Symposium Speakers

Keynote Speaker: Nancy Ottman Press

Nancy has specialized, throughout her career, on health library services for underserved communities. For twenty-three years she worked in outreach through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, first in New England (based at Harvard) and then in the Pacific Northwest (while based at the University of Washington). Examples of Nancy's activities include teaching Internet health search methods to the health department at an Indian reservation, teaching a train-the-trainers class to community leaders from immigrant communities, and developing an easy-to-read health information web site at the request of the Indian Health Service.

Currently, in her position at a seminary and counseling school, she is partnering with African American faith communities to carry out health ministry. She teaches church representatives how to find good health information, develops and maintains culturally-relevant health web pages, and partners in grant-writing. Recently she was honored to be invited to be a board member of the African Americans Reach and Teach Health Ministry-the first white board member.

Annabelle V. Nuñez

The University of Arizona's College of Medicine (COM) created the Arizona Hispanic Center of Excellence (AHCOE) to support Hispanic faculty and student recruitment, development, and retention throughout Arizona. The Arizona Health Sciences Library (AHSL), an AHCOE partner, created the Services Librarian position to develop and deliver information, consultative and instructional programming services for targeted faculty, students, and clients involved in scholarship and research and appropriate patient/consumer health issues.

Annabelle Nuñez works to improve access to information resources in the areas of Hispanic, border, cross-cultural, bilingual and culturally appropriate patient/consumer health issues. She developed a subject guide website that centralizes special information for students, educators, health professionals and the community. She continues to promote AHSL's outreach efforts by participating in community workshops, health fairs, forums, and seminars concentrating on the targeted community.

Reverend Mary A. Diggs-Hobson

Mary Diggs-Hobson is the Cofounder and Executive Director of African Americans Reach and Teach Health (AARTH) Ministry, a faith-based capacity building nonprofit organization established to respond to HIV/AIDS and other major health issues affecting people of African descent.

A graduate of RHEMA Bible College, Reverend Diggs-Hobson has dedicated much of her ministry to social and health issues that test our faith and ability to effectively apply the Word of God. In addition to twenty-one years at the Xerox Corporation, Reverend Diggs-Hobson has worked in such capacities as neighborhood planning, community organizing, and organizational development to help bring about change to many Seattle/King County neighborhoods, communities and organizations for the purpose of strengthening the family unit.

Reverend Diggs-Hobson has ministered to the needs of orphans in South Africa and advocated before the White House Congressional Subcommittees and Conferences for better community based health resources. Her personal mission is to administer the encouragement, hope and peace of God to help create wellness and wholeness.

Amy E. Lavertu

Amy LaVertu, MLS is an Information Services Librarian at Tufts University’s Hirsh Health Sciences Library. She has served as Web master and “resource sleuth” for SPIRAL: Selected patient Information Resources in Asian Languages since its inception. Amy is grateful for the opportunity to directly address the information needs of underserved populations by linking both patients and their healthcare providers to Asian language health resources. She also appreciates having the opportunity to promote the fabulous work of individuals and groups who share the same goals as SPIRAL.

Teresa "Teri" Hartman

Teresa "Teri" Hartman is the Head of Education at the McGoogan Library of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE. She represents the McGoogan Library of Medicine Diversity Project Committee. The Committee, made up of Alison Bobal, Heather Brown, Marty Magee, and Cindy Schmidt, wrote and produced a movie for children and adults unfamiliar with the US healthcare system titled " Following the Clues: a visit to the doctor and the library."

Teri has over 14 years experience in successive careers supporting librarians that serve consumers' health information needs: an Area Health Education Center library; a rural community-based telemedicine project; and through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. She is currently a member of the Go Local Nebraska team, promoting to citizens and librarians the connection of contact information for state health care providers, support groups, and organizations with MedlinePlus. She has experienced first-hand what it feels like to seek care in an unfamiliar healthcare culture while working as a librarian in Germany.

Tom Foye

After serving in the Peace Corps in Micronesia in the mid-1960s, Tom settled in Hawaii and received a masters degree in Public Health from the University of Hawaii, with a specialty in health planning. Tom has had extensive experience working with government and non-profit organizations. He has worked as a director of a number of federally-funded programs and as a grants-writer and in grants administration. Most of his work experience has been with Native Hawaiian organizations, primarily in the areas of education and health.

Tom currently serves as Director of Planning and Development for Papa Ola Lokahi, a non-profit organization which is part of a federally-mandated system of services to address the serious health needs of Native Hawaiians. Tom's professional interests include resource development, strategic planning and program evaluation. He has a particular interest in assisting small, community-based organizations to develop the capacity to successfully compete for grant funds.

Tom's personal interests include tennis, archaeology, hiking the Volcano on the Big Island, cooking Italian food, and growing as many endemic native plants as possible in his yard.