Rachel Hinrichs is the 2025 recipient of the Medical Library Association (MLA) Estelle Brodman Award for the Academic Health Sciences Librarian of the Year. One of MLA’s highest professional distinctions, the award recognizes an academic health sciences librarian at mid-career level who demonstrates significant achievement, the potential for leadership, and continuing excellence (https://www.mlanet.org/Awards/estelle-brodman-award-for-the-academic-health-sciences-librarian-of-the-year/).
Rachel is the subject librarian to the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health and the graduate programs in the School of Health and Human Sciences. She has done exceptional work both in the classroom (e.g., supporting student research and information literacy skills) and with faculty and instructors (e.g., advocating for Open Educational Resources, supporting promotion and tenure metrics, collaborating on evidence synthesis projects). Beyond the campus, she has done exceptional work at the regional and state level. For example, her work on the WISE Indiana (Wellbeing Informed by Science and Evidence in Indiana) Rapid Response Team (RRT) provided evidence-based information to clinicians on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as government employees and policymakers across the state. In December 2020, Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box recognized the efforts of the team with an Award for Excellence in Public Health for outstanding contributions in promoting, protecting, and providing for the health of people in Indiana. Rachel also received recognition for her work from leaders in the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.
In her research, Rachel has several unique areas of interest. For example, her research on Evidence-Based Practice in nutrition and dietetics won two research awards: Honorary Mention (3rd place) Research Award (Poster) at MLA 2018; and Honorary Mention (3rd place) Research Award (Paper) at MLA Regional Conference 2017. Her work on ‘lost’ conference papers could be a model for similar work in other disciplines. This work won her the 2nd place Research Award (Papers) at MLA 2022. Rachel’s research agenda stands separate from her collaborations on evidence synthesis publications, one poster won the 3nd place research award at the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine Annual Integrative Health and Medicine Conference in October 2020. (For all her research output, see her Google Scholar profile at https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=TFpMEw4AAAAJ.)
Congratulations Rachel!