Diane Fotinos: Former Physician Assistant, Future Librarian

 

Diane Fotinos, Library Clerical Assistant, is earning a Master of Science in Library Science (MSLS) degree from the University of North Texas and applying her knowledge and skills in medicine, cataloguing, archives, and materials preservation in the Resources Management unit at Briscoe Library. Diane has a unique background that makes her an invaluable asset to the library. She is a former Physician Assistant with eight years of experience in Pediatrics and Dermatology. As a student in the Child Health Associate program at the University of Colorado Medical School, she completed clinical internships in Neonatology in East Los Angeles and worked with the Navajo population in Gallup, NM.

After relocating every few years with her husband, a now retired Air Force MD, and taking time off to raise her two children, Diane said she was looking for a career change, yet still wanted to use her medical background. A good friend of hers who is a librarian suggested that she consider medical librarianship. She emailed Briscoe Library to inquire about volunteer opportunities, then applied for the clerical position when it became available. In her initial role at Briscoe Library, Diane assisted the library with creating cases and providing demos of the BodyViz 3D anatomy visualization software as part of the Simulation and Immersion Technology unit.

Diane expects to graduate in 2020 with an Archival Studies certificate in addition to the MSLS. Also, she has been accepted into the 17th annual Book History Workshop at Texas A&M University, a week-long summer program that provides an intensive, hands-on introduction to the history of books and printing. Diane said that she really enjoys special collections, rare books, and the creativity of archiving and cataloguing, and loves anatomy and the history of anatomy, so her dream job is working in an academic or medical academic archival setting.

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