Congratulations to Sarah T. Wright, a recipient of the 2021 MAC Award for Professional Excellence by a Health Sciences Librarian
The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association is excited to announce that Sarah Towner Wright is the winner of the MAC Award for Professional Excellence by a Health Sciences Librarian.
Sarah T. Wright is the Head, Clinical and Statewide Engagement at the Health Sciences Library, University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. While Sarah Wright has a long history of service and leadership in various job roles, organizations, and associations, over the last two years, she has stepped up to fill increasingly important and prominent roles at the university and state levels. At the UNC-Chapel Hill Health Sciences Library, she leads a department of librarians in various public and technical services roles, providing leadership and oversight on information resources and access for healthcare providers and consumers across the university, medical center, and state of North Carolina. Wright’s leadership shapes librarian collaboration with faculty, staff, and residents at the UNC Medical Center on patient care, research, and education.
She is also the Liaison to the NC AHEC Program Office, providing clinical and practice support to a variety of clinicians across the state of North Carolina. Her leadership ensures that the Area Health Education Centers across North Carolina receive access to information resources and that the individual AHEC libraries provide strategically coordinated services. Despite staffing shortages and the many challenges of the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, Wright has ensured these vital services continue and that resources are current and accessible. Under Sarah’s oversight, UNC Chapel Hill and AHEC librarians created the Coronavirus library guide, which provides in-depth information for clinicians and the community and has over 27,000 views since the beginning of the pandemic.
Across her various roles, Sarah Wright has demonstrated a dedication to teaching and mentoring, both for medical trainees and for early-career librarians. She provides direct curriculum support for the UNC School of Medicine and collaborates with medicine faculty on research, education, and point-of-care information needs.
Sarah Wright has also made significant contributions to the medical and library-information science literature. She has co-authored systematic reviews on medicine and health sciences topics such as access to health services and the social determinants of health. She also co-authored a 2021 paper in Medical Reference Services Quarterly, “Essential Services of Clinical Librarians in Academic and Health Care Settings: A Cross-Sectional Study,” that provided an international picture of the roles and work of clinical librarians across various types of libraries and institutions. Beyond her own publications and presentations, Sarah also provides guidance and ideas for librarians in her department to present and publish at the local, regional, and national levels.
Congratulations, Sarah!
