Rachel Helbing

[email protected] • 713-743-5462

Education EdD, Health Science Education (in progress)

University of Houston (UH), Houston, TX, anticipated 2021

MS, Health Informatics

Kent State University, Kent, OH, 2013

MLIS, Library and Information Science

Kent State University, Kent, OH, 2007

BA, Psychology with minor concentration in Women’s Studies

Miami University, Oxford, OH, 2004

Credentials Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP)

Medical Library Association, 2012-2024.
Distinguished, 2019-2024.
Member, 2014-2019.
Provisional, 2012-2014.

Honors and John P. McGovern Librarian Rookie of the Year

Awards University of Houston Libraries, 2019.

Rising Stars
Medical Library Association (MLA), 2018-2019.

Professional Development Award

National Network of Libraries of Medicine Pacific Northwest Region, 2014.

Professional Development Scholarship

Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association, 2013.

Library Leadership Ohio Institute Fellow

State Library of Ohio/OHIONET/Ohio Library Council, 2012.

Library University of Houston Libraries, Houston, TX. January 2017-Present.

Experience
Director of Library Services for the Health Sciences. April 2018-Present.
• Coordinate daily library operations, including scheduling, building and
technology needs, and customer service.
 • Train, supervise, and evaluate Health Sciences Library staff and librarian.
• Establish and grow reference and research support services in the health
sciences.
• Develop relationships with administration and faculty in the health
sciences across campus.
• Plan services and establish budget for library to serve forthcoming
College of Medicine.
• Serve as liaison to the Colleges of Medicine, Optometry, Pharmacy, the
Health and Human Performance program, as well as providing ad hoc
services to other programs related to the health sciences.
• Conduct comprehensive literature searches and systematic reviews.
• Provide consultation on information discovery, retrieval, and
management.
• Provide instruction; develop and implement classes and workshops.
• Create specialized webpages, tutorials, and videos for research methods,
subject areas, and searching; utilize tools including LibGuides, LibWizard,
and Camtasia.
• Contribute to the Libraries’ collection management efforts.

Interim Director of Library Services for the Health Sciences. December 2017-
March 2018.
• See responsibilities above.

Health Sciences Librarian. January 2017-November 2017.

• Developed relationships with and provided support to the faculty,
students, and staff of the University of Houston as liaison to the Colleges
of Pharmacy and Nursing, as well as provided ad hoc services to other
programs related to the health sciences.
• Conducted comprehensive literature searches and systematic reviews.
• Provided consultation on information discovery, retrieval, and
management.
• Provided instruction; developed and implemented classes and
workshops.
• Created specialized webpages, tutorials, and videos for research
methods, subject areas, and searching; utilized tools including LibGuides,
LibWizard, and Camtasia.
• Contributed to the Libraries’ collection management efforts via
collaboration with the science liaisons.

Texas Medical Center Library, Houston, TX. January 2015-January 2017.

Liaison Librarian
 • Developed and maintained working, interactive, and dynamic
relationships with faculty, students, and staff of the Texas Medical
Center as liaison to the UT Health Schools of Nursing and Biomedical
Informatics.
• Conducted comprehensive literature searches and systematic reviews.
• Provided library services embedded within Canvas Learning
Management System.
• Provided consultation on information discovery, retrieval, and
management.
• Developed outreach activities and communication to promote the
library.
• Provided instruction; developed and implemented classes and
workshops.
• Created specialized LibGuides webpages for research methods, subject
areas, and searching.
• Provided in-person, phone, email, and chat reference service.

Kalispell Regional Medical Center, Kalispell, MT. April 2013-December

2014.

Medical Librarian
• Facilitated and instructed library users in the access and utilization of
resources and technology to satisfy information needs.
• Coordinated DOCLINE/OCLC WorldShare interlibrary loans; managed
day-to-day library operations as needed.
• Performed literature searches for healthcare employees and consumers
utilizing medical databases and resources.
• Took part in interdisciplinary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) clinical
rounds.
• Provided library instruction on searching and accessing resources to
nurses in support of evidence-based nursing initiatives.
• Maintained cooperative relationships throughout the organization and
with library networks.
• Used an integrated library system for reference services, circulation, and
cataloging (SirsiDynix Symphony).
• Maintained and created content for the Medical Library's section of the
hospital's intranet and website.

Barberton Public Library, Barberton, OH. October 2007-April 2013.

Consumer Health and Reference Librarian

 • Coordinated library services at the Community Health Library Branch
(CHL) located within Summa Barberton Hospital.
• Managed the CHL collection and part of the Main Library non-fiction
collection.
• Promoted the use of CHL through print publications, social media, and
CHL’s section of the library website.
• Provided in-person, phone, email, and chat reference service.
• Used integrated library systems for reference and circulation services
(Koha, SirsiDynix Symphony).
• Planned, coordinated and presented programs on health, science,
technology, and more; facilitated book clubs.
• Managed two Library and Information Science practicum students.

Scholarly Peer-Reviewed Publications

Activities Alagha, E., & Helbing, R. (2019). Evaluating the quality of voice
assistants’ responses to consumer health questions about vaccines: an
exploratory comparison of Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. BMJ
Health & Care Informatics, doi: 10.1136/bmjhci-2019-100075

Sulaica, E. M., Macaulay, T. E., Helbing, R. R., Abo-Aly, M., Abdel-Latif, A., &
Wanat, M. A. (2019). A comparison of anticoagulation, antiplatelet, and
placebo treatment for patients with heart failure reduced ejection fraction in
sinus rhythm: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Heart Failure
Reviews, doi:10.1007/s10741-019-09818-w

Invited Publications
Helbing, R., & Huynh, N. (2018, March). Please follow us: Tools and tips for
getting the most out of social media. Doody’s Core Titles Monthly Newsletter.

Peer-Reviewed Presentations
Alagha, E. & Helbing, R. (2019, October). ‘Alexa, are vaccines safe?’: Evaluating
voice assistant responses to consumer health questions. International Clinical
Librarian Conference. Manchester, UK.

Helbing, R. & Cruces, E. (2018, May). Transforming health information literacy

from academic to activist at a health zine workshop. Medical Library
Association Annual Meeting. Atlanta, GA.

Helbing, R. (2017, October). Rayyan: Taking some of the wrinkles out of

systematic reviews. South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association
Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM.
Helbing, R. & Huynh, N. (2017, May). Please follow us: Tools and tips for getting
the most out of social media. Medical Library Association Annual Meeting.
Seattle, WA.

Chuang, P.Y., Helbing, R. & Hsieh, C.H. (2016, August). Role of neuroglobin
following acute stroke: A systematic review with meta-analysis. International
Society of Nurses in Genetics World Congress. Dublin, Ireland.

Helbing, R. & Huynh, N. (2015, October). Putting the SOCIAL in social media:
Building community on campus and beyond. South Central Chapter of the
Medical Library Association Annual Meeting. Little Rock, AR.

Huynh, N. & Helbing, R. (2015, October). Business productivity apps: MailChimp

and Trello. South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association Annual
Meeting. Little Rock, AR.

Montgomery, M. & Helbing, R. (2015, October). We know enough to be

dangerous! Applying knowledge gained from the Institute in Evidence-
Based Practice for Medical Librarians. Pacific Northwest Chapter of the
Medical Library Association Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA.

Peer-Reviewed Lightning Talks

Helbing, R. (2017, October). In your own back yard: Teaching health literacy to
colleagues. South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association Annual
Meeting. Albuquerque, NM.

Couvillon, E. & Helbing, R. (2016, May). Around the world in 60 minutes:

Launching an English language learners’ conversation group. Medical Library
Association, Canadian Health Libraries Association/Association des
bibliotèques de la santé du Canada, International Clinical Librarian
Conference Joint Meeting. Toronto, ON, Canada.

Peer-Reviewed Poster Presentations

Helbing, R. & Lapka, S. (2019, May). Library lockdown: Elevating instruction
through an ‘escape room’ experience. Medical Library Association Annual
Meeting. Chicago, IL.

Helbing, R. (2017, October). Alohomora: Unlocking evidence-based practice skills

using interactive LibWizard tutorials. South Central Chapter of the Medical
Library Association Annual Meeting. Albuquerque, NM.

Helbing, R. (2016, May). Getting your foot in the door: Implementing embedded
office hours. Medical Library Association, Canadian Health Libraries
 Association/Association des bibliotèques de la santé du Canada, International
Clinical Librarian Conference Joint Meeting. Toronto, ON, Canada.

Invited Presentations
Brackett, A., Helbing, R., Kellermeyer, L., & Selfe, T. (2019, May). Making leaders
amazing: A proposal for a leadership training program. Medical Library
Association Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL.

Professional National
Service
Medical Library Association
Credentialing Committee
Member, 2018-2021.

Membership Committee, Nursing and Allied Health Resources Section

Member, 2017-2019.

Career Development Grant Jury, Medical Informatics Section

Member, 2017-2018.

Broering Hispanic Heritage Grant Jury

Member, 2016-2017.

Professional Development Grant Jury, Hospital Libraries Section

Member, 2015-2016.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIA) Round Two Review Panel
Member, 2013.
• HCIA was a highly-competitive grant program focused on implementing
new ideas to improve healthcare and lower costs.
https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/Health-Care-Innovation-Awards/Round-2.html

Regional

South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association

2020 Annual Meeting Planning Committee
Co-chair and Treasurer, 2018-2020.

Bylaws Committee
Chair, 2018-2020.
Member, 2017-2018.
 Nominating Committee
Member, 2016-2017.

National Network of Libraries of Medicine South Central Region

Outreach Committee
Member, 2015-2016.

Montana State Library

Network Advisory Council
Special Libraries Representative, 2013-2014.

Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association

2014 QuintEssential Joint Meeting Continuing Education Committee
Member, 2013-2014.

2013 Annual Meeting Planning Committee

Member, 2013.

CLEVNET
Online Resources Committee
Member, 2011-2013.

Ohio Library Council

Awards and Honors Committee
Member, 2011-2013.

Panel: Barrett, M., Helbing, R., Schmidt, K., & Solomon, L. (2013, April). Library
Leadership Ohio: Inspiring future leaders of Ohio libraries. Ohio Library
Council North Chapter Conference. Independence, OH.

University of Libraries
Houston
Service Elected Committees:
Committee on Committees & Elections
Chair, 2018-2019.
Vice Chair, 2017-2018.

Bylaws Committee
Member, 2017-2018.

Standing Committees:
Campus Engagement Committee
Member, 2017-2019.
Training Committee
Chair, 2018-2019.
Vice Chair, 2017-2018.

Ad Hoc Committees:
Research Data Management Librarian Search Committee
Member, 2018-2019.

March of Dimes March for Babies

Team Co-Captain, 2019-2020.
Team Captain, 2018.

STEM Librarians South Planning Committee

Member, 2018.

DIY Health Zine Saturday Morning (Microgrant)

Member, 2017.

University

Standing Committees:
Health Professions Advisory Committee
Member, 2018-2021.

Ad Hoc Committees:
Dean of Libraries Search Committee
Member, 2020.

College of Medicine
Standing Committees:
Curriculum Committee
Member, 2019-Present.

Transitional Curriculum Committee

Member, 2018-2019.

College of Nursing
Standing Committees:
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
Ex-officio, 2018.

Graduate Curriculum Committee

 Ex-officio, 2018.

Faculty Council
Ex-officio, 2017-2018.

College of Pharmacy
Standing Committees:
PharmD Curriculum Committee
Ex-officio, 2018.

Information Technology Committee

Ex-officio, 2017-Present.

Community Outreach

Invited Presentations:
Health Literacy: Locating and Evaluating Medical Information Online
• Holly Hall Retirement Community, 2019, August.
• Life Enrichment of Houston, 2019, March.

Institutional Texas Medical Center Library

Service Standing Committees:
Collection Development Committee
Member, 2016-2017.

Social Media Team

Chair, 2015-2017.

Ad Hoc Committees:
Liaison Librarian Search Committee
Member, 2016.

User Registration Task Force

Member, 2015.

Funding Awards:
• Empowering Consumers and Public Librarians: Health Information
Resources Training. NNLM SCR, $5396.
Responsible Investigator, May 2015-April 2016.

Kalispell Regional Medical Center

Standing Committees:
 Grant Committee
Member, 2013-2014.

Ad Hoc Committees:
Portal Sponsor Committee
Member, 2014.

Barberton Public Library

Ad Hoc Committees:
American Cancer Society Relay for Life
Team Captain, 2010-2013.

Funding Awards:
• Increasing Barberton’s Access to Health Information. National Network
of Libraries of Medicine Greater Midwest Region, $4675. Project
Director, May 2010-April 2011.

Professional American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, 2018-Present.

Affiliations • Library and Information Science Section, 2018-Present.

Association of Vision Science Librarians, 2018-Present.

Medical Library Association, 2012-Present.

• Caucuses:
o Clinical Librarians and Evidence-Based Healthcare, 2020-Present.
o Gaming in Adult Learning, 2020-Present.
o Interprofessional Education, 2020-Present.
o Leadership and Management, 2020-Present.
o Medical Informatics, 2020-Present.
o Nursing and Allied Health Resources and Services, 2020-Present.
o Pharmacy and Drug Information, 2020-Present.
o Research, 2020-Present.
o Social Justice, 2020-Present.
o Technology in Education, 2020-Present.
• Sections:
o Leadership and Management, 2018-2019.
o Medical Informatics, 2012-2019.
o Nursing and Allied Health Resources, 2016-2019.
o Pharmacy and Drug Information, 2017-2019.

South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association, 2015-Present.

 Texas Medical Center-Health Information Librarians, 2015-Present.

Selected* Multi-Day Workshops

Professional
Development • Medical Library Association Rising Stars (2018, May – 2019, May). 30
hours. Atlanta, GA, Online, & Chicago, IL.
*Workshops and
courses ≥ 2 hours • Library Management Skills Institute (2018, July). 24 hours. Houston, TX.

• Biomedical and health research data management for librarians (2018,

January-April). 45 hours. Online & Bethesda, MD.

• National Library of Medicine Georgia biomedical informatics course

(2016, April). 35 hours. Young Harris, GA.

• Baylor College of Medicine fundamentals of clinical investigation course

(2015, August). 30 hours. Houston, TX.

• PubMed for trainers + instructional design (2015, March). 16 hours.

Online & Houston, TX.

• Supporting clinical care: An institute in evidence-based practice for

medical librarians (2014, July). 20 hours. Denver, CO.

Partial-Day Workshops

• Cougar Ally training (2018, November). 3 hours. Houston, TX.

• Beware of sharks: Predatory publishing and practices (2018, October). 4

hours. San Antonio, TX.

• Digital storytelling: Communication for greater impact (2018, May). 2

hours. Atlanta, GA.

• Code Red Assist training (2017, December). 8 hours. Houston, TX.

• Accelerating innovation through information tools and expertise (2017,

May). 4 hours. Seattle, WA.

• Active learning strategies for library instruction (2016, October). 3 hours.

Galveston, TX.
 • Instructional design: Proven principles and practices for librarians who
teach (2015, May). 6 hours. Austin, TX.

• Systematic reviews: The role of the librarian (2015, March). 6 hours.

Houston, TX.

• Communicating clinically (2014, October). 4 hours. Denver, CO.

• Finding your way on the Magnet journey (2014, May). 2 hours. Chicago,
IL.

• Breaking an electronic health record system: A sandbox workshop (2014,

May). 4 hours. Chicago, IL.

• Using social media to teach library patrons (2013, September). 4 hours.

Anchorage, AK.

• Infographics: A guided tour to visually presenting data (2013,

September). 4 hours. Anchorage, AK.

• Surveys made easy (2013, September). 4 hours. Anchorage, AK.

• EBM II: Reviewing the quality of studies (2013, September). 4 hours.

Anchorage, AK.

Multi-Day Online Courses

• Discovering TOXNET (2014, October-November). 12 hours. Online.

• Big data in healthcare: Exploring emerging roles (2017, February-May). 9

hours. Online.

Conferences 2019
Attended • Innovative Teaching and Learning at a Distance Conference (2019,
November). Houston, TX.

• Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries Annual Meeting (2019,

November). Phoenix, AZ.

• South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association (2019,

October). Oklahoma City, OK.
 • Medical Library Association Annual Meeting (2019, May). Chicago, IL.

• Texas Interprofessional Education Consortium Bi-Annual Meeting (2019,

April). Houston, TX.

2018
• Association of Vision Science Librarians Annual Meeting (2018,
November). San Antonio, TX.

• Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries Annual Meeting (2018,

November). Austin, TX.

• South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association (2018,

October). San Antonio, TX.

• Innovative Teaching and Learning at a Distance Conference (2018,

October). Houston, TX.

• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting (2018,

July). Boston, MA.

• Medical Library Association Annual Meeting (2018, May). Atlanta, GA.

2017
• South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association (2017,
October). Albuquerque, NM.

• Medical Library Association Annual Meeting (2017, May). Seattle, WA.

2016
• Medical Library Association, Canadian Health Libraries
Association/Association des bibliotèques de la santé du Canada,
International Clinical Librarian Conference Joint Meeting (2016, May).
Toronto, ON, Canada.

2015
• South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association (2015,
October). Little Rock, AR.

• Medical Library Association Annual Meeting (2015, May). Austin, TX.

2014
 • QuintEssential: Midcontinental, Medical Library Group of Southern
California and Arizona, Northern California & Nevada Medical Library
Group, Pacific Northwest, and South Central Chapters of the Medical
Library Association Joint Meeting (2014, October). Denver, CO.

• Medical Library Association Annual Meeting (2014, May). Chicago, IL.

• WebWise: Anchoring Communities (2014, February). Baltimore, MD.

2013
• Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association Annual
Meeting (2013, September). Anchorage, AK.

• Ohio Library Council North Chapter Conference (2013, April).

Independence, OH.

2012
• Ohio Library Council North Chapter Conference (2012, April).
Independence, OH.

2011
• Ohio Library Council Convention and Expo (2011, October). Toledo, OH.