MEDICAL INFORMATICS SECTION
MLA MIDYEAR REPORT 2005/06

This Section has been significantly challenged this year by Hurricane Katrina. Our Chair-Elect, Kathryn Kerdolff, was at the LSUHSC Library in New Orleans, a campus which was forced to relocate to Baton Rouge! We are all grateful that Kathy and family are all safe, although they lost their home. The effect of this on the Medical Informatics Section was that Kathy had to withdraw from her duties as Chair-Elect temporarily during the throes of 2006 program planning, and Janis Brown, of Norris Medical Library at the U. of Southern Cal., was kind enough to step into the breach. Kathy has expressed her intention to take the Chair's seat as of Phoenix 2006, as planned, and has continued to keep current on the planning for the annual conference. The Section expresses its appreciation to both Kathy and Janis for their contributions this year and especially for just plain hanging in there!

Objectives achieved:

Goal 4: Creating and Communicating our Knowledge

Objective 2: Sponsor and co-sponsor events at MLA annual meeting:

Biomedical ontologies and taxonomies: Invited speakers; Co-sponsored with Molecular Biology and Genomics SIG (MIS primary).

Speakers have been invited (Joyce Mitchell, PhD, Department Chair Department of Medical Informatics University of Utah School of Medicine; and Stuart Nelson, MD, Head of MeSH Section, NLM). Arrangements are proceeding as expected. The Molecular Biology/Genomics Chair has assumed much responsibility for this programming, for which we are grateful!

Stuck on E: Submitted papers; Co-sponsored with Dental Libraries Section (MIS secondary)

This program is proceeding as expected.

How we educate ourselves: Submitted papers: Co-sponsored with Medical Library Education Section (MIS secondary).

This program is proceeding as expected.

Informatics for Healthy People: Submitted papers; Co-sponsored with Public Health/Health Administration Section (MIS primary)

Unfortunately, although we had quality submissions, there were not enough papers submitted for this theme, and so they were redistributed to the general pool of Papers Seeking Homes.

Finally, there will be a reception co-sponsored with the M.B. & G SIG during one evening of the annual meeting.

Committee personnel:

Allee, Nancy (6/04-5/06) Nominating Committee Chair
Cecchino, Nic (12/03-5/06) Webmaster
Cuddy, Colleen (6/05-5/07) Secretary/Treasurer
Gregory, Joan (6/05-5/06) Section Council Representative
Kerdolff, Kathy (6/05-5/06) Chair-elect; Professional Development Program Chair
Kronenfeld, Mike (6/04-5/06) Membership Committee Chair
Layton, Beth AHIP (6/05-5/06) Immediate Past Chair
Lessick, Susan (6/05-5/06) Section Council Representative-Elect
Seago, Brenda L. (6/04-5/06) Government Relations Liaison
Smith, Catherine Arnott (6/05-5/06) Chair