As the first Summer Session of 2021 begins at the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, the Leatherby Libraries is happy to continue our “My Librarian’s Favorite Resource(s)” blog series with a conversation with Ivan Portillo, Coordinator of Rinker Campus Library Services and the subject liaison librarian for all Health Sciences.

A man in a navy blue and white checked shirt smiles for the camera.

Health Sciences Librarian Ivan Portillo

Ivan writes, “It has been my pleasure to support the diverse and bright group of faculty, researchers, and students at the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus. The Rinker Campus is home to the School of Pharmacy and several graduate programs within the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences. Since I arrived at Chapman University in 2017, I have helped to introduce a variety of biomedical and health information resources to the Rinker community. While each program studies a variety of topics, I have found that there a few key resources that faculty and students have found extremely helpful.

  • PubMed (https://chapman.libguides.com/pubmed)
    • PubMed is the most popular database for biomedical literature. It offers abstracts, articles, and books covering topics about health, life sciences, and chemistry amongst other subjects. Most students and faculty at Rinker are aware of PubMed, but I try to remind them of the additional features that the database offers whenever possible.
  • CINAHL Plus with Full Text (https://chapman.libguides.com/cinahl)
    • When I’m asked where to look for articles, I always recommend CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) as the second best resource behind PubMed. CINAHL will help students who are part of Nursing and Allied Health programs. This database focuses on general science literature and more on health care.
  • 5MinuteConsult (https://chapman.libguides.com/5minuteconsult)
    • This resource is one I personally enjoy and can recommend to anyone at Chapman. While some of our health information resources contain in-depth literature that allows our students and faculty to make evidence-based decisions, 5MinuteConsult provides condensed and easy to read summaries on any medical related topic. There is also a mobile app available that can be used to look up diseases, drugs, or lab tests.”