NEWS AND NOTES

In Memoriam: Davida Glazer, 18 July 1955 – 30 December 2003 19

The Hospital for Sick Children launches Paediatric Economic Database Evaluation (PEDE) project 20

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's WONDER system makes searches a breeze 20

MEDLINEplus becomes MedlinePlus 20

Site provides access to research journals in developing countries 21

Direct access to the Canadian Medical Association Infobase clinical practice guidelines 21

Portals to the World — links to electronic resources from around the world 21

New privacy law 21

Library of Congress mission to Baghdad report 22

American Medical Informatics Association conference: Practical strategies for implementing electronic health record systems, 28–29 April 2004, McLean, Virginia (Metro Washington, D.C. area) 22

12th Annual Cochrane Colloquium, 2–6 October 2004 22
In Memoriam: Davida Glazer

18 July 1955 – 30 December 2003

On Tuesday, December 30, Davida Glazer passed away while returning home to Toronto from a trip to Israel with her husband Mark. Davida had been fighting cancer since her diagnosis in June 2002.

Davida attended the University of Tel Aviv, and in 1982 she earned a B.A. (Hons.) in Sociology with a minor in English Literature from McMaster University. She later went back to school after the births of her children and earned her M.L.I.S. from McGill University in 1990.

From 1990 to 1994, Davida worked as a Reference and Systems Librarian at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre. In 1994 she was courted by the Institute of Clinical and Evaluative Sciences (ICES) to come and run their Resource Centre, and she never looked back.

ICES was created in 1992 and has constantly grown and changed ever since. Davida was an integral part of the organization. She instinctively knew what people needed and provided it without having to be asked and often without people knowing they needed it before it arrived in their mail slot! To celebrate this support and collaboration, Davida's colleagues sought out a way to officially recognize her contributions. They put together a nomination that ultimately resulted in Davida being awarded the CHLA / ABSC Award of Outstanding Achievement in 2003. Among the people who wrote letters to support the nomination were the current president and CEO of ICES Dr. Andreas Laupacis and former CEO Dr. David Naylor, currently the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. I am told that the committee that reviewed the nominations was overwhelmed by the letters they received about Davida.

Everyone who knew Davida enjoyed being around her. In both her personal and professional relationships, she approached everything and everyone with such respect and caring that she was universally loved and appreciated.

Davida was an amazing person. From the moment she was diagnosed with cancer she insisted on maintaining a normal life and continued to work, travel, and live her life to the fullest. It was inspiring to behold. Many people did not even realize she was ill until she got that mischievous glint

in her eye and gave them “a peek under the wig”. Davida delighted in the fact that she was able to continue to function in such a way that she was not a burden to others, and she continued to contribute to ICES in a meaningful way.

Davida continued to be involved in her community and to volunteer her time. One such event was “Eat to the Beat”, a fundraiser for the Willow Breast Cancer Support & Resource Services, which she had been involved with since 1994. She read voraciously and traveled extensively in the last year and a half to destinations all over the world, including South Africa, Alaska, England, and Israel. She also had her trip to Edmonton to receive her award from the CHLA / ABSC, and she was able to spend some time away at a friend’s cottage in the summer.

It was my privilege to work with Davida in the Resource Centre at ICES. I came to work with her in May 2002, and from the beginning it was the best working relationship I have ever had and one of the most special personal relationships too. We were so at ease with each other; I have never experienced anything like it in a working situation, nor do I expect to again. We had a certain flow to our work together. We would often finish each other’s sentences or answer questions before they were asked, and we could often express complex ideas or thoughts with very few words. We thought the same way a lot of the time. It was a lot of fun! Our desks were only a couple of feet apart but I never felt crowded or as though I was being watched. Davida brought with her a certain calm and dignity that was very comforting.

There are few people I respect more than Davida Glazer. As a professional, friend, mother, wife, and daughter, she was truly an exemplary person. I will always strive to live up to her example and will remember her with love.

Davida leaves behind her husband Mark, son Shawn, daughter Sheara, and a network of family, friends, and colleagues all over the world.

Jennifer J. Robichaud

Library Technician / Bibliotechnicienne

Canadian Hepatitis C Information Centre /

Centre canadien d'information sur l'hépatite C

http://www.hepc.cpha.ca
# The Hospital for Sick Children launches Paediatric Economic Database Evaluation (PEDE) project

http://pede.bioinfo.sickkids.on.ca/pede

The Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) Research Institute in Toronto is pleased to announce the launch of a new Web site dedicated to paediatric health economic evaluation. The Paediatric Economic Database Evaluation (PEDE) project featured on the Web site is part of a unique research program in paediatric health economic methods developed by Dr. Wendy Ungar, a scientist in Population Health Sciences. The first of its kind, PEDE features a database containing detailed information for more than 1000 published paediatric economic evaluations and is the result of a collaboration among members of Population Health Sciences, the Centre for Computational Biology, and the HSC Library. The PEDE database is freely accessible on the Internet and includes a user-friendly search engine. It contains references only and is not a full-text database.

This database is a valuable tool for clinicians interested in a particular condition or treatment, for scientists wishing to examine paediatric health services, and for health economists and policy decision-makers desiring to learn more about the economic benefits of particular treatments and services.

# US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's WONDER system makes searches a breeze

http://wonder.cdc.gov/

Wide-ranging OnLine Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) is an easy-to-use, menu-driven system that makes the information resources of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) available to public health professionals and the public at large. CDC WONDER, developed by the CDC, is an integrated information and communication system for public health.

With CDC WONDER you can

(i) Search for and read published documents on public health concerns, including reports, recommendations and guidelines, articles, and statistical research data published by CDC, as well as reference materials and bibliographies on health-related topics

(ii) Query numeric datasets on CDC's mainframe and other computers via "fill-in-the blank" Web pages. Public-use datasets about mortality (deaths), cancer incidence, HIV and AIDS, behavioural risk factors, diabetes, natality (births), census data, and many other topics are available for query, and the requested data are readily summarized and analyzed

The data are ready for use in desktop applications such as word processors, spreadsheet programs, or statistical and geographic analysis packages. File formats available include plain text (ASCII), Web pages (HTML), and spreadsheet files (comma- or tab-separated values).

# MEDLINEplus becomes MedlinePlus

On 18 February 2004, the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) introduced some changes to MedlinePlus. In the new design, MedlinePlus appears in upper- and lower-case lettering, replacing "MEDLINEplus" throughout the site. This capitalization format better reflects common use of the site name. Also, you can link to the home pages of the NLM and the US National Institutes of Health from the text in the banner on every MedlinePlus page.
**Site provides access to research journals in developing countries**

http://www.bioline.org.br/

Bioline International is a not-for-profit electronic publishing service committed to providing access to quality research journals published in developing countries. It is managed by scientists and librarians.

**Direct access to the Canadian Medical Association Infobase clinical practice guidelines**

http://mdm.ca/cpgsnew/cpgs/index.asp

These guidelines are produced or endorsed in Canada by a national, provincial, territorial or regional medical or health organization, professional society, government agency or expert panel.

**Portals to the World — links to electronic resources from around the world**

http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html

Portals to the World contains selective links providing authoritative, in-depth information about nations and other areas of the world. They are arranged by country or area with the links for each sorted into a wide range of broad categories. The links were selected by area specialists and other library staff using Library of Congress selection criteria. When completed, the project will include all nations of the world.

**New privacy law**

http://e-com.ic.gc.ca

The Government of Canada reminds Canadians that the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) came into full effect on 1 January 2004. The PIPEDA applies to all personal information collected, used or disclosed by private sector organizations in the course of commercial activity. Its privacy provisions are based on the Canadian Standards Association's Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information (CAN/CSA-Q830-96).
**Library of Congress mission to Baghdad report**

http://tinyurl.com/2otx9

A team from the Library of Congress visited Baghdad from 27 October to 3 November 2003, to advise the Ministry of Culture on the National Library of Baghdad.

**American Medical Informatics Association conference: Practical strategies for implementing electronic health record systems, 28–29 April 2004, McLean, Virginia (Metro Washington, D.C. area)**

http://www.amia.org/meetings/spring/current/main.html

This practical, interactive conference will be a perfect learning and networking opportunity for health information professionals who are currently implementing an electronic health record system, or plan to in the future. Participants in this conference will interact with national experts, including winners of the Nicholas E. Davies Award for Excellence in Computer-Based Patient Record (CPR) Implementation, and other peers. You will hear first-hand about best practices and lessons learned that will increase your chances of a successful implementation. Participants will be encouraged to work on problems specific to their organization.

**12th Annual Cochrane Colloquium, 2–6 October 2004**

http://www.colloquium.info

The 12th Cochrane Colloquium will be held in Ottawa from 2 to 6 October 2004. The Colloquium is the annual conference of The Cochrane Collaboration (www.cochrane.org), an organization dedicated to making up-to-date, accurate information about the effectiveness and safety of healthcare treatments readily available worldwide. The overall theme of the Ottawa Colloquium is “Bridging the Gaps”. Through plenary sessions, oral presentations, posters, and workshops, the conference will address the gaps that exist between The Cochrane Collaboration and clinical practice, between high- and low-income economies, between methodologists and reviewers, and between producers and users of Cochrane reviews.