Virtual Professional Development Award Grant

The Virtual Professional Development Award aims to enhance professional knowledge and experience for individuals in Region 3 Network Member institutions. By funding attendance at seminars and conferences related to data science and health information access, this award supports the goals of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM). It seeks to improve health information access for healthcare providers and consumers, particularly among underrepresented populations, fostering health equity and literacy.

NOTE: RML staff are available for consultation and training on applicable NLM resources and potential projects. Please contact us prior to applying to discuss your professional development opportunity in advance; we want to help you succeed!
Goals
NNLM’s main goals are to work through libraries and other members to support a highly trained workforce for biomedical and health information resources and data, improve health literacy, and increase health equity through information.
The NNLM Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs) and Offices rely upon partnerships. The award’s primary aims are to widen access to and awareness of health information resources, with a focus on those resources provided by the NLM. The programs are intended to help a variety of users:
With a focus on minority and other underrepresented populations and the healthcare professionals who serve themMake the most effective use of information and decision-support resources to promote healthy behaviorsPrevent costly and debilitating illnessImprove health outcomes when disease occurs
Purpose
The purpose of the Virtual Professional Development Award is to enable individuals in Region 3 Network Member institutions to expand professional knowledge and experience to provide improved health information access to healthcare providers and consumers. Funding is provided to individuals interested in remotely attending professional seminars, conferences, and other continuing education opportunities in areas of data science or health information access/delivery and to build professional capacity in support of the goals of the NNLM. These awards are offered throughout the year with the expectation of a short timeline. Individuals may only be awarded once per annual performance cycle.
Potential Project Ideas
Depending on the Regional Medical Library (RML) you are applying to, professional development awards may be used to support:
Professional development opportunities such as classes, conferences or workshops for individual NNLM members. This can include:Introduce students to the health sciences, trusted National Library of Medicine (NLM) resources, and develop their professional skills.Prepare individuals for a leadership position in a hospital or academic health sciences library.Host a reading club with learning outcomes focusing on health information access issues that can be used to improve library programming that are more impactful to your underrepresented communities.Costs of bringing in a presenter to conduct a talk, workshop, or class.
Educational activities designed to equip professionals with the skills to serve their communities better.

Eligibility

Eligibility for IndividualsGenerally, members of network institutions apply for these awards but there are exceptions to this. This may include students, unemployed, or retired information professionals for instance. Consult with your RML/Office/Center for specifics.Eligibility for Organizations You must be a Network Member of the NNLM.Organizations, in most cases, are only eligible to apply for awards from the Regional Medical Library that serves the state in which they operate in. Please contact the RML/Office for further clarification.
You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member.

Ineligibility

Food, promotional items, and furniture are not allowable expenses.