Docs With Disabilities

Special Series Focus: DRP's

From Guidance to Growth: The Impact of Mentorship in Disability Services

Hashtags: #MentoringMonth #ThankYourMentorDay

Description

This episode explores the critical role of mentorship and sponsorship in building the next generation of disability resource professionals (DRPs). The participants discuss their experiences as mentors and mentees, emphasizing the importance of community, support, and collaboration within the field. They highlight the value of peer mentoring and the power of investing in others. The conversation also touches on the emotional commitment and enduring connections that come with mentorship. Committed to growth and sustainability in the profession, the participants discuss the need for succession planning. They emphasize the need for communication, guidance, and empowerment in mentoring relationships. The impact of mentoring on individuals and the profession is highlighted, as well as the importance of leaving a legacy and paying it forward. The conversation addresses the challenges of fostering the next generation of DRPs and concludes with the importance self-care, including maintaining boundaries and work-life balance.

Host

Lisa Meeks: The host of the podcast and mentee to all of the guests.

Guests

• Jane Jarrow : The President of Disability Access Information and Support, Jane brings over two decades of private consulting experience and a rich history as the first executive director of AHEAD. With a background in speech and hearing, she's been a pivotal figure in the growth of disability services.

• Jane Thierfeld Brown : With over 44 years in disability services, Jane's work at the University of Connecticut School of Law and her focus on college students with autism have made her a renowned expert. As a director of College Autism Spectrum, she continues to influence the field.

• Paul Grossman: Serving as the Executive Counsel of AHEAD, Paul's journey from a college dropout due to dyslexia to a leading civil rights attorney for the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is nothing short of inspiring. His contributions to post-secondary disability law are foundational.

• Michelle Rigler: As the Executive Director of the Disability Resource Center at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Michelle has mentored several up and coming DRP leaders. Michelle's creation of the Mosaic program stands as a testament to her dedication to individuals with autism and her work with NavigateU further extends her impact on the field.

• Jan Serrantino: Retired from the University of California, Irvine, Jan's career transitioned from advocating for children in foster care to teaching and leading in disability services. She now assists students with accommodations for high-stakes exams and consults with medical schools.

Transcript

Keywords: Disability Resource Professional, Disability, DRP, Accommodation, Mentorship, Sponsorship, Authenticity, Succession Planning, AHEAD.

Produced by: Lisa Meeks and Jacob Feeman

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Lisa Meeks

Special Series Focus: DRP's

From Guidance to Growth: The Impact of Mentorship in Disability Services

 Hashtags: #MentoringMonth #ThankYourMentorDay

Description

This episode explores the critical role of mentorship and sponsorship in building the next generation of disability resource professionals (DRPs). The participants discuss their experiences as mentors and mentees, emphasizing the importance of community, support, and collaboration within the field. They highlight the value of peer mentoring and the power of investing in others. The conversation also touches on the emotional commitment and enduring connections that come with mentorship. Committed to growth and sustainability in the profession, the participants discuss the need for succession planning. They emphasize the need for communication, guidance, and empowerment in mentoring relationships. The impact of mentoring on individuals and the profession is highlighted, as well as the importance of leaving a legacy and paying it forward. The conversation addresses the challenges of fostering the next generation of DRPs and concludes with the importance self-care, including maintaining boundaries and work-life balance. 

Host

Lisa Meeks: The host of the podcast and mentee to all of the guests.

Guests 

• Jane Jarrow : The President of Disability Access Information and Support, Jane brings over two decades of private consulting experience and a rich history as the first executive director of AHEAD. With a background in speech and hearing, she's been a pivotal figure in the growth of disability services.

• Jane Thierfeld Brown : With over 44 years in disability services, Jane's work at the University of Connecticut School of Law and her focus on college students with autism have made her a renowned expert. As a director of College Autism Spectrum, she continues to influence the field.

• Paul Grossman: Serving as the Executive Counsel of AHEAD, Paul's journey from a college dropout due to dyslexia to a leading civil rights attorney for the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is nothing short of inspiring. His contributions to post-secondary disability law are foundational.

• Michelle Rigler: As the Executive Director of the Disability Resource Center at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Michelle has mentored several up and coming DRP leaders. Michelle's creation of the Mosaic program stands as a testament to her dedication to individuals with autism and her work with NavigateU further extends her impact on the field.

• Jan Serrantino: Retired from the University of California, Irvine, Jan's career transitioned from advocating for children in foster care to teaching and leading in disability services. She now assists students with accommodations for high-stakes exams and consults with medical schools.

Transcript

Keywords: Disability Resource Professional, Disability, DRP, Accommodation, Mentorship, Sponsorship, Authenticity, Succession Planning, AHEAD.

Produced by: Lisa Meeks and Jacob Feeman

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Lisa Meeks

Interviewee: Dr. Katherine Vakil

Interviewer: Dr. Kruti Shah

Description: In this episode, we are delighted to be joined by Dr. Katherine Vakil, a pharmacist and Pharmacy Services Manager based in the Chicago area, and guest host Dr. Kruti Shah, who is a Clinical Operations Pharmacist at Rush. Dr. Shah was recently featured on the podcast as a guest in Episode 74. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, we highly recommend you check it out after finishing this one. Today, Dr. Shah is back, this time in the interview role, for a conversation with Dr. Vakil about navigating university and pharmacy schools with a disability, figuring out what speaks to you in your career journey, and learning how to seek out the accommodations you need as a learner and patient. We begin with an introduction from Dr. Vakil.

Bio: Katherine Vakil is the Pharmacy Services Manager at Erie Family Health Centers. In 2017, Katherine established a new Pharmacy Services team at Erie, which focuses on improving medication access for patients. Katherine received her Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota and Master of Public Health at Northwestern University in Chicago. In 2022, Katherine completed a Disability Leadership Fellowship with Disability Lead. In October 2022, Katherine established the Disability Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Erie and is currently the co-chair. Katherine was born hard of hearing and wears hearing aids.

Transcript

Keywords: disability, health equity, accessibility, pharmacy, hearing loss, accommodations, pharmacy, disabled pharmacist

Produced by: Sofia Schlozman and Lisa Meeks

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Katie Sullivan

Resources:

Disability Lead Program

Dr. Kruti Shah's interview

Interviewee: Dr. Katherine Vakil

Interviewer: Dr. Kruti Shah

Description: In this episode, we are delighted to be joined by Dr. Katherine Vakil, a pharmacist and Pharmacy Services Manager based in the Chicago area, and guest host Dr. Kruti Shah, who is a Clinical Operations Pharmacist at Rush. Dr. Shah was recently featured on the podcast as a guest in Episode 74. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, we highly recommend you check it out after finishing this one. Today, Dr. Shah is back, this time in the interview role, for a conversation with Dr. Vakil about navigating university and pharmacy schools with a disability, figuring out what speaks to you in your career journey, and learning how to seek out the accommodations you need as a learner and patient. We begin with an introduction from Dr. Vakil. 

Bio:  Katherine Vakil is the Pharmacy Services Manager at Erie Family Health Centers. In 2017, Katherine established a new Pharmacy Services team at Erie, which focuses on improving medication access for patients. Katherine received her Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota and Master of Public Health at Northwestern University in Chicago. In 2022, Katherine completed a Disability Leadership Fellowship with Disability Lead. In October 2022, Katherine established the Disability Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Erie and is currently the co-chair. Katherine was born hard of hearing and wears hearing aids. 

Transcript

Keywords: disability, health equity, accessibility, pharmacy, hearing loss, accommodations, pharmacy, disabled pharmacist

Produced by: Sofia Schlozman and Lisa Meeks 

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Katie Sullivan

Resources: 

Disability Lead Program

Dr. Kruti Shah's interview 

Co-Moderators: Drs. Diana Cejas and Allison Kessler

Interviewee: Dr. Amy Rule, Dr. Sylvia Robinson, Dr. Paige Church, Dr. Jennifer Arnold, Dr. Ashina Singh

This panel was live on December 5th 2023.

In Episode 81, we bring the "Women with Disabilities in Medicine: Illuminating the Pathway" panel to our podcast audience. While the literature suggests a sharp (115%) increase in students with disabilities entering medical education, the growth in the population of practicing physicians (2%) has not kept pace. One reason may be the lack of mentorship. Mentorship is a key part of a successful transition to a career in medicine, especially for women. Practicing physicians share their insight into navigating the training-to-work pathway, thriving as a doctor with disability, and balancing the multiple demands that often disproportionately impact women.

Transcript

Produced by: Lisa Meeks

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Katie Sullivan

Keywords: disability, doctors with disabilities, accessibility, med ed, women in medicine, disability identity, ableism, internalized ableism, accommodations, physician, pediatrics, the match, residency, medical education.

DWDI Podcast Website: https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/podcast

Sponsors

Michigan Medicine Center for Disability Health and Wellness

Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion and Equity

Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss (AMPHL)

Michigan Medicine Department of Family Medicine Disability Program

Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center

APHA Disability Section

Co-Moderators: Drs. Diana Cejas and Allison Kessler

Interviewee: Dr. Amy Rule, Dr. Sylvia Robinson, Dr. Paige Church, Dr. Jennifer Arnold, Dr. Ashina Singh 

This panel was live on December 5th 2023. 

In Episode 81, we bring the "Women with Disabilities in Medicine: Illuminating the Pathway" panel to our podcast audience. While the literature suggests a sharp (115%) increase in students with disabilities entering medical education, the growth in the population of practicing physicians (2%) has not kept pace. One reason may be the lack of mentorship. Mentorship is a key part of a successful transition to a career in medicine, especially for women. Practicing physicians share their insight into navigating the training-to-work pathway, thriving as a doctor with disability, and balancing the multiple demands that often disproportionately impact women.

Transcript

Produced by: Lisa Meeks 

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Katie Sullivan

Keywords: disability, doctors with disabilities, accessibility, med ed, women in medicine, disability identity, ableism, internalized ableism, accommodations, physician, pediatrics, the match, residency, medical education. 

DWDI Podcast Website: https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/podcast 

Sponsors 

Michigan Medicine Center for Disability Health and Wellness

Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion and Equity

Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss (AMPHL)

Michigan Medicine Department of Family Medicine Disability Program

Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center

APHA Disability Section

Interviewee: Dr. Pete Poullos

Description: In this special 2 part series, Dr. Neera Jain interviews friend and colleague Dr. Peter Poullos on his experiences as a person with a disability. Dr. Poullos candidly reflects on his journey coming into a disability identity and how learning from a vibrant community of diverse individuals has elevated his thinking about disability justice. He shares insight into the power of community and how transformational it has been in forming the disability resource group at Stanford Medicine. Throughout the interview, Drs Jain and Poullos discuss their shared experiences and their roles as advocates for individuals with disabilities in medicine.

Bio: Dr. Poullos is from Stockton, California. He attended Santa Clara University, then received his M.D. degree at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, after which he did an Internal Medicine residency at the University of California-San Francisco, finishing in 2002. He stayed at UCSF as a Gastroenterology fellow but, after a spinal cord injury, he decided to retrain in Radiology. He did his Radiology residency at Stanford University, where he also completed a fellowship In Body Imaging in 2009. Dr. Poullos is now faculty in both the departments of Radiology and Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

In 2018, Dr. Poullos founded the Stanford Medicine Abilities Coalition (SMAC), which he serves as Executive Director. In that role, Dr. Poullos advocates for students and healthcare providers with disabilities, as well as for health equity for disabled patients. He is a faculty advisor to the Medical Students with Disability and Chronic Illness (MSDCI). He has paired up with Dr. Lisa Meeks to co-produce the DocsWithDisabilities podcast to increase awareness around the importance of increasing disability representation amongst students and practitioners in healthcare. "Disability is not a problem to solve, it is the solution to our problems."

Transcript

Produced by: Kadesha Treco and Lisa Meeks

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Katie Sullivan

Keywords: disability, doctors with disabilities, accessibility, med ed, disability identity, radiology, SCI, Spinal Chord Injury. ableism, internalized ableism, disability justice

DWDI Podcast Website: https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/podcast

References

Sins Invalid, 10 Principles of Disability Justice https://www.sinsinvalid.org/blog/10-principles-of-disability-justice

Resources:

Dr. Jain's article "Political disclosure: resisting ableism in medical education"

Interviewee: Dr. Pete Poullos

Description: In this special 2 part series, Dr. Neera Jain interviews friend and colleague Dr. Peter Poullos on his experiences as a person with a disability. Dr. Poullos candidly reflects on his journey coming into a disability identity and how learning from a vibrant community of diverse individuals has elevated his thinking about disability justice. He shares insight into the power of community and how transformational it has been in forming the disability resource group at Stanford Medicine. Throughout the interview, Drs Jain and Poullos discuss their shared experiences and their roles as advocates for individuals with disabilities in medicine.

Bio: Dr. Poullos is from Stockton, California. He attended Santa Clara University, then received his M.D. degree at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, after which he did an Internal Medicine residency at the University of California-San Francisco, finishing in 2002. He stayed at UCSF as a Gastroenterology fellow but, after a spinal cord injury, he decided to retrain in Radiology. He did his Radiology residency at Stanford University, where he also completed a fellowship In Body Imaging in 2009. Dr. Poullos is now faculty in both the departments of Radiology and Gastroenterology and Hepatology.  

In 2018, Dr. Poullos founded the Stanford Medicine Abilities Coalition (SMAC), which he serves as Executive Director. In that role, Dr. Poullos advocates for students and healthcare providers with disabilities, as well as for health equity for disabled patients. He is a faculty advisor to the Medical Students with Disability and Chronic Illness (MSDCI). He has paired up with Dr. Lisa Meeks to co-produce the DocsWithDisabilities podcast to increase awareness around the importance of increasing disability representation amongst students and practitioners in healthcare. "Disability is not a problem to solve, it is the solution to our problems."

Transcript

Produced by: Kadesha Treco and Lisa Meeks 

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Katie Sullivan

Keywords: disability, doctors with disabilities, accessibility, med ed, disability identity, radiology, SCI, Spinal Chord Injury. ableism, internalized ableism, disability justice 

DWDI Podcast Website: https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/podcast 

References

Sins Invalid, 10 Principles of Disability Justice https://www.sinsinvalid.org/blog/10-principles-of-disability-justice

Resources:

Dr. Jain's article "Political disclosure: resisting ableism in medical education" 

Interviewee: Dr. Pete Poullos

Description: In this special 2 part series, Dr. Neera Jain interviews friend and colleague Dr. Peter Poullos on his experiences as a person with a disability. Dr. Poullos candidly reflects on his journey coming into a disability identity and how learning from a vibrant community of diverse individuals has elevated his thinking about disability justice. He shares insight into the power of community and how transformational it has been in forming the disability resource group at Stanford Medicine. Throughout the interview, Drs Jain and Poullos discuss their shared experiences and their roles as advocates for individuals with disabilities in medicine.

Bio: Dr. Poullos is from Stockton, California. He attended Santa Clara University, then received his M.D. degree at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, after which he did an Internal Medicine residency at the University of California-San Francisco, finishing in 2002. He stayed at UCSF as a Gastroenterology fellow but, after a spinal cord injury, he decided to retrain in Radiology. He did his Radiology residency at Stanford University, where he also completed a fellowship In Body Imaging in 2009. Dr. Poullos is now faculty in both the departments of Radiology and Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

In 2018, Dr. Poullos founded the Stanford Medicine Abilities Coalition (SMAC), which he serves as Executive Director. In that role, Dr. Poullos advocates for students and healthcare providers with disabilities, as well as for health equity for disabled patients. He is a faculty advisor to the Medical Students with Disability and Chronic Illness (MSDCI). He has paired up with Dr. Lisa Meeks to co-produce the DocsWithDisabilities podcast to increase awareness around the importance of increasing disability representation amongst students and practitioners in healthcare. "Disability is not a problem to solve, it is the solution to our problems."

Transcript

Produced by: Kadesha Treco and Lisa Meeks

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Katie Sullivan

Keywords: disability, doctors with disabilities, accessibility, med ed, disability identity, radiology, SCI, Spinal Chord Injury. ableism, internalized ableism

DWDI Podcast Website: https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/podcast

References

Stergiopoulos, E., Fernando, O., & Martimianakis, M. A. (2018). "Being on both sides": Canadian medical students' experiences with disability, the hidden curriculum, and professional identity construction. Academic Medicine, 93(10), 1550-1559.

Resources:

Dr. Jain's article "Political disclosure: resisting ableism in medical education"

Interviewee: Dr. Pete Poullos

Description: In this special 2 part series, Dr. Neera Jain interviews friend and colleague Dr. Peter Poullos on his experiences as a person with a disability. Dr. Poullos candidly reflects on his journey coming into a disability identity and how learning from a vibrant community of diverse individuals has elevated his thinking about disability justice. He shares insight into the power of community and how transformational it has been in forming the disability resource group at Stanford Medicine. Throughout the interview, Drs Jain and Poullos discuss their shared experiences and their roles as advocates for individuals with disabilities in medicine.

Bio: Dr. Poullos is from Stockton, California. He attended Santa Clara University, then received his M.D. degree at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, after which he did an Internal Medicine residency at the University of California-San Francisco, finishing in 2002. He stayed at UCSF as a Gastroenterology fellow but, after a spinal cord injury, he decided to retrain in Radiology. He did his Radiology residency at Stanford University, where he also completed a fellowship In Body Imaging in 2009. Dr. Poullos is now faculty in both the departments of Radiology and Gastroenterology and Hepatology.  

In 2018, Dr. Poullos founded the Stanford Medicine Abilities Coalition (SMAC), which he serves as Executive Director. In that role, Dr. Poullos advocates for students and healthcare providers with disabilities, as well as for health equity for disabled patients. He is a faculty advisor to the Medical Students with Disability and Chronic Illness (MSDCI). He has paired up with Dr. Lisa Meeks to co-produce the DocsWithDisabilities podcast to increase awareness around the importance of increasing disability representation amongst students and practitioners in healthcare. "Disability is not a problem to solve, it is the solution to our problems."

Transcript

Produced by: Kadesha Treco and Lisa Meeks 

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Katie Sullivan

Keywords: disability, doctors with disabilities, accessibility, med ed, disability identity, radiology, SCI, Spinal Chord Injury. ableism, internalized ableism 

DWDI Podcast Website: https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/podcast  

References

Stergiopoulos, E., Fernando, O., & Martimianakis, M. A. (2018). "Being on both sides": Canadian medical students' experiences with disability, the hidden curriculum, and professional identity construction. Academic Medicine, 93(10), 1550-1559.

Resources:

Dr. Jain's article "Political disclosure: resisting ableism in medical education"