed to by your library - or open access alternatives (powered by Unpaywall). Nomad works across thousands of publisher websites and databases, such as PubMed and Scopus, and is currently available in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, and Safari.
Click here to download the LibKey Nomad extension.
Dr. Charles Richard Drew (1904-1950) wasn't just a brilliant surgeon and researcher, he was a revolutionary figure in medicine. Dubbed the "Father of the Blood Bank," his contributions saved countless lives and paved the way for modern blood transfusion practices.
Drew's journey began with his residency at Presbyterian Hospital in New York, where he witnessed the limitations of whole blood transfusions. Recognizing the need for a more efficient system, he pioneered plasma separation techniques. This allowed for longer storage and safer transfusions, as plasma doesn't contain red blood cells, which carry blood type antigens that can cause dangerous reactions.
However, Drew's fight wasn't just scientific. He faced racial discrimination in the US military, who refused to adopt his plasma-based system due to their policy of segregating blood by race. This heartbreaking injustice led him to resign and establish the American Red Cross's first blood bank program in Britain during World War II. Although his system saved countless lives there, it was never fully adopted in the US due to prejudice.
Despite these challenges, Drew's legacy is undeniable. His research laid the foundation for modern blood banking, and his fight for equality in healthcare continues to inspire generations. He reminds us that progress often comes from those who challenge the status quo, both with groundbreaking science and unwavering courage.
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In case you missed it we've posted the recording of our Fall History of Medicine Lecture Ethics and the Dead: History of Body Use in Anatomy Education and Current Commercialization in the United States by Dr. Laura Johnson, Ph.D, Associate Professor in the Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy.
Dr. Johnson's presentation covers the historical evolution of whole-body donation for anatomy education, offering insights from ancient Alexandria to the modern era. The discussion will encompass shifts in the utilization of bodies, from a focus on executed criminals and grave-robbed individuals to unclaimed bodies and contemporary voluntary donors. Additionally, the presentation will address the associated legal and ethical considerations that shed light on the complexities of working with deceased individuals throughout history.
We've recently partnered with the Directory of Open Access Books, a directory focused on increasing the discoverability of open access books.
DOAB provides a searchable index to peer-reviewed monographs and edited collections published under an open access license, with links to the full texts of the publications at the publisher’s website or repository.
All publishers in DOAB are screened for their peer review procedures and licensing policies. It’s a very recent list and there are many publishers not on it yet, but you can trust these publishers.
You can also trust publishers that are a member of OASPA, the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association. OAPEN Foundation is a member of OASPA and works closely with OASPA to establish membership guidelines for OA book publishers. It is useful to check these guidelines if you are considering to submit a manuscript with a publisher you don’t know. We can also recommend the Think. Check. Submit. website which helps to determine whether a publisher is trustworthy by providing a checklist for books.
Searching for the Family Doctor: Primary Care on the BrinkTimothy J. Hoff
With family doctors increasingly overburdened, bureaucratized, and burned out, how can the field change before it's too late? Over the past few decades, as American medical practice has become increasingly specialized, the number of generalists--doctors who care for the whole person--has plummeted. On paper, family medicine sounds noble; in practice, though, the field is so demanding in scope and substance, and the health system so favorable to specialists, that it cannot be fulfilled by most doctors. In Searching for the Family Doctor, Timothy J. Hoff weaves together the early history of the family practice specialty in the United States with the personal narratives of modern-day family doctors.
Check out the book through Ebook Central, provided by the Briscoe Library.
Did you know the library has ebooks? Browse our collections that cover everything from the health sciences to literature.