Cat Ellis

Sr. Assistant Librariancellis@sdsu.eduorcid.org/0000-0002-8578-3256

Appointments

University Library , Sr. Assistant Librarian current

Mary Catherine “Cat” Ellis is Health Sciences Librarian at San Diego State University, serving as liaison to the Schools of Nursing and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. Her research focuses on neurodiversity, accessibility, and critical health literacy.

Faculty Profile

Senior Assistant Librarian, 2023-Present
University Library, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, US

Master's of Science in Library Science, 2020-2022
Information Science, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, US
Bachelor of Arts, 2018-2020
Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, US
Associate of Arts, 2016-2018
San Antonio College, San Antonio, Texas, US

Consumer Health Information Specialization, Level II, 2025-2028
Medical Library Association, Chicago, Illinois, US
Data Services Specialization, Level I, 2024-2027
Medical Library Association, Chicago, Illinois, US

2025-Present
California Academic & Research Libraries, N/A, California, US
2024-Present
Medical Library Group of Southern California and Arizona, N/A, US
2022-Present
Medical Library Association, Chicago, IL, US

Chair, 2025-2026
Accessibility & Disability Caucus, Medical Library Association, Chicago, Illinois, US
Chair-Elect, 2024-2025
Accessibility & Disability Caucus, Medical Library Association, Chicago, Illinois, US

Profile updated August 16, 2026.

Grants

Mapping California State University's Evidence Synthesis Output: An Evidence Map

California Academic & Research Libraries, 2025 - 2026, USD 339.00

Academic libraries California State University Reference services (Libraries) Systematic reviews (Medical research)

The Spectrum of Data: Visualizing Autism Statistics

Network of the National Library of Medicine, 2024 - 2024, USD 500.00

Autism Information visualization Public health Statistics

Scholarship

Academic Publications

"It’s more than the building”

Supporting neurodiverse students in academic libraries, 2025, book chapter

Academic libraries Accessible Web sites for people with disabilities Autistic people Computer-assisted instruction

Consumer Health Information Resources for Autistic Adults

Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, 2024, journal article

Autism Autistic people Health literacy

Academic Conferences

Krafting an Evidence Synthesis Program

Rachel Keiko Stark; Dawn E. Hackman; Cat Ellis; Yuqi He; Essy Barroso-Ramirez

MLA’26: Cultured Collaborations, 2026, conference paper

California State University Library science Reference services (Libraries) Research methods Systematic reviews (Medical research)

Mapping Evidence Synthesis Production in the CSUs

Cat Ellis; Essy Barroso-Ramirez; Yuqi He; Dawn Hackman

CARL 2026 Virtual Conference, 2026, conference paper

California State University Reference services (Libraries) Systematic reviews (Medical research)

Booked for wellness: Mental health kits for academic libraries

MLA '25, 2025, conference poster

Academic libraries Bibliotherapy Information services Mental health

New directions in self-directed programming at the academic library

ALA Annual Conference, 2024, conference poster

Academic libraries Library outreach programs Self-managed learning

Surveying library accessibility

American Association for the Advancement of Science-Pacific Division, 2024, conference poster

Academic libraries Libraries and people with disabilities Library surveys

How do consumer health websites talk about Autism?

Medical Library Association Meeting, 2022, conference poster

Autism Electronic information resource literacy Health literacy Internet

How do websites talk about autism?

South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association Annual Meeting, 2022, conference paper

Autism Electronic information resource literacy Health literacy Internet

Data and Process

Mapping California State University’s Evidence Synthesis Output

2026, research technique