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Public Health

HSLS & Falk Library

HSLS (Health Sciences Library System)

We provides services & resources to the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences:

  • Dental
  • Health & Rehab Sciences
  • Medicine
  • Nursing
  • Pharmacy
  • Public Health

Falk Library is the physical location for HSLS.  It is located at:

  • M722 Alan Magee Scaife Hall, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261

The following information will help get you started:

For more information about HSLS, see the HSLS home page.

Library research assistance

Pitt Public Health Liaison

Helena VonVille, MLS, MPH is Liaison for Pitt Public Health. Consider her your personal librarian, regardless of whether you are an PH undergraduate in the BSPH program, in the PH Certificate program, working on your Master's or Doctoral degree, or one of the PH faculty. 

Helena can assist with:

  • Class research assignments
  • In-class lectures
  • Database searches
    • Background of a paper (including annotated bibliographies)
    • Master's essay or thesis
    • Dissertation
    • Manuscript background
  • Finding data for projects

You can contact Helena through:

HSLS: Ask A Librarian

The HSLS Ask A Librarian service is open 24/7 but is staffed only during HSLS operational hours. HSLS circulation staff received all questions sent through the form; librarians typically staff Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, excluding holidays.

Helpful hint!

If you want assistance from Helena but can't remember her name, use the Ask A Librarian form and request that you be referred to the PH Librarian

Access Full Text Articles & Ebooks

Search PittCat using the text box from the HSLS home page

Search for research articles and books using PittCat (Panopto video)

  • The video provides a demonstration of the "discovery system" used by the Pitt library systems and walks through many of the available features.
  • PittCat is designed to find book chapters, books, and articles available through the library systems.
  • After completing a search, use the filters left side to find the kind of materials you need.
  • Once you feel comfortable with your topic, consider moving to a subject specific database, such as PubMed or APA PsycInfo.

PubMed full text access

Locating full text when searching PubMed (Panopto video)

Using Library Resources Off-Campus

Are you a current Pitt student, staff, or faculty member?

Online journals, ebooks, and databases will generally require authentication through myPitt in order to access them off campus. You must be currently enrolled or employed at the University of Pittsburgh to access subscribed or purchased materials available through the libraries.

Remote (off-campus) access to HSLS library resources 

Remote access for library resources requires a valid Pitt username and password plus a second method of verification through an app or a phone call. Information on designating your second method of authentication can be found on the Multifactor Authentication at Pitt web page.

If you need help logging in, please contact the Pitt Help Desk:

PubMed

  • PubMed is freely accessible but the journals it indexes are not. 
  • The link from the HSLS home page has embedded information that will enable a link to PittCat to appear in the PubMed search results.
  • Use it to access articles that are not freely available.

Accessing e-resources

  1. From the HSLS home page, click on the link to the e-resource.
  2. The Pitt Passport pop up box will appear.
  3. Enter your myPitt (Pitt Passport) username and password when asked.
  4. Complete the Multifactor Authentication.

If you are able to log in using Multifactor Authentication but cannot view the library resource you are trying to access, please contact the Health Sciences Library System at 412-648-8866 or through Ask-a-Librarian.