This section highlights our goals and initiatives under development in the community to encourage health information literacy. Use the drop-down menu to explore our ongoing initiatives from workshops and health corners in Free Library of Philadelphia branches to community health fairs and programming.
In addition to the health corners, workshops, and spaces, we have a number of other community health outreach projects that are underway or ongoing, as described below.
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In April 2018, Aman was the first of several Penn Libraries staff members to become Wellness Partners at Penn. Since then, Aman represents the STEM Libraries at Wellness Partners & Ambassadors Meetings as well as other wellness-oriented events held at Penn.
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In September 2018, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) invited Aman and Richard to serve on the Patient & Family Education Committee (PFEC). In Fall 2022, after Richard's departure, Liz Blake, the 2022 - 2025 Eugene Garfield Resident in Science Librarianship, represents the Holman Biotech Commons on PFEC. Aman continues to regularly attend PFEC meetings and events at HUP.
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In January 2019, the Center for Public Health (CPH) appointed Aman to the role of Associate Fellow, which has strengthened the partnership between CPH and Penn Libraries.
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In 2019, Aman provided consumer health information to the Office of Government & Community Affairs, who shared it with attendees at First Thursday Community Meetings, open meetings that bring together Penn affiliates, West Philadelphia residents, community organizations, government agencies, business leaders, and elected officials at the Free Library of Philadelphia Walnut Street West Branch. Since 2020, these meetings now occur virtually with occasional in-person meetings at Gutmann College House.
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As of 2020, Aman serves an advisor for two registered student organizations: Penn Walks 2 Wellness (a student organization that recruit student volunteers to support the Weekly Themed Wellness Walks) and EduCare (a health literacy-focused student organization that creates easy-to-read visual and written health information for local and national healthcare and literacy organizations). In 2021, the Wellness Division, the Center for Public Health Initiatives, and Penn Libraries partnered with the SNF Paideia Program to recruit a Paideia Fellow(s) to serve as the Penn Walks 2 Wellness intern(s). In 2023, the coordination of Penn Walks 2 Wellness was transferred to Steve Scaduto, the Director of Student Learning Enrichment.
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As of 2021, Aman appointed to the board of the Pennsylvania Public Health Association (PPHA), an organization that provides professional development and networking opportunities to public health students, professionals, and researchers across the state and to the steering committee of the Public Health Young Leaders Association (PHYLA), a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization that provides professional development & networking opportunities for public health students, recent graduates, young professionals, and early career professionals.
