Valerie Florance, PhD

Dr. Florance received BA and MA degrees in medical anthropology from the University of Utah, a masterís degree in library science from Brigham Young University, and a PhD in information and library science from the University of Maryland. She has held medical library administrator positions at the University of Utah, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Rochester. She was project director for the Better Health@here.now, a visioning project of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) and served as principal investigator of the IAIMS:TNG, the Next Generation Integrated Advanced Information and Management System (IAIMS) project supported by NLM and conducted by AAMC to gather the lessons learned from the IAIMS program and guide its further evolution. She joined NLM in 2001 and is now Deputy Director of Extramural Programs. In this capacity, she is responsible for all NLM research grants relevant to clinical informatics and consequently plays a critical role in advising applicants, following applications through review, selecting applications for funding, and monitoring the progress of awarded grants. Valerie, along with Frank Davidoff, wrote a landmark paper on the new job category of informationist and was a member of the Medical Library Associationís Informationist Task Force. Her election to the College recognizes these sustained and varied contributions to the field.