Docs With Disabilities

Description: In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Amy Houtrow. Dr. Houtrow is a pediatric rehabilitation medicine physician, a health services researcher for children with disabilities, and a person with childhood-onset disabilities. In this episode, she joins Dr. Poullos to discuss her career path, her research, and her advice for aspiring healthcare providers with disabilities.

Key Words: pediatrics, education, physical disability, Contra dystrophia calcium cans congenita, scoliosis, visual disability, research, mobility, lung disease, public policy

Bio:

Amy Houtrow, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., is a professor and the Endowed Chair for Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She is also Chief of the Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Services at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP). Dr. Houtrow earned her medical degree at Michigan State University and completed a combined residency program in Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She is board certified in Pediatrics, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine. She completed a Master's degree in Public Health in Health Policy and Management at the University of Michigan and earned her Ph.D. with distinction in Medical Sociology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) while also serving as faculty there. Her dissertation won an international award for research on childhood disability. Her research has focused on health care access and outcomes for children and youth with disabilities with special emphasis on health equity and the impact of childhood disability on families. She has authored over 140 manuscripts for high-impact medical journals, written and edited textbooks, developed training programs for young physicians, and she is a sought-after speaker for conferences nationally and internationally. Her work has repeatedly garnered national media attention and informed public health policy. In 2018 she was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in medicine.

Transcript

In this episode, Dr. Meeks is joined by Dr. Megan Creasman, a resident physician in Weill Cornell's Internal Medicine program on the Primary Care track. They discuss the ways in which Dr. Creasman experienced different forms of disability throughout her medical training, how these experiences have influenced her interactions with colleagues and patients, and the importance of positionality in considering diverse disabled perspectives.

Key Terms: Medical Education, Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, Autoimmune Disorder, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Physical disability, Chronic Illness, Arthritis, Ableism

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i2BvtGIOCV7SoNWr_aecyE2am2iSI0xN/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104315301750264632478&rtpof=true&sd=true

In this episode, Dr. Poullos is joined by Dr. Lisa Iezzoni to discuss her new book titled, "Making Their Days Happen: Paid Personal Assistance Services Supporting People with Disability Living in Their Homes and Communities. Dr. Iezzoni is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a medical researcher particularly known for her work on health disparities among people with disabilities. Dr. Iezzoni first appeared on the Docs with Disabilities podcast last September, where she and Dr. Meeks discussed medical education's hidden curriculum, strategies to improve care for individuals with disabilities, and Dr. Iezzoni's advice for medical education faculty members and learners with disabilities. If you have not yet listened to that interview, we strongly encourage you to do so. In this episode, we focus more specifically on Dr. Iezzoni's recent book and the intricacies of Paid Personal Assistance Services in the United States.

Transcript

In today's episode, Dr. Meeks is joined by Quinten Clarke, a psychiatry resident at the University of British Columbia and the vice president of the CAPD, and Shira Gertsman, a current medical student at McMaster Medical School who just finished her first year of clerkships. Throughout this episode, our guests discuss their experiences navigating medical school and residency with multiple disabilities and the work they're doing with the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities.

Bio: Shira Gertsman

Shira Gertsman received the Governor General's Silver Academic Medal and University Gold Medal for her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science at the University of Ottawa, though her experience was significantly impacted by Crohn's disease and associated complications and chronic pain. She was initially discouraged from applying to medical school due to health concerns, but currently is a second-year medical student at McMaster University in Canada. She is passionate about peer-support for students living with chronic illness, and spearheading patient-centered research on clinical empathy and how it is influenced by medical education.

Bio: Quinten Clarke, MD

Quinten Clarke is a resident physician in the Psychiatry - Research Track program at the University of British Columbia and Vice President and Trainee Group Lead for the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities. He also serves on the Ostomy Canada Society's Youth Camp Organizing Committee. He is a graduate of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Health Sciences.

Key Words: DocsWithDisabilities, Medical Education, Canada, Chron's Disease, Autoimmune Disorder, Psychiatry, Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities

Transcript available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qjlLOrsbMJBlOBAPMcxYDSxZIGbj-DjoQ4ZKN8_2VaU/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode, we continue our collaboration with the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities for a conversation with Dr. Michael Quon about the lessons he learned from his own experience with Traumatic Brain Injury and the work he's doing to support physicians with disabilities across Canada.

Key Words: TBI, Internal Medicine, Policy, Canada, Cognitive Disability

Bio: Michael Quon - Biography

Dr. Michael Quon is a General Internal Medicine specialist in Ottawa, Canada and Lecturer at the University of Ottawa. He is a determined advocate to improve inclusion of physicians with disabilities. The start of his career was delayed because of a terrible road cycling crash and a traumatic brain injury. During his rehabilitation and work reintegration, he identified many opportunities for improvement in care for both physicians and patients with disability.

He is dedicated to improving support, accommodations and opportunities for physicians with disabilities. He is a board member for the Canadian Association for Physicians with Disabilities. He contributes with the Medicine Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) working group at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH). He is contributing to the development of a peer support initiative for physicians with disabilities and medical conditions with the Ontario Medical Association Physician Health Program. He will be joining an EDI Fellow Advisory Table for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and EDI Working Group for the Canadian Medical Association.

He successfully helped develop a position statement for physicians with disabilities at TOH, the first of its kind at any Canadian hospital institution. This was published and shared widely by every Provincial Medical Association, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and the HealthCareCAN national organization. He and his colleague presented at the Building a Culture of Health Equity Summit at Stanford University this year. The statement has since led to the first accessibility policy for physicians with disabilities in Canada, expected to be approved in the Department of Medicine at TOH in 2022.

Twitter handles: @mjquon @OttawaHospital

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Lynn Ashdown, a patient experience expert who advocates for the inclusion of patients in all levels of healthcare. Dr. Ashdown obtained her medical degree from The University of Ottawa and began her residency in family medicine before experiencing an accident near the end of her training that exposed her to the experience of being a full-time patient. In this episode, Dr. Meeks and Dr. Ashdown discuss how Dr. Ashdown's perspectives on healthcare changed after gaining a patient perspective and how Dr. Ashdown is using her medical training and her experiences as a person with multiple disabilities to promote cultural change and improve curricula within medical education.

Key Words: TBI, SCI, Depression, Medical Education, Patient Advocate, Family Medicine

Bio:

Lynn Ashdown is a patient experience expert who advocates for patient's to be included in all levels of healthcare. She has a medical degree from The University of Ottawa, and was close to finishing her residency in family medicine when she began, and continues to navigate, a complex journey as a full-time patient. She has gained a unique insight into the system from lived experience as both a provider and receiver of healthcare. She gives numerous presentations, participates in research, and is a senior patient partner where she consults with various organizations such as the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada. She's also involved in curriculum renewal at The University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine, where she focuses on including patient partnerships in undergraduate medical education. She recently completed her masters in medical education, with her dissertation focusing on the value of including patient partnerships in medical education. Lynn is a disability advocate, drawing from her experiences as a patient and person living with multiple disabilities. She is a member of the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities, and the Equity in Health Systems Lab.

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OEY2hiFXnoBqtLawyiBOvsKYk-Gh5wLlasZNCiqPefo/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode, we are joined by Doug Lebo, a current medical student at the University of Montreal and the Administrative Co-Chair of the Canadian Queer Medical Students Association. In this interview, student doctor Lebo and Dr. Meeks discuss the intersectionality between queer and disabled identities, how to redesign healthcare systems to better support diverse patient populations, and the difference between acting as an ally and acting as an accomplice.

Transcripts: https://bit.ly/DWDPodcastTranscripts

Doug Lebo, MPH

Doug (they/he), originally from Rhode Island, is now a medical student at Université de Montréal. They care deeply about the health of 2SLGBTQ+ people and are the Administrative Co-Chair of the Canadian Queer Medical Students Association to promote the well-being of 2SLGBTQ+ medical students and patients. They are also a research coordinator in adult dermatology at the McGill University Health Centre, with a focus on atopic dermatitis (eczema). Outside of medicine, they love baking and are an avid runner.

Key Words: LGBTQIA+, Physical Disability, Micro Thalamus, Visual Disability, Partial Blindness, Medical Student

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. Rizutti is doing with the CAPD to better support trainees and providers with disabilities.

Bio: Dr. Rizzuti is a Medical Officer of Health for Alberta Health Services- Calgary Zone, and President of the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities (CAPD). Franco holds a BSc (Cellular, Molecular & Microbial Biology), MD and FRCPC (Public Health & Preventive Medicine) from the University of Calgary. Throughout his training Franco has been an advocate for learners with disabilities, and equity in Medicine. He has served in numerous leadership roles, including as President of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS), President of the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA). During his tenure at PARA, PARA developed a formal EDI assessment tool. Outside of work, Franco is a Disney adult, and enjoys spending his leisure time outdoors with his partner.

Key Words: Chronic Illness, Chronic Back Injury, Chronic Pain, Public Health, Preventative Medicine

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 Dr. Picard's advice for students with disabilities. We begin with an introduction from Dr. Picard.

Transcripts: https://bit.ly/DWDPodcastTranscripts

Key Words: Physical Disability, Hand Amputee, Psychiatry

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, what he's learned from practicing mindfulness, and how his time as a patient changed how he viewed his role as a doctor.

Key Words: BIPOC, Physical Disability, C3 Quadriplegia, Musculoskeletal Oncology, Reconstructive Spine Surgery