Blogs

Welcome to Resource Spotlight! The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library provides access to an incredible array of databases, e-book collections, software and more. In this series of posts, we’ll be showcasing highlights from our collection. In this edition of Resource Spotlight, we’ll be looking at Scopus. Scopus is the single largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature. Unlike Medline resources like PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus is also the home to non-journal literature, like conference abstracts and books. Indexing more than 22,000 journals, Scopus covers science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities - making it a great resource for interdisciplinary projects.  Scopus’ user-friendly interface mimics Google search in its simplicity. No special syntax or subject headings are needed to conduct an initial search. Being an academic resource, though, Scopus offers many functionalities that Google does not:  Author search and author profiles Search by affiliation to gauge the output of a specific school or department The ability to search for certain document types Optional advanced search functionality that lets you search specific fields like chemical or biological entities, editors, funding information, conference information and more Offering data at the article, journal, and author level, Scopus’ broad range of content coverage makes its research impact information robust as well. Users can easily disambiguate authors and navigate to author profile pages that list publications, frequent collaborators, h-index, citation counts, disciplines that the author publishes in, and more. As mentioned above, this level of granular information is also available at the article and journal level.  Scopus is a great place to start your research, a necessary inclusion in most systematic reviews, and a massive time-saver in calculating h-indices.  With something to offer for students, clinicians, researchers, administrative staff and more start exploring Scopus today! For questions on how to best use Scopus, feel free to contact Research & Education Librarian Caitlin Meyer.

The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library is hosting a free 30 day trial to Aquifer Addiction (formerly CARE), and we would love your input!  If you are interested in exploring this product, please contact Lindsay Barnett who will create a trial account for you.  Please note that the trial is not available to students.  About Aquifer Addiction: Used in medical schools around the world, the Aquifer Addiction (CARE) online curriculum prepares medical students to identify, intervene and address substance use disorders.  The lack of formal education surrounding substance use disorders and addiction has left many practicing physicians and healthcare professionals inadequately prepared to assess, intervene, manage, and treat patients. Key Features: Twelve modules incorporate case studies, which provide an interactive platform for clinical consideration, and videos featuring today's leading experts in addiction covering key topics. Created for educators, by educators, in conjunction with the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the Treatment Research Institute. Proven pedagogy that standardizes experiences - overcoming geography, seasonality, and accessibility. Evidence-based, peer-reviewed, and continuously updated content. Self-assessment questions at the end of the course emphasize key content and enable students to test their knowledge and skills. A wealth of source material, tools, and full references in each case. Delivered via the Aqueduct learning management system, which includes user management options, easy reporting on student progress and course usage, plus tools for creating custom courses to match a specific curriculum. Available for individual or institutional subscribers for students or as continuing education.  The trial runs through May 2nd.  Let us know what you think!  Contact Lindsay Barnett with feedback.

The Historical Library is please to announce our newest exhibition: The Early Modern Pharmacy: Drugs, Recipes, and Apothecaries, 1500-1800 April 2nd-July 5th, 2018 What did a pharmacy look like in Europe, between 1500 and 1800? What kind of activities took place within its walls? Who were the pharmacists? What kind of drugs did they make, and where did the ingredients come from? This exhibit, organized by the students in Professor Paola Bertucci's undergraduate seminar Collecting Nature and Art with the collaboration of Sarah Pickman, engages with these questions. It shows that, in the early modern period, collecting recipes and making medicines were common household activities carried out by women, while apothecaries often became targets of satire. The exhibit focuses also on a number of American ingredients, like coffee, cocoa, tobacco and chocolate, initially regarded as potential cure-alls, and on the mythical mandrake. Join us for an opening reception April 2nd at 5:15 in the Rotunda of the Medical Library.

Update: On Monday, March 26th, the Commerce Department announced that the 2020 Census will reinstate the citizenship question for the first time in 70 years.  Our panelists discussed some of the dire and far-reaching consequences a Census undercount can have on public and economic health, as well as political representation.  A number of states are planning legal action in response to this decision.  See "What Can We Do?" below for a list of organizations advocating for a fair and trustworthy Census.   Thanks to all who joined us on Tuesday, February 27th for a fascinating discussion: What happens to community health when data is compromised? A discussion panel on the 2020 Census and other survey data. A special thanks to our phenomenal panelists who made this session possible: Rachel Leventhal-Weiner – Data Engagement Specialist at Connecticut Data Collaborative Contact Rachel at rlw@ctdata.org. Kenya Flash – Pol. Sci., Global Affairs & Gov. Info. Librarian at the Center for Science and Social Science Information, Yale University Miriam Olivares – GIS Librarian at the Center for Science and Social Science Information, Yale University Jim Hadler – Senior Consultant, Infectious Disease and Medical Epidemiology, Connecticut and Yale Emerging Infections Program, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists  And our Moderator, Kyle Peyton, PhD candidate in Political Science, Yale University, ISPS Policy Fellow.   For those of you who could not attend, or want to stay involved in the discussion, here are some highlights and additional resources.   What does Census data do?: Informs other population surveys Acts as an integral part of geospatial work Helps determine public health funding based on incidence Allows for analysis of social determinants of health through the American Community Survey, which fills in important details of population data that the decennial Census outlines.    Read more about the links between Census data and public health in these articles: Using the Census to understand the link between flu and poverty in New Haven, CT Exploring the relationship between poverty and premature mortality in New York City   Why is the Census endangered? A question about citizenship status has been proposed for the 2020 Census.  This question has the potential to significantly reduce response rates among already undercounted immigrant and minority communities, jeopardizing the accuracy of the data collected and driving up costs as more resources are used to follow-up with non-responders.  As Census data drives redistricting and federal funding, an inaccurate count puts vulnerable communities at risk of not receiving necessary funding and resources.  Inaccurate Census data also hinders efforts of public health officers to initiate effective disease prevention programs in high risk communities. In addition, underfunding of the Census has the potential to result in an inaccurate count, as fewer resources are available for field testing and follow-up of non-responders, among other issues.  The impacts of an undercount would be felt long after 2020, at both the local and national level.  Lack of funding doesn’t just affect the decennial Census, many Census programs and other federal surveys are at risk.  As Census data provides the infrastructure for numerous policy, commerce, and research efforts, stripping resources from the Census is like tearing up our roads and highways!    What can we do? Reach out to your congressional representative and demand a fair and thorough count!  A full count is in their self-interest as well as the communities they represent.  Follow The Census Project, a network of organizations that “support a fair and accurate 2020 Census and a comprehensive American Community Survey”. https://thecensusproject.org/ The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) is building a strategy to end gerrymandering and create fairer maps in the 2021 redistricting process. https://democraticredistricting.com/ The Count on Stats initiative of the American Statistical Association aims to educate and advocate for the importance of trustworthy federal statistics.  https://www.amstat.org/policy-and-advocacy/count-on-stats The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics devoted to increasing the public’s knowledge of Federal statistics and creating dialog around the value of Federal statistics for the public good. https://www.copafs.org/ At the local level, The Connecticut Data Collaborative aims to “empower an ecosystem of data users by democratizing access to public data and building data literacy”.  In addition to offering processed and machine-readable datasets through their data portal, the CT Data Collaborative offers a monthly open data conference call and provides updates in federal and state data in the news, in addition to various events. https://ctdata.org/ Register for the next Open Data Call and learn more about The CT Data Collaborative’s events here: https://ctdata.org/academy/ Contact a librarian at CWML for questions and additional resources about the Census and its impact on public health!  

Welcome to Resource Spotlight! The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library provides access to an incredible array of databases, e-book collections, software and more. In this series of posts, we’ll be showcasing highlights from our collection. In this edition of Resource Spotlight, we’ll be looking at the Incidence & Prevalence Database (IPD). Made available by Clarivate Analytics, IPD is a compendium of global epidemiological data from hundreds of sources. The collection of data is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of your research topic - whether that be incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, trends, cost, risk-factors, or disease classifications.  The sources integrated into IPD include government reports, medical journals, market investment reports, medical and scientific associations, national and international healthcare surveys, trade journals, database audits, and industry contacts. The website is updated monthly with new information and government statistics are typically updated annually.  In addition to the data sets procured from sources mentioned above, IPD also features:  Hundreds of “Article Reviews”, where expert analysts condense information into digestible pieces “IPD Summaries”, tables of worldwide and regional incidence and prevalence data  A self-produced “Global Incidence and Prevalence Report with Map” Information on U.S. patient discharges IPD offers some advanced searching functionality that allows users to search by countries or regions, by certain publication criteria (author, title, date), by ICD Code, or by their controlled vocabulary of keywords.  The Incidence & Prevalence Database may be useful to those involved in clinical research, public health, market research, product development, business development, and more.  Start exploring the Incidence & Prevalence Database today! For questions on how to best use IDP, feel free to contact Public Health Librarian Kate Nyhan.