The Planetary Health Alliance (PHA) is the leading organization at the forefront of Planetary Health, a new, rapidly growing global field focused on the human health impacts of our disruption and transformation of Earth's natural systems. Never before has humanity's footprint on the natural world been so large or so threatening to human health and well-being. PHA is a global consortium of approximately 450 institutions in 70+ countries with a focus on rapidly expanding our understanding of, and ability to address, these threats. To learn more about the Planetary Health Alliance, please visit: https://www.planetaryhealthalliance.org/

PHA seeks a resourceful and collaborative Planetary Health Library Science Technician who will apply their knowledge of library science or informatics to develop systems to most effectively curate resources to our global network. This position is funded for twelve (12) months by The Grace and Harold Sewell Memorial Fund through the Learning Partnership program. The ideal Planetary Health Library Science Technician would be self-motivated with a master's degree in library or information science who has shown an interest in working within the health field. The Planetary Health Library Science Technician will report to PHA’s Program Director.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

• During the one-year fellowship, PHA will provide ample opportunities for the individual to gain additional understanding of Planetary Health by interacting with PHA staff, members of our global community, and staff and affiliated faculty at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health (https://planetaryhealth.jhu.edu/).

• The Planetary Health Library Science Technician will also apply and strengthen library science/informatics skills by participating in the following three projects:

• Curating library of articles and resources. PHA has over 1,600 publications referenced in our online research library. While they are categorized by broad topic, the Planetary Health Library Science Technician will help us develop and apply a more comprehensive taxonomy for our users. The Planetary Health Library Science Technician will also develop a system to summarize and synthesize key findings or to identify the most relevant resources for those who want a quick understanding of the state of the science about Planetary Health. In addition to published literature, this taxonomy can also be applied to events and other resources.

• Compiling examples, case studies, and lessons learned. The 2024 Planetary Health Roadmap and Action Plan (https://www.planetaryhealthalliance.org/roadmap) has six specific action areas, including improving communications, integrating Planetary Health into education, and developing and implementing relevant policy. For each of these areas, it will help the global community to compile examples of promising practices and tips from their successful implementation. The Planetary Health Library Science Technician will focus on one of those action areas and develop a process for gathering these types of examples and making them easy to disseminate across our network.

• Integrating Planetary Health within education with a focus on Library Science/Informatics. Last year, PHA embarked on an effort to infuse Planetary Health concepts in public health, medical, and nursing education. The Fellow will assist in developing resources to support integration of Planetary Health into those fields. In addition, the Fellow will develop and implement strategies to reach out to library science/informatics professional and academic societies to increase awareness about Planetary Health and ways in which this profession can contribute to addressing the earth crisis.

Special Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Experience developing and implementing schema for organizing large quantities of data

• Experience conducting literature reviews and other methods to synthesize scientific information

• Excellent organizational skills, analytical and problem-solving abilities, and attention to detail.

• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Ability to work for long periods of time without direction, prioritize own work, and work with flexibility on several tasks simultaneously in order to meet various concurrent deadlines.

• Excellent computer literacy skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and ability to learn new software.

• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills; also, with exceptional attention to detail.

• Knowledge and/or demonstrated experience or interest in the area of global environmental change and/or public health, as it relates to Planetary Health.

• Limited travel may be required.

• Keen attention to deadlines, and strong time-management and organizational skills

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree.

• Two years related experience.

• Additional education may substitute for experience to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Preferred Qualifications

• MLS preferred.

• Record of professional association participation.

• Experience working with international organizations.

• Master's degree in Library or Information Science, or related field, who has shown an interest in working within the health field.

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including relationship building and stakeholder management.

Classified Title: Librarian

Job Posting Title (Working Title): Planetary Health Library Science Technician

Role/Level/Range: ATP/03/PB

Starting Salary Range: $46,200 - $80,800 Annually ($65,380 targeted; Commensurate with experience)

Employee group: Full Time

Schedule: Monday to Friday: 9 am – 5 pm

Exempt Status: Exempt

Location: Hybrid/District of Columbia

Department name: ​​​​​​​Institute for Planetary Health

Personnel area: School of Public Health

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Johns Hopkins University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. The university promotes affirmative action for minorities, women, disabled persons, and veterans.