Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library
University of Nebraska Medical Center
University of Nebraska Medical Center

McGoogan News

Annual Davis Lecture with Dr. Christine Montross on April 14

Gloved hand holding vial in front of computer with distorted colors and hazing.

McGoogan Library presents the 17th annual Richard B. Davis, MD, PhD, History of Medicine Lecture.

All We Do Not Know: The Enduring Mysteries of Medicine in the Age of Information

Date: Tuesday, April 14th
Time: 12-1pm CDT
Location: CON 1011 or via Zoom
Presented by: Dr. Christine Montross, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Medicine is often viewed as a field of clear answers and definitive decisions, yet providers regularly encounter uncertainty—ambiguous science, limits to cure, and situations where action does not necessarily serve the patient. Psychiatrist and author Dr. Christine Montross invites us to see this ambiguity not as a barrier but as a source of curiosity, meaning, and renewed engagement in clinical work. Drawing on her literary and clinical experience, she explores how embracing the unknown can broaden providers’ understanding of what may be “right” for their patients, ease the pressure to always find the perfect answer, and offer a sustainable source of wonder and inspiration within the practice of medicine.

To attend the lecture via Zoom, please register here.
Attend in person: CON 1011

Boxed lunches will be available for the first 20 in-person attendees.

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Upcoming Health Sciences History Hour

Omaha’s Medical Detectives: How Drs. Matilda McIntire and Carol Angle Uncovered a Hidden Epidemic of Lead Poisoning

Black and white image of train from 1967 traveling along tracks in downtown Omaha by the Missouri River.
American Smelting and Refining Company 1967

Written by: Carrie Meyer

Tuesday, March 17th from noon to 1pm.

This presentation recounts the pioneering work of Drs. Matilda McIntire and Carol Angle, whose decades-long investigation into lead toxicity exposed one of the nation’s most significant environmental health crises.

Learn how McIntire and Angle connected unexplained pediatric symptoms to emissions from Omaha’s lead smelters, refineries, and battery reclamation plants. Their fieldwork revealed dangerous levels of lead in Omaha’s air, soil, and homes, especially in low-income neighborhoods situated near the industrial sites. The physicians’ findings eventually resulted in the federal government designating more than 17,000 acres of Omaha as a Superfund site. McIntire and Angle’s investigative methods and public-health advocacy were crucial in remediating the lead toxicity in Omaha and influencing understanding of lead poisoning.

Join Erin Torell, associate professor and rare book librarian at McGoogan Library, on March 17th from noon to 1pm for this informative presentation.

To register for this event, please click here.

Ramadan Resources at the Library

To our friends and guests observing Ramadan:

Ramadan Mubarak to our UNMC students, faculty, and staff! 

To support members of our community who are observing Ramadan through fasting and prayer, the library offers the following resources: 

  • Prayer Spaces: Reflection rooms equipped with a Qibla and prayer mats are available for students, faculty, and staff. 
  • Iftar Dates: Dates are available on Level 6 near the entrance for those breaking their fast at sunset. 

What is Ramadan? 
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and a sacred time of fasting (Sawm), prayer, reflection, and community. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, alongside faith (Shahada), prayer (Salah), charity (Zakat), and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). 

We wish all those observing Ramadan a peaceful and meaningful month. 

gHstToSAJ K

This Lead is Killing Us: A History of Citizens Fighting Lead Poisoning in Their Communities 

This Lead is Killing Us: A History of Citizens Fighting Lead Poisoning in Their Communities graphic.

Written by: Carrie Meyer

The National Library of Medicine produced This Lead Is Killing Us: A History of Citizens Fighting Lead Poisoning in Their Communities, guest curated by historian and educator Richard M. Mizelle, Jr, PhD (University of Houston).

For over a century, citizens have confronted lead industries, housing authorities, and elected officials to protect their health against the dangers of lead poisoning. When people ingest lead—by breathing contaminated air, drinking contaminated water, or accidentally eating leaded paint chips—they can become very sick. Lead poisoning causes neurological problems and sometimes even death. Today, researchers believe that no amount of exposure to lead is safe for children.

The traveling banner exhibition located on Level 6, McGoogan Library, Wittson Hall and companion website explore the story of citizen action taken against an environmental danger. Lead exposure can cause neurological problems and sometimes even death; yet this metal has been pervasive in many aspects of American life for over a century.

Historically, mining, battery manufacturing, smelting, and enameling industries included lead in their production processes, impacting factory workers and consumers. Manufacturers added lead to household paints and gasoline, endangering the health of families and polluting the air through exhaust fumes. To protect themselves against the dangers of lead poisoning, scientists, families, and individuals opposed industries, housing authorities, and elected officials.

This Lead Is Killing Us: A History of Citizens Fighting Lead Poisoning in Their Communities is on display now through March 21st on Level 6, McGoogan Library, Wittson Hall.

Panel Presentation – From Eugenics to Ethics: Lessons for Today’s Medical Community

Image of woman n left in black satin suite jacket. Man on the right in navy blue jacket and white colored shirt.

From Eugenics to Ethics: Lessons for Today’s Medical Community

February 17th from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom
Medicine has come a long way—but its past still shapes the present.

McGoogan Library presents a thought-provoking panel, exploring the troubling legacy of eugenics in medicine and its enduring impact on healthcare ethics. Matthew K. Wynia, MD, MPH and Patricia Heberer-Rice, PhD, MA, will discuss how misguided “science” once justified harm, and how those historical practices influenced the medical education, policy, and the ethical frameworks that guide contemporary care. Through critical reflection, the discussion will highlight lessons for today’s clinicians and researchers, emphasizing the importance of equity, autonomy, and justice in medical decision-making.

To register for the event, please visit: Webinar Registration – Zoom

Matthew K. Wynia, MD, MPH is a professor of medicine and of public health at the University of Colorado, where he directs the CU Center for Bioethics and Humanities.

Patricia Heberer-Rice, PhD, MA joined the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum in 1994 and is now the Museum’s senior historian.

This presentation is provided in partnership with Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Calvin T. Ryan Library at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, host of Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries made possible by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association. The Leon S. McGoogan Library developed a companion exhibition highlighting these themes, A Poisoned Practice: The Holocaust, Medical Complicity, and the American Response, on display at McGoogan Library, Level 8, Witson Hall and online.

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