We are thrilled to welcome Verónica Hoyo, PhD, as the new Executive Director of the NNLM-National Evaluation Center (NEC) based at Galter Health Sciences Library. Verónica is joining the NNLM from the University of California San Diego, where she served as the Evaluation Manager for the Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI). She received her MA and PhD in Political Science with a primary focus in Comparative Politics from the University of California San Diego and brings extensive experience and expertise in applying comparative analysis to national evaluation initiatives.

As the Executive Director of the NEC, she will be integral in developing and executing a strategic plan that prioritizes data-driven organization and decision making, standardized reporting, and participatory evaluation. Verónica is dedicated to creating avenues for people to be true partners in the evaluation of the health services provided to them and will serve as an advocate for stakeholders ensuring accessibility to public information and shareable resources. Her expertise in evaluation and continuous improvement will be a significant resource in providing NNLM programs and services with evidence-based evaluation frameworks and standards.

Verónica is excited to collaborate with members of the Galter Library team and NUCATS to facilitate an environment of integrated reporting and impact analysis efforts at the NEC. She sees the role of evaluation as essential to identifying correlations and increasing the quality and efficiency through which scientific breakthroughs are made accessible to the public. In the past decade, she notes that effective science communication and replicability/reproducibility of standard evaluation processes as the major shifts in the field.

Throughout the past two years, information and health equity have become central to Verónica’s work as the pandemic has necessitated innovation in evaluation and illuminated undeniable health disparities. She is committed to challenging the spread of misinformation and disinformation while equipping communities with the tools and resources they need to make informed decisions. Verónica is particularly passionate about disseminating knowledge to underrepresented populations and creating evaluation tools that are culturally responsive to the communities that the NEC is dedicated to serving.

To Verónica the pandemic has served as a clear indicator of the urgent need to address and aim to eliminate health disparities as she states, “We know what our mission is and we know who we need to talk to in order to immediately start addressing their needs.” We are excited to welcome Verónica to the NEC team and are grateful to have her insight and leadership as we continue to support the mission of NNLM.