An often under-recognized resource, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) on the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) campus is the world’s largest biomedical library.
With an enormous print collection and electronic information system, it is searched globally for those in need of the latest and most recognized facts on health issues. NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., announced the appointment of a new NLM head, Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD.
“Patti brings her incredible experience of having cared for patients as a practicing nurse, improved the lives of home-bound patients by developing innovative information systems and services designed to increase their independence, and pursued cutting-edge research in data visualization and virtual reality,” Collins said. "This combination of skills makes her ideally suited to lead the NLM in the era of precision medicine, as the library becomes the epicenter for biomedical data science, not just at NIH, but across the biomedical research enterprise.”
Brennan will begin her tenure at NLM this August, as she departs the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as the Lillian L. Moehlman Bascom Professor at the School of Nursing and College of Engineering.