Storm Damage: All
of the facilities of the Health Informatics Education Center were destroyed
by Tropical Storm Allison (June 2001). The lab, classroom, study rooms, and
audio-visual equipment will be replaced, though there is not as yet a date
for when this will be accomplished. Because of the cost of the video-conferencing
equipment, the video-conferencing room will not be replaced.
All classes in the Library are canceled until further notice.
What is the HIEC?
The Health Informatics Education Center occupies over 8,000 square feet
on the lower level of the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical
Center Library. It supports educational needs with two multipurpose
informatics rooms equipped with the latest workstations and software,
five audio-visual study rooms, two small conference rooms, and a large
video-conferencing room which supports distance-learning and telemedicine
programs. The Health Informatics Education Center is available to students
and medical professionals of the Texas Medical Center for:
- Searching medical databases
- Accessing the World Wide Web
- Using educational software
- Word processing
- Creating electronic slide presentations
- Developing desktop publishing
- Using audio-visual materials
Hours
The HIEC Lab is open most hours that the HAM-TMC Library is open and
is closed during Library holidays. See Library
Hours & Holidays for more information.
HIEC Lab:
Monday-Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
From time to time the HIEC Lab is closed for classes. Notices of
HIEC Lab closings are posted in the HIEC.
Informatics Lab
The Informatics Lab provides space
and equipment for 40 users engaged
in advanced research, writing, and computer-aided study. Lab resources
include:
- 20+ Dell 266 MHz workstations
- Educational software
- Internet access (Netscape)
- PubMed and other databases
- Printing, scanning, and slides
- Word, Excel, & PowerPoint software
- A/V & video-projection equipment
Computer Classroom
The
classroom accommodates training for 40 users. Classes are taught by HAM-TMC
Librarians and Texas Medical Center faculty. Call 713.799.7128 or 713.799.7120
for scheduling information. Classroom facilities include:
- 25 Dell 233 MHz workstations
- Internet access (Netscape)
- PubMed and other databases
- Printing
- Word, Excel, & other software
- Video-projection equipment
Video-Conferencing Center
A two-way video-conferencing and telemedicine conference center is available
at the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library. Located
in the Health Informatics Education Center (on the Library's lower level)
the video-conferencing room is available for distance learning, continuing
education, telemedicine, and remote conferences. The Library collaborates
with the telemedicine programs of Baylor College of Medicine, the Health
Channel, U.T. Health Sciences Center, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and other
institutions. Capabilities include:
- Two-way video-conferencing or downlink satellite broadcast.
- Internet-connected computer workstations and fax machine for
document transfer. VCR available.
- Seminar room seats 40.
- Facilities available to all Texas Medical Center institutions
and affiliates for one-time use or semester courses.
- Minimal fees (flat fee or hourly arrangements).
Call 713.799.7120 or email dbarclay@library.tmc.edu
for more information.
Audio-Visual Equipment
VCRs and slide viewers are available for viewing materials from the
Library's 3,000-item audio-visual collection as well as for viewing
other biomedical audio-visual materials.
Study Rooms
Five study rooms are available in the HIEC (Library's lower level)
on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional study rooms are available
on the second floor, also on a first-come, first-served basis. There
are study carrels, tables, and lounge seating on all floors.
Educational Software
The Health Informatics Education Center is developing a growing collection
of biomedical educational software. This software is stored at the
Library Circulation Desk and is catalogued in the online
catalog.
Value Added Services
The Health Informatics Education Center provides several value-added
services for reasonable fees:
- Publications Services
- Informatics courses
- Continuing-education conferences
- Video-conferences
- Lab or Classroom for groups
- Webpage design services
- Faxing and printing
- Consulting services
Courses
A number of hands-on courses intended for students and health professionals
are taught in the Health Informatics Education Center. Courses are
free for students and available for $25.00 for staff and faculty.
Regular Informatics Courses
- PubMed
- Basic and Advanced Internet
- Creating an Internet Resource Page
- PowerPoint
- Desktop Publishing
- CINAHL database
- PsycInfo database
Call 713.799.7174 or 713.799.7128 for more information or view the Library's
course schedule on the web.
Special Informatics Seminars TMC departments and faculty may
arrange Special Informatics Seminars. Call 713.799.7120 for more information.
