When Division of Medical Sciences (DMS) students sit down with Kristy Hancock to work through a research assignment, there’s a moment she always looks forward to—the spark of recognition when something just clicks.

“It’s rewarding to see a student’s ‘aha’ moment when they find the perfect journal article for an assignment or master searching in a new database,” she said. “It’s certainly a privilege to be part of the students’ educational journey and help them build their research skills.”

Kristy joined the DMS this past spring as the Division’s new Health Sciences Librarian. The role had been formerly been filled on an interim basis by Terri McKellar, and in a longtime capacity previously by Dr. Trina Fyfe who is now UNBC’s University Librarian. 
    
“As a librarian I love connecting people with the information that they need to achieve their goals,” she explains. “I was drawn to this role because of the opportunity to support the next generation of medical and health professionals through teaching, providing research guidance, and facilitating access to library resources.”

For Kristy, helping students navigate the often complex world of health evidence is a key part of her work. She supports learners in developing skills that are essential to evidence-based practice - skills that will guide their clinical decision-making long after they graduate.

“The ability to find, evaluate, and use health evidence are core competencies for medical and health professionals,” she says. “However, it’s not always easy to navigate the current information landscape and find the best available evidence on a topic.”

She’s also inspired by the intentional design of DMS programs, which focus on preparing students for careers in northern and rural communities. Having worked as a hospital librarian in rural Nova Scotia, Kristy saw firsthand how access to health professionals can be a challenge.

Originally from New Westminster, B.C., Kristy earned a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University before completing a Master of Library and Information Studies at Dalhousie University. Since becoming a librarian in 2019, she has worked in a variety of medical library and health research settings in Nova Scotia, including Dalhousie University, the Nova Scotia Health Authority, and the Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit.

“It’s really exciting to be part of the DMS team,” says Kristy, “and contributing to the education programs that prepare students for medical, physical therapy, and occupational therapy careers in northern and rural communities as a way of addressing recruitment and retention challenges.”