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In 2013, the librarians at a small academic health sciences library reevaluated their mission, vision, and strategic plan to expand their roles. The school was transitioning to a new pedagogical culture and a new building designed to emphasize interprofessional education and active learning methodologies. Subsequent efforts to implement the new strategic plan resulted in the librarians joining curriculum committees and other institutional initiatives, such as an Active Learning Task Force, and participating in faculty development workshops. This participation has increased visibility and led to new roles and opportunities for librarians.

Background Mounting evidence suggests that wearable technologies using peripheral neuromodulation can provide novel ways of improving mobility and gait function in various patient populations including older adults. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide an overview of wearable technologies/devices to improve mobility and gait function through noninvasive peripheral neuromodulation in older adults over the age of 65 and to indicate the suggested mechanism of action behind these technologies. Methods We performed searches for articles and conference abstracts written in English, using the following databases: Embase Classic+Embase from 1947 to July 15, 2021; Ovid MEDLINE®; Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process, In-Data-Review & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Daily and Versions® from 1946 to July 15, 2021; PubMed; and Scopus. Results Forty-one technologies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. We found that the primary implementation of the 41 technologies can be divided into three main categories: sensory substitution, sensory augmentation (open loop, closed loop), and motor stimulation. Using these technologies, various aspects of mobility are treated or addressed, including e.g., gait function, fall risk, foot drop, navigating environment, postural control. Conclusions This narrative review summarizes wearable technologies that are currently commercially available and in stages of research and development. Overall, studies suggest that wearable peripheral neuromodulation technologies can improve aspects of mobility for older adults. Existing literature suggests that these technologies may lead to physiological changes in the brain through sensory re-weighting or other neuroplastic mechanisms to enhance the performance of mobility and gait function in older adults over the age of 65.

The purpose of this scoping review was to evaluate the current literature related to vocational outcomes among US service members and veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Seven research databases (Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus) were queried for human studies between the database inception and February, 2020. We included studies that focused on US service members and veterans who sustained a TBI and their vocational outcomes. Conference abstracts, systematic reviews, literature reviews, editorials, consensus reports, commentaries, dissertations, and qualitative studies were excluded. Two rounds of independent reviews were performed. Details of study design, intervention, and vocational outcomes were recorded. Results: The search yielded 5667 articles; 48 articles met inclusion criteria. Forty-three studies were observational (90%), and 5 were randomized controlled trials. A majority of interventions were in the outpatient setting (71%). Interventions related to return to work and duty utilized physical therapy and occupational therapy to address cognitive skills and functional deficits and provide supportive employment. Conclusion: Community reintegration research among service members and veterans with brain injuries is underdeveloped. Because of heterogeneity of severity and smaller sample sizes, no consensus was reached on interventions that improve vocational outcomes. Evidence thus far suggests that future studies should incorporate an interdisciplinary team approach beyond physical therapy and occupational therapy, longer-term outcomes, and sample subgroups.

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