Biography

Associate professor Katie Houk is the undergraduate medical education librarian in the UNLV School of Medicine Library at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, where she supports the education, research, and wellness of Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine students, faculty, and staff. Along with supporting the medical school's research and evidence-based medicine curriculum, Houk has a particular interest in improving health communication to the public through training on spoken and written communication best practices, evaluation of health information materials, and the promotion of trusted health information resources, particularly those created for historically excluded groups.

Houk is interested in medical humanism, an interdisciplinary field that incorporates practices from the humanities into medical training to promote a more holistic understanding and approach to health. She is looking to expand on previous collaborations with faculty and students in the medical school and other departments in the UNLV Health Sciences Division to promote and undertake research on literature, art, and creative expression as avenues for learning, reflection, growth and wellness. She combines her interests in health literacy and medical humanism through expertise in graphic medicine.

She has earned a Level II status in the consumer health information specialization from the Medical Library Association, demonstrating her commitment to staying current with developments in resources, technologies, and services. Houk also serves on The Network of the National Library of Medicine’s Community Engagement Council, where she collaborates on initiatives that empower public libraries and community-based organizations to support or advance health equity through access to actionable health information.