Welcome to this special edition of Connective Issues highlighting the HS/HSL’s April 21st symposium, "@Hand: Mobile Technologies in Academia and Medicine." Earlier this year I wrote about the 2010 Horizon Report which identified mobile technology as a breakout technology for the next year. I mentioned our symposium was coming on April 21st. And now it is almost here. The planning committee has put together an outstanding program with a stimulating keynote speaker and sessions focused on practical applications in academia and medicine. There will be vendors. There will be prizes. Visit the web site for more information about this exciting day. I will see you at the symposium, mobile device in hand!

On Wednesday April 21, 2010, the Health Sciences & Human Services Library will be hosting an all day symposium, @Hand: Mobile Technologies in Academia and Medicine. The day will consist of a keynote speaker, panelists, and vendors addressing the emerging and evolving uses of mobile technologies, such as smart phones and e-readers, in clinical and academic settings. We hope that attendees who attend for part or all of the day will gain a better understanding of mobile technologies and how they can be used in innovative ways.

This event is free, and advance registration is not required. The symposium will be held from 9:30 am to 3:15 pm at the SMC Campus Center, followed by a closing reception in the Gladhill Boardroom on the Library’s 5th Floor.

For more information about the event including, the program and information about speakers, visit the symposium web site.

Neil Versel is a freelance healthcare journalist, specializing in health information technology, healthcare quality, hospital/physician practice management, and healthcare finance. He will be providing the keynote address for the @Hand Symposium entitled "Healthcare Here, There, Everywhere."

Versel edits online newsletters FierceHealthIT, FierceEMR and FierceMobileHealthcare and is a regular contributor to CMIO Magazine. He has written for numerous other healthcare publications in the U.S., Canada and Europe, including Medscape’s Business of Medicine, Healthcare IT News, MD Net Guide, Inside Healthcare Computing, Hospitals & Health Networks, and E-Health Insider. He also has been published in the Chicago Sun-Times and Red Herring. Versel also blogs on health information technology.

Versel won a 2006 APEX Award for Publication Excellence for a story that appeared in For The Record. For more than three years, Versel was a staff reporter at Modern Physician magazine, where he won two Crain Communications Editorial Excellence Awards.

Register at the Library’s April 21st mobile technologies symposium, and you will be entered in a drawing to win one of two iPod Touches. You do not need to be present to win. The drawing will take place during the closing reception in the HS/HSL’s Gladhill Boardroom.

Selected pages of the HS/HSL website is now optimized for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch devices. You can search resources, register for library workshops, view video tutorials, request assistance, and more!

Simply point your Safari web browser to http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/touch/ or visit the regular HS/HSL website, which will automatically redirect you to the new mobile version.

The HS/HSL Mobile Apps Guide* provides information about various smart phones and the health-related apps that can be used on them. The guide contains information and reviews for a variety of smart phones including the Droid, Nexus One, and iPhone. It also provides a listing of apps in several categories including Clinical Tools, Drug Information, and Medical Calculators.

*The HS/HSL does not endorse the use of any specific device or application.