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Category: Communication

Description: This presentation will share the results of a longitudinal cohort study of undergraduate students matriculating through the UNC & NC State Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. Over the last few years, students in this program have participated in an experimental, specialized information literacy training program aimed at preparing them to navigate the labyrinth of business hurdles associated with medical innovation and entrepreneurship. This longitudinal study, led by two librarians, sought to determine whether an intensive, specialized information literacy training program could introduce undergraduate biomedical engineering students to the complex environment surrounding innovative design in healthcare and medical entrepreneurship in order to improve their design projects. In addition to discussing our study’s results, we will share our lessons learned from conducting this study and some possible implications for professional practice. We will close with a discussion of the challenges involved in partnering with an academic department to conduct formal assessments of student learning, and by sharing practical strategies that other librarians can use to identify opportunities to build similar partnerships at their local institutions. Originally presented at the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) Annual Meeting 2018 in Durham, NC on August 20, 2018.