Research and Instruction Librarian
University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System
My name is Helena M. VonVille; I received a BFA in Modern Dance from the Ohio State University, an MLS from Rutgers University, and an MPH from the University of Texas Health Science Center- Houston. I have been with the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System (HSLS) since March 2019 and currently serve as the Liaison to the Graduate School of Public Health; I also provide instructional and research services within the health sciences center.
I am originally from Ohio; as an undergraduate I worked in the Education/Psychology Library at OSU. After completing my MLS, I returned as a librarian to the Education/Psychology Library for 3 years. I then accepted a training position as the Internet Liaison with Amigos Library Services in Dallas TX. As the Internet Liaison, I developed and presented professional development workshops and classes for librarians throughout the Southwest. During one of my workshops, I met a library director at a soon-to-open community college campus north of Houston TX; they needed a reference librarian and I missed my students and faculty so I applied for, and was offered, the position.
Many of the students I worked with at Montgomery College (now Lone Star College) were returning adult students. It was an incredible opportunity to watch these students take on academic challenges that had previously not been open to them—and succeed! After 5 years, though, I decided I was ready for a change and accepted a position at the University of Texas School of Public Health (UTSPH) in Houston. I stayed at UTSPH for 16 years, eventually becoming the library director. During that time, I became a co-instructor for a series of workshops and graduate systematic review courses from 2008 through 2019. Since the initial SR workshop was my introduction to systematic reviews, I attended every presentation. I recognized that one workshop would not fill the gaps in my SR knowledge, so I continued to attend all lectures throughout the 11 years I was an instructor. This enabled me to provide methodological and writing guidance that extended well beyond database searching.
This course is also where I first learned about health research reporting guidelines and critical appraisal tools. I became comfortable using PRISMA, STROBE, and CONSORT, and began developing uses for them that extended beyond their initial purpose as guidelines for manuscript development. In 2017, I applied for, and received, an NNLM/SCR Professional Development Award to attend the EQUATOR Network Publication School. The faculty at the Publication School were experienced researchers, writers, and editors; the curriculum emphasized multiple strategies for clear and transparent writing. It was an incredible experience and continues to influence my work.
Since coming to HSLS, I have incorporated the use of reporting guidelines (and critical appraisal tools) into multiple environments including journal club; grant writing workshops; research classes; thesis & dissertation consultations; data extraction forms for SRs; and professional development workshops. In 2019, I presented a Webinar for the MLA/PHHA section titled, "Beyond PRISMA: Health Research Reporting Guidelines".
On-demand