Denise Smith

Denise Smith is the Head, Research Lifecycle at Brock University Library (Librarian III), leading initiatives that align library expertise with the university's research priorities. Her work focuses on supporting researchers throughout the research lifecycle stages: conception, data collection, analysis, dissemination, and knowledge mobilization.

Research Interests:
Ms. Smith specializes in information behavior, particularly consumer health information-seeking patterns on platforms like Wikipedia. Her work examines how Wikipedia serves as a health information resource and its role in knowledge mobilization. She advocates for leveraging Wikipedia to enhance health literacy and improve access to reliable health information.

Key Contributions:
Her publications emphasize Wikipedia's underappreciated role in health information ecosystems, advocating for its recognition as a legitimate resource. Recent work includes studies on scaffolded information literacy education in health sciences programs and the impact of health information packaging on perceived reliability.

Teaching:
Courses taught include Consumer Health Information (Western University) and Health Sciences Education (McMaster University), reflecting her commitment to integrating digital literacy into academic programs.

Research Collaboration:
Her interdisciplinary research spans oncology outcomes analysis (e.g., metastasectomy studies) and systematic reviews in health information science. Collaborations include studies on sarcoma treatment efficacy and health literacy interventions.