Sandra Kendall, Director of Library Services at Sinai Health System, has been honoured by the Canadian Health Libraries Association (CHLA/ABSC) as Canadian Hospital Librarian of the Year.
With more than 30 years of expertise and 18 years working at Mount Sinai Hospital, Sandra is passionate about empowering medical professionals to find the most current and credible information to improve patient care. Her dedication to making information accessible has included founding The Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration – Library Science Program, where she has taught more than 1,200 health and library professionals in Ethiopia in using HINARI, an electronic resource library established by the World Health Organization for developing countries.
More locally, Sandra has initiated the beginning of a centralized catalogue for hospital libraries in the Greater Toronto Area, in partnership with the University of Toronto, resulting in easier and more efficient access to resources. She has also contributed to the creation of the first comprehensive electronic nursing collection in the Greater Toronto Area, improving upon Mount Sinai Hospital’s culture of nursing excellence.
In June 2017, Sandra published her updated Evidence-Based Medicine Resources Toolkit in the Canadian Family Physician journal, encouraging clinicians to find credible sources of medical information in a practical manner. The toolkit has been incorporated into the teachings of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Ministry of Public Health, and a number of hospital libraries across Canada.
Sandra has made incredible contributions to Mount Sinai and to the library profession as a whole. Join us in congratulating her on this well-deserved recognition.