Features

Demystifying Medicine

NIH Course Bridges the Gap Between Basic Research and Clinical Medicine

BY LAURA STEPHENSON CARTER

NIH’s “Demystifying Medicine” course covers health topics of major importance to the nation, the world, and even the solar system.

Digitizing and Preserving Medical History

Embracing the Future as a Steward of Medical Heritage

BY JEFFREY S. REZNICK, CHIEF, HISTORY OF MEDICINE DIVISION, NLM

Libraries around the world are digitizing their historical treasures and making them more accessible via the Internet than ever before. Leading the way is the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world’s largest biomedical library, located on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. But digitization is only part of the story. Preserving the collections for future generations is important, too.

Demystifying Health Effects of Global Warming

Nature’s Bounty at Risk!

BY MANJU BHASKAR, NINDS

Scientists are shedding light on how global warming may be adversely affecting biodiversity, triggering the spread of diseases, and threatening the supply of medically useful natural products. Jonathan Sleeman, director of the National Wildlife Health Center at the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and David Newman, former chief of the National Cancer Institute’s Natural Products Branch, talked about the threats at the April 12, 2016, Demystifying Medicine lecture.

Demystifying Space Medicine

The Health Risks of Spending Time in Outer Space

BY EMILY MULLIN, NIAID

One of the Demystifying Medicine sessions featured a space scientist who talked about the importance of biomedical research that addresses the medical needs of future space travelers.

An Introduction to Methods, Tools, and Data from the Digital Humanities

BY E. THOMAS EWING, ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR GRADUATE STUDIES, RESEARCH, AND DIVERSITY, VIRGINIA TECH

Seventy-five participants and observers gathered at the Natcher Conference Center (Building 45) in April 2016 to explore innovative methods and data sources useful for analyzing large quantities of images and texts in the field of medical history.