Academic Enterprise Announcements

A Message from the Senior Vice President, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer, UTMB

Dear colleagues,

I am delighted to announce that Emily J. Hurst, MSLS, will join UTMB as the Director of Library Services this June.

Ms. Hurst brings more than 15 years of leadership and experience in academic health sciences libraries, with a strong record of strategic planning, faculty and staff development, research and education support, and innovation in library services. 

She currently serves as Associate Vice Provost and Dean of the Health Sciences and Human Services Library at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, providing executive leadership for library strategy, governance, budgeting, facilities, and partnerships in support of education, research, and clinical missions.

She previously held senior leadership positions at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Libraries, including Deputy Director, Interim Director and Associate Dean, and Head of Research and Education. Her professional experience also includes work with the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) South Central Region previously based at the Texas Medical Center Library, as well as earlier roles at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Health Sciences Library.

A nationally recognized leader, Ms. Hurst is active in professional organizations including the Medical Library Association (MLA) and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL). She has served on MLA’s Board of Directors and currently chairs the MLA Bylaws Committee. In 2023, she received the Estelle Brodman Award for Academic Health Sciences Librarian of the Year, one of the field’s highest honors.

She holds a Master of Science in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts in History, summa cum laude, from the University of St. Thomas. She also holds a certificate in international development and has completed extensive continuing education in leadership, evidence-based practice, and biomedical informatics.

As Director of Library Services at UTMB, Ms. Hurst will provide strategic and operational leadership for library programs, spaces, and services, advancing our missions of education, research, patient care, and community engagement.

We extend sincere gratitude to Patricia Ciejka, who recently retired following 45 years of service to UTMB Library Services, and to Scott Boeh for his interim leadership of the library.

We are excited for the energy and expertise that Ms. Hurst will bring to Moody Medical Library and our Academic Enterprise. Please welcome her warmly!