Docs With Disabilities

In this episode, we continue our collaboration with the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities with an interview with Dr. Franco Rizzuti, a public health and preventive medicine physician and the current president of the CAPD. In this conversation, Dr. Meeks and Dr. Rizutti discuss how Dr. Rizutti's disability impacted his perspectives on patient care and share the work that Dr. Rizu...

In partnership with the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities (CAPD) The docs with disabilities brings you the Canadian Series.  In the first of this 6-part series, Dr. Meeks was joined by Dr. Marie Picard, a first-year psychiatry resident at McGill, for a conversation about how to effectively support disabled learners, how to look after one's mental health in medical training, and...

This is part two of a two-part interview with Dr. Rex Marco, a musculoskeletal oncologist and reconstructive spine surgeon who is living with C3 quadriplegia. He is currently the chief medical ambassador for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, in addition to working as a clinician, investigator, and teacher at Houston Methodist Hospital. In these episodes, Dr. Marco recounts his inquiry, wh...

This is part one of a two-part interview with Dr. Rex Marco, a musculoskeletal oncologist and reconstructive spine surgeon who is living with C3 quadriplegia. He is currently the chief medical ambassador for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, in addition to working as a clinician, investigator, and teacher at Houston Methodist Hospital. In these episodes, Dr. Marco recounts his inquiry, wh...

Many trainees struggle with obtaining accommodations on the NBME Step examinations. In 2020, after a 3 year long struggle to obtain accommodations through the application process, Dr. Jessica Ramsay affirmed the award of a preliminary injunction, requiring the NBME to provide accommodation. Dr. Ramsay and her attorneys established irreparable harm because she would likely be forced to withdraw fro...

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Allison Kessler. Allison Kessler, MD, MSc, is the Section Chief of Renée Crown Center for Spinal Cord Innovation. She is board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) and Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Medicine. Dr. Kessler is the Associate Director of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab's SCI Medicine Fellowship. She holds appointments at Northwestern University...

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Eugene Alford, an otolaryngologist and facial plastic surgeon practicing in Houston, Texas, for a conversation about becoming disabled while practicing medicine, the process of returning to work, life after acquiring a disability, and how he views the inclusion of disabled trainees in medicine. Key Words: Physical Disability, Paralysis, Otolaryngology, Facial P...

In this episode, Dr. Massaband, Dr. Meeks, and Dr. Poullos discuss accommodations in UME and GME, strategies to find balance in a medical career, and Dr. Massaband's advice for trainees with disabilities and for program directors seeking to better support disabled students. Key Words: BIPOC, Physical Disability, Achromatopsia, Visual Disability, Internal Medicine, Primary Care

In Episode 45,  Dr. Nathaniel Gleason shares the soul searching that led him from musician to internist. He talks with Dr. Peter Poullos about navigating medical education as a person with blindness, the importance of mentorship, the challenges that trainees with disabilities face, and strategies to improve care for patients with disabilities.  Key Words: Physical Disability, Blind, Visual Disabil...

In this episode, Dr. Peter Poullos interviews Dr. Ken Sutha. In addition to his work as a pediatric nephrologist, Dr. Sutha works closely with one our hosts, Dr. Poullos in the Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion & Equity.  Dr. Sutha discusses his personal journey with disability, the path that led him to pediatric nephrology, and the work he's done with the Stanford Medicine ADIE....

In this episode, we continue our BIPOC voices series with an interview with Dr. Michael Kim. Dr. Kim is an assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics and the assistant dean of student affairs at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is closely involved with the University of Minnesota's efforts to make medical school more accessible and supportive for students and has previously worke...

In Episode 42 in our ongoing BIPOC voices series, we are joined by Dr. Omar Baig. Dr. Baig completed his undergraduate medical education at Baylor College of Medicine before heading to Boston to complete his graduate training at the MGH/McClean psychiatry residency program. In this episode, Dr. Meeks and Dr. Poullos talk with Dr. Baig about the disability resources he utilized throughout his train...

In this episode, Dr. Meeks and Poullos are joined by Dr. Dinesh Palipana. Dr. Palipana is a lawyer, doctor, researcher, disability advocate, and recipient of the 2021 Queensland Australia of the year award for his work advocating for doctors with disabilities. Dr. Palipana shares his personal experiences as a physician with a disability and how he works to create more inclusive medical spaces and...

In the fourth installment in our series on BIPOC voices Dr. Woolridge and Dr. Meeks discuss Dr. Woolridge's journey through medical school as a black man with a disability, the challenges of receiving accommodations for a cognitive disability, and what needs to change to make medicine more welcoming to BIPOC individuals and people with disabilities. Key Words: BIPOC, Cognitive Disability, Accommod...

In the third installment in our series on BIPOC voices we have a two-part interview with Dr. Diana Cejas and Dr. Justin Bullock who talk about the intersection between disability and race, their experiences as black physicians with disabilities, what it means to be a good ally, and the value of mentorship, sponsorship, and community throughout one's career.    Guests:  Diana Cejas, MD, MPH Assista...

In the third installment in our series on BIPOC voices we have a two-part interview with Dr. Diana Cejas and Dr. Justin Bullock who talk about the intersection between disability and race, their experiences as black physicians with disabilities, what it means to be a good ally, and the value of mentorship, sponsorship, and community throughout one's career. Guests:  Diana Cejas, MD, MPH Assistant...

In this episode, Dr. Meeks speaks with Emmanuel Asenso Jr., a fourth year medical student at Rowan SOM. Throughout their conversation, they discuss how soon to be doctor Asenso navigates patient encounters with a disability, how his identity as a Black man and an individual with a disability affects his experiences within the medical world, and the barriers that need to be eliminated in order to w...

As a young adult, Dr. Hammad Aslam was in an automobile accident that caused a traumatic brain injury and a T2 complete spinal cord injury. In this episode, he discusses his journey through medical school and residency, the impact of mentorship throughout his career, how being a wheelchair user has shaped his relationships with patients, and his outlook on life. Dr. Aslam shares how disability has...

Dr. Lisa Iezzoni is a professor at Harvard Medical school and an internationally recognized health services researcher. In Episode 36 she discusses the ongoing issue of bias against people with disabilities, how this shapes medical education, and the 'hidden curriculum' medical students receive that threatens to perpetuate the healthcare disparities for patients with disabilities. Key Words: Chron...

In this podcast, Dr. Bliss Temple discusses how #DocsWithDisabilities have the power to inform and improve healthcare all patients and how she brings her disability identity to her medical practice.   Key Words: Physical Disability, Wheelchair, Primary Care, Medical Education

In this podcast, Dr. Meeks and Dr. Bulk discuss the experiences of disabled learners in health professions, how to create a more inclusive environment in health professions education, and the emerging research on the value of #DocsWithDisabilities in healthcare professions. Dr. Bulk also recounts her own stories and struggles as a blind individual in Occupational Therapy. Key Words: Physical Disab...

Dynamic Duo Dr. Cori Poffenger and med student Richie Sapp, leaders in disability advocacy at Stanford Medicine, talk with Dr. Peter Poullos about what drew them to their work in disability education, the curricula they developed and implemented to teach med students how to better care for patients with disabilities, and the impact of amplifying the voices of patients, faculty, med students, and h...

Rana Awdish, MD, FCCP is the author of In Shock, a critically acclaimed, bestselling memoir based on her own illness. A critical care physician and faculty member of Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, she completed her medical degree at Wayne State in 2002 where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society, her residency at Mount Sinai Bet...

In this final portion of our 3-part conversation with Dr. Jain, the conversation moves from Political Disclosure to Dr. Jain's theory about the accommodation paradox , and the closely related capability imperative . Guest: Dr. Neera Jain: Disability Scholar, The University of Auckland, Faculty of Education and Social Work Key Words: Law, Education, and/or Research, Research, Rehabilitation Counsel...

In this 3-part series we talk with Dr. Neera Jain about her research on disability in medical education. In Part 2, Dr. Jain continues the discussion of her work, and how the "isms" work together to create oppressive systems. Guest: Dr. Neera Jain: Disability Scholar, The University of Auckland, Faculty of Education and Social Work Key Words: Law, Education, and/or Research, Research, Rehabilitati...