McGoogan News

A Look Back on a Pre-Health Symposium for Future Professionals

Blog Author
Jess King, Assistant Professor, Education and Research Services Librarian

On April 25, some of McGoogan Library’s faculty attended the 2025 Pre-Health Symposium at the Milo Bail Student Center on UNO’s campus. The symposium was open to college and high school students and provided students with the opportunity to engage with industry experts, discover their future career, hands-on experience, and make connections that can help shape their futures in health care.

The symposium featured a variety of interactive panels, breakout sessions, and presentations, all designed to help attendees explore various career paths, develop key skills, and engage directly with experts from the health care and human services fields.

McGoogan Library faculty participated in a variety of ways. Details for each are listed below.

College & Career Fair

Kiara Comfort, Jess King and Tammi Owens represented McGoogan and Criss libraries with a table. The College & Career Fair offered a chance for students to meet with representatives from leading organizations, discover job and volunteer opportunities, and learn about educational programs that can help them take the next step in their career.

Health Sciences Librarianship for UNO and UNMC Session

McGoogan Library and UNO’s Criss Library partnered together to offer representation for health sciences librarianship for UNMC and UNO. Kiara and Tammi (UNO Criss Library) taught “Introduction to Health Research: Tools and Techniques.” In this session, students explored strategies for effectively using research resources like Google Scholar and PubMed. They also learned techniques for quickly analyzing books and scholarly articles to assess their relevance and usefulness for academic research.

Healthcare Careers in Data, Management, and Information Science Panelists

Jess and Kiara were invited panelists on the “Healthcare Careers in Data, Management, and Information Science” panel. This panel had four panelists who discussed careers within the health sciences that were not direct patient care. Panelists spoke on their career journey and jobs that are available in health information, health care business, and bioinformatics. Jess and Kiara spoke specifically on how health sciences librarians support doctors, researchers, and health care students throughout their educational and professional journeys.

Perspectives in Healthcare Panelist

Jess was also an invited panelist on the “Perspectives in Healthcare” panel. This panel had four panelists who discussed their background working with and serving underserved, minority, and rural communities and how it has shaped their careers. Jess spoke specifically on providing relevant and trustworthy information on these communities to researchers and health care professionals. The discussion included speaking on the importance of health care teams to include members from a variety of backgrounds and practices that can be implemented in the workplace to help ensure that the organization provides the care everyone needs to feel supported.

Want to learn more about the libraries participation in this symposium? Connect with Jess or Kiara.

Discover the work McGoogan Library does for Nebraska residents and patients receiving health care in Nebraska through our Health Information Services.

Training Sessions for DynaMedex Now Available

Information about registering for upcoming DynaMedex training sessions is now available. There are sessions for all users and those dedicated to Residents, though any clinician can join any session that fits their schedule. These will also be recorded and posted on Teams for later viewing.

The DynaMedex Teams site contains many resources such as tip sheets, video tutorials, and more. View the library’s guide that contains training highlights and additional curated training resources.

About DynaMedex Transition

As previously communicated on Nebraska Medicine NOW and UNMC Today, Nebraska Medicine will be transitioning from UpToDate to the DynaMedex suite as its clinical decision software. This transition will take place as of July 1. DynaMedex will be accessible through One Chart, via a Nebraska Medicine/UNMC online portal, on desktop computers and through a mobile app to all users who currently have access to UpToDate.

Questions about access or support can be directed to the IT Help Desk.

The Enduring Legacy of Pharmacy Education in Nebraska

McGoogan Library’s Robert S. Wigton Department of Special Collections and Archives recently opened an exhibition on Level 4 of the Wigton Heritage Center that celebrates the College of Pharmacy—Rx for an Enduring Future: Enduring Legacy of Pharmacy Education in Nebraska.

When reflecting on the new exhibit, Carrie Meyer, associate dean, shared that, “McGoogan Library is proud to highlight the college’s achievements in education, research and drug discovery, and patient care.”

Individuals interested in viewing the exhibit can visit Level 4 of the Wigton Heritage Center or explore the exhibit through the library’s online platform.

About the Exhibition

The School of Pharmacy joined the University of Nebraska’s College of Medicine in 1908 and prioritized leadership and innovation. Founder and first dean, Rufus Lyman, MD, initiated the college’s pioneering, welcoming legacy by hiring female pharmacognosy instructor Elsie Day, a then uncommon occurrence in higher education.

Throughout its history, UNMC’s College of Pharmacy has focused its efforts on openness to and acceptance of all—from establishing the female fraternity Kappa Epsilon (1921), to graduating African American student Maurice Russell (1954), to consolidating pharmacy on the medical center campus in Omaha (1976), and now expanding instruction and access to rural Nebraskans (2026). In partnership with the College of Pharmacy and alumni, Sam Augustine, PharmD, RP (class of 1973 and 1979), Kelly Burch, PharmD, RP (class of 1981), Jacob Dering, RP (class of 1960), Ron Hospodka, MS, MBA, RP (class of 1965).

Explore the exhibit online.

Changes to Technology Commons

On June 16, the computers located in the Rudolph F. Sievers, MD, Technology Commons on Level 7 of the library (Room 7063) will be removed. Monitors, keyboards, and mice will remain available for use with personal devices while inside the Technology Commons.

For those requiring access to a computer workstation, one is available on Level 6 for use during library staffed hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

The student printer will remain in the Technology Commons, and students can continue to print directly from their personal device to the printer.

Meet Our Newest Librarian: Rachelle

In May, Rachelle McPhillips joined the McGoogan Library team as an Education and Research Services Librarian for UNMC-Kearney.

Kearney Expansion and McGoogan Library

Nebraska’s rural communities face an increasingly severe crisis in maintaining access to health care for their residents. For the first time, UNMC will educate physicians, pharmacists and public health professionals in rural Nebraska. The project also will expand UNMC’s allied health and nursing programs.

With the Kearney expansion comes a physical presence for the library within the Health Science Education Center (HSEC) II. McGoogan Library at Kearney will have a variety of services and resources for students, including anatomical models to check out and physical and digital textbooks. Study rooms will also be in the same space where the library will be located. Until the HSEC II opens in early 2026, Rachelle will be working remotely to support UNMC-Kearney students.

McPhillips’ Credentials and Experience

Rachelle holds a Master of Science in Library and Information Science and an Online Educator Certificate from the University of Missouri. With a background in public libraries, Rachelle is passionate about removing barriers to access and creating meaningful learning experiences. She has created innovative programming and collections for young adults and implemented a makerspace that fostered creativity and lifelong learning in patrons from adolescence through adulthood.  

Rachelle was introduced to work in higher education as an Online Learning Specialist at Mizzou and adjunct faculty for UNO’s online library science program. She moved to academic libraries full-time in 2023, accepting a Reference and Instruction Librarian position in South Dakota, where she advocated for student success both inside and outside the classroom. She also served as a member of the South Dakota OER State Action Team.

“Librarians are in a unique position to advocate for the communities they serve,” said Rachelle. “I am excited to return to my home state, join the McGoogan Library team and contribute to the Kearney expansion project in support of health care professionals and research in rural Nebraska.”

Outside of work, Rachelle enjoys spending time with her adult children, attending live music events and crocheting.