Docs With Disabilities

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, 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

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 from medical school if she could not take the initial test with accommodations and pass.

This live recording took place in July 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio at the Coalition for Disability Access in Health Science Education annual conference.

The panelists consisted of disability consultants, faculty who study performance on NBME exams, and the attorneys who work with trainees denied accommodation on these exams.

Episode 49 Transcript

Key Words: Cognitive Disability, ADHD, Dyslexia, Law, Pediatrics, Medical Student, Medical Education

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 Feinberg School of Medicine as Assistant Professor in the Department of PM&R and Teamwork and Leadership Curricular Thread Leader.

Key Words: Physical Disability, Wheelchair, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Research, Spinal Cord Injury

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 Plastic Surgery

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 Disability

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.

Key Words: BIPOC, Chronic Illness, Kidney Disease, FSGS, Transplant, Pediatrics, Nephrology

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 worked with Dr. Meeks on the Pathway Project, a research project investigating the performance and trajectory of medical students with disabilities. In this episode, Dr. Meeks and Dr. Kim discuss Dr. Kim's own experience in medical training, the steps that the University of Minnesota Medical School is taking to support its students, and Dr. Kim's advice for disabled and BIPOC students as they continue their medical journey.

Key Words: BIPOC, Law, Education, and/or Research, Medicine, Pediatrics, Medical Education, Depression

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 training, and his reasoning for pursuing psychiatry as a specialty.

Key Words: BIPOC, Physical Disability, Forearm Amputee, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Psychiatry

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 attitudes, in Australia and the United States.

Key Words: BIPOC, Physical Disability, Spinal Cord Injury, Wheelchair, SCI, Emergency Department, Researcher, Law, Advocate, Australia