Judy M Spak, MLS
she/her/hers
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Contact Info
Cushing/Whitney Medical Library
333 Cedar Street, P.O. Box 208014
New Haven, CT 06520
United States
About
Titles
Head of Academic Research and Education
Biography
As Head of Academic Research and Education at the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, I provide expert research assistance and collaborate with faculty and learners on a broad range of topics. I am particularly interested in health professions education scholarship and the role of librarians in teaching and assessing the evidence-based information-seeking skills of trainees. I am also interested in healthcare and education topics related to the LGBTQIA+ population. I collaborate on evidence and knowledge syntheses projects by providing expert searching and methodological expertise. The Academic Research and Education team supports the Yale School of Medicine, the Physician Associate program, the Online Physician Assistant program, the Yale School of Public Health, and the Yale School of Nursing and provides exceptional research and education services to the health sciences community at Yale.
When not at work, I enjoy playing with my Pembroke Welsh Corgi, watching hockey, and knitting.
Education & Training
- MLS
- Southern Connecticut State University, Master of Library Science (1996)
- BA
- Hofstra University, Humanities with New College Honors in the Humanities (1985)
Research
Overview
I provide training for faculty, trainees, and staff on issues related to health professions education scholarship and collaborate with researchers on these projects. I also teach at the national and local level as part of the AAMC Medical Education Research Certificate (MERC) program.
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Competency-Based Education; Education, Medical, Continuing; Education, Medical, Graduate; Education, Medical, Undergraduate; Systematic Review; Systematic Reviews as Topic
ORCID
0000-0003-0705-168X
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Judy M Spak's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Judy M Spak's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Judy M Spak is interested in exploring.
Janet Hafler, EdD
Donna Windish, MD, MPH
Holly Grossetta Nardini, AHIP
Janene Batten, EdD, MLS
Jeremy J. Moeller, MD, MSc, FRCP(C)
Jessica P Cerdena, PhD
10Publications
322Citations
Education, Medical, Graduate
Competency-Based Education
Publications
2023
State-of-the-art review of medical improvisation curricula to teach health professional learners communication
Chan C, Windish D, Spak J, Makansi N. State-of-the-art review of medical improvisation curricula to teach health professional learners communication. Advances In Health Sciences Education 2023, 29: 1025-1046. PMID: 37921903, DOI: 10.1007/s10459-023-10296-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsCurriculum developmentCommunication skillsContent of curriculaLearners’ communication skillsCurricular goalsLearners’ communicationMedical improvCommunication curriculumMedical educationCurriculumMedical improvisationsTheatre principlesHealth professionalsLearnersBest practicesEmpathetic communicationSkillsEducationTeamworkImplementationCommunicationArticleImprovImprovisationDevelopment
2022
The pipeline starts in medical school: characterizing clinician-educator training programs for U.S. medical students
Bahar RC, O’Shea A, Li ES, Swallow MA, Allocco AA, Spak JM, Hafler JP. The pipeline starts in medical school: characterizing clinician-educator training programs for U.S. medical students. Medical Education Online 2022, 27: 2096841. PMID: 35796419, PMCID: PMC9272942, DOI: 10.1080/10872981.2022.2096841.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsUndergraduate medical educationU.S. allopathic medical schoolsAllopathic medical schoolsClinician-educator trackMedical schoolsGraduate Medical EducationMedical educationTraining programU.S. medical studentsMedical school rankingEducational theorySchool rankingsMedical studentsSchoolsInstitutional websitesAcademic medicineEducationSustainable outputProgramStudentsCompetenciesWebsitesCurrent stateGeographyCallsStructure and impact of longitudinal Graduate Medical Education curricula designed to prepare future clinician-educators: A systematic scoping review: BEME Guide No. 74
Yang Y, Gielissen K, Brown B, Spak JM, Windish DM. Structure and impact of longitudinal Graduate Medical Education curricula designed to prepare future clinician-educators: A systematic scoping review: BEME Guide No. 74. Medical Teacher 2022, 44: 947-961. PMID: 35196190, DOI: 10.1080/0142159x.2022.2039381.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsInstructional methodsEducator communityGraduate medical education curriculumMedical education curriculumSpecific instructional methodsGraduate medical education programsMedical education programsCurricular themesCurriculum contentEducation curriculumExperiential teachingLearner satisfactionUnique curriculumFuture curriculaMost curriculaExperiential activitiesRelated grey literatureEducation programsCurriculumImportant skillScholarly projectsProgram outcomesIndependent projectsHealth science databasesTeaching
2021
Relationship-Centered Care in the Physician-Patient Interaction: Improving Your Understanding of Metacognitive Interventions.
Ko CJ, Kim R, Fortin AH, Spak JM, Hafler JP. Relationship-Centered Care in the Physician-Patient Interaction: Improving Your Understanding of Metacognitive Interventions. Cutis 2021, 107: 320-324. PMID: 34314316, DOI: 10.12788/cutis.0266.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsIntergenerational trauma in Latinxs: A scoping review
Cerdeña JP, Rivera LM, Spak JM. Intergenerational trauma in Latinxs: A scoping review. Social Science & Medicine 2021, 270: 113662. PMID: 33476987, DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113662.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetric
2019
Librarians as methodological peer reviewers for systematic reviews: results of an online survey
Grossetta Nardini HK, Batten J, Funaro MC, Garcia-Milian R, Nyhan K, Spak JM, Wang L, Glover JG. Librarians as methodological peer reviewers for systematic reviews: results of an online survey. Research Integrity And Peer Review 2019, 4: 23. PMID: 31798974, PMCID: PMC6882225, DOI: 10.1186/s41073-019-0083-5.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricEntrustable professional activity 7: opportunities to collaborate on evidence-based medicine teaching and assessment of medical students
Nicholson J, Spak JM, Kovar-Gough I, Lorbeer ER, Adams NE. Entrustable professional activity 7: opportunities to collaborate on evidence-based medicine teaching and assessment of medical students. BMC Medical Education 2019, 19: 330. PMID: 31481060, PMCID: PMC6724374, DOI: 10.1186/s12909-019-1764-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsMedical educationEvidence-based medicine (EBM) teachingEducation Task ForceEntrustable professional activitiesLibrarian collaborationMedicine teachingMedical studentsProfessional activityTeachingPatient careLibrarians' awarenessInvolvement of librariansEducationSurvey response rateLibrariansOpportunitiesMethodsThe associationClinical questionsBackgroundThis studyResponse rateCurriculumUntapped opportunitiesStudentsProjectSkillsTransformative learning as pedagogy for the health professions: a scoping review
Van Schalkwyk SC, Hafler J, Brewer TF, Maley MA, Margolis C, McNamee L, Meyer I, Peluso MJ, Schmutz AM, Spak JM, Davies D, Initiative T. Transformative learning as pedagogy for the health professions: a scoping review. Medical Education 2019, 53: 547-558. PMID: 30761602, DOI: 10.1111/medu.13804.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetric
2018
Test-enhanced learning in health professions education: A systematic review: BEME Guide No. 48
Green ML, Moeller JJ, Spak JM. Test-enhanced learning in health professions education: A systematic review: BEME Guide No. 48. Medical Teacher 2018, 40: 337-350. PMID: 29390949, DOI: 10.1080/0142159x.2018.1430354.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsHealth professions educationLearning outcomesTEL interventionsProfessions educationImmediate learning outcomesTest-enhanced learningMedical education journalsEffectiveness of TELsShort-answer questionsMultiple-choice questionsCognitive psychology studiesEducation journalsStandardized patientsHealth professionsChoice questionsAnswer questionsRetention outcomesEducationPsychology studiesLearningTELCurriculumEducatorsLearnersNo. 48
2007
The Personal Librarian Program: An Evaluation of a Cushing/Whitney Medical Library Outreach Initiative
Spak J, Glover J. The Personal Librarian Program: An Evaluation of a Cushing/Whitney Medical Library Outreach Initiative. Medical Reference Services Quarterly 2007, 26: 15-25. PMID: 18086639, DOI: 10.1300/j115v26n04_02.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and Concepts
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
activity Reviewer
Journal ServiceMedical EducationDetails2023 - Presentactivity Reviewer
Journal ServiceMedical TeacherDetails2023 - Presentactivity Abstract Reviewer
Professional OrganizationsAAMC Group on Educational AffairsDetails2017 - Presentactivity Abstract Reviewer
Professional OrganizationsNortheast Group on Educational Affairs (NEGEA)Details2016 - Presentactivity Committee Member
CommitteesEducational Policy and Curriculum CommitteeDetails2001 - Present
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Email
Academic Office Number
Mailing Address
Cushing/Whitney Medical Library
333 Cedar Street, P.O. Box 208014
New Haven, CT 06520
United States