Megan Bell, MLIS, AHIP serves as Assistant Professor, Reference Librarian and School of Health Professions Liaison. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana and Master of Library & Information Science from Louisiana State University. Later, she earned a Systematic Review Service Specialization (SRSS) through the Medical Library Association (MLA). The SRSS was created by MLA, using a team of experts in the field of systematic reviews and review services. This training equipped her with a range of information retrieval, management knowledge and skills to support researchers. Additionally, it provided a foundation for understanding established guidelines, best practices, ethical synthesis practices, and transparent reporting of high quality, reproducible scientific and biomedical research.

Becca Billings, MLIS, AHIP is an Associate Professor and the Systematic Reviews Coordinator in the Clinical, Academic, & Research Engagement Department (CARE) at Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences. Prior to this role, she was the liaison librarian to the UAB Schools of Nursing and Optometry since 2015. Becca has gained expertise in various aspects of evidence syntheses by completing training through the Supporting Clinical Care: An Institute in Evidence Based Medicine for Medical Librarians at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus in 2016, and the Systematic Reviews: Opportunities for Librarians course at the University of Michigan's Taubman Health Sciences Library in 2020. She has achieved Senior Level certification through the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP) in 2022 and has also earned her Systematic Review Services Specialization Level 1 in 2023 through the Medical Library Association (MLA). She is currently working on her Level 2 specialization.

Jill Deaver, MA, MLIS began her career at UAB in 2014. She is an Associate Professor with UAB Libraries, where she serves as the Head of Lister Hill Library's Department of Clinical, Academic, & Research Engagement. Jill also serves as library liaison to the Heersink School of Medicine. Jill has a Master’s degree in English (University of Montevallo) and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences (University of Alabama). Her publications include seven synthesis reviews, including four systematic reviews. Her continued education in health sciences librarianship includes courses in consumer health, evidence-based practice, and systematic reviews. From 2015-2019 Jill held a secondary appointment as an adjunct instructor teaching Writing for Publication for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

Damiana Fortenberry, MLIS is the library liaison for the School of Dentistry and the School of Optometry. She helps faculty and students with their information needs by teaching them how to effectively navigate and search databases and reference management, as well as conducting literature searches. She enjoys working collaboratively with researchers to support their information needs and has a special interest in health literacy. She has completed CAIFL (Critical Appraisal Institute for Librarians) and has been working with the other librarians on the Systematic Reviews Team to get more hands-on experience to soon take on her own systematic reviews.

James Gilbreath, MLIS joined UAB in 2022. He is an Assistant Professor with UAB Libraries and serves as the library liaison to the UAB School of Public Health. He received his Master’s in Library and Information Studies from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and has over ten years of experience in academic librarianship. While newer to the field of systematic review research, he has undergone training with the "Systematic Reviews: Opportunities for Librarians" course at the University of Michigan's Taubman Health Sciences Library and further synthesis review coursework with the Medical Library Association. James has supported several projects related to LGBTQ+ health, social determinants of health, and other research at the intersection of identity and health.

Coming Soon

Lauren Wheeler, MLIS is our part-time Systematic Review Library Associate. She specializes in systematic review searching and works fully remote out of Maryland. Lauren started her expert searching career in 2018 where she worked on literature search requests at The Health Sciences and Human Services Library at the University of Maryland Baltimore. She gained more expert search skills while attending the "Systematic Reviews: Opportunities for Librarians" course at the University of Michigan's Taubman Health Sciences Library. She became fully trained in 2019 and has been working on systematic reviews ever since! Lauren continues to gain more experience on systematic reviews and evidence synthesis by seeking out professional development opportunities to stay up to date in the field. She likes every part of the search process, but really enjoys learning about meta-analyses and new technologies available to help with systematic review searching. Lauren received her Systematic Review Services Specialization Level 1 in 2023 through the Medical Library Association (MLA) and is currently working on her Level 2 specialization.