Dr. Paige Terrien Church is a neonatologist and a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at the University of Toronto. As the Director of the Neonatal Follow Up Program, she is able to connect with her young patients on a very unique level through shared experiences. This episode of the #DocsWithDisabilities podcast features Dr. Church’s journey through her training and career as a physician with a disability. The discussion stems from her 2017 publication in JAMA Pediatrics, titled “A Personal Perspective on Disability: Between the Words,” in which Dr. Church publicly discloses her disability and calls upon the medical community to change the culture of medicine to one of “respect, awareness of stigma, possibility, and honesty” for people with disabilities.

Key Words: Physical Disability, Spina Bifida, Neonatologist, Pediatrics