DWDI Newsletter Spring 2025
- Lisa Meeks
- Apr 7
- 9 min read
April 7, 2025
Message from Co-Directors:
Dear Community,
We want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible energy, engagement, and support you continue to bring to the Docs With Disabilities Initiative. Every download, every conversation, every shared post makes a meaningful difference—and it is because of you that our work continues to grow, reach new audiences, and drive change across health professions education.
As we celebrate new milestones and set our sights on bold, new directions, we remain rooted in our shared commitment to equity and justice. Thank you for working alongside us in our shared mission.
With appreciation,
Lisa & Justin
Co-Directors, Docs With Disabilities Initiative
LinkedIn Statement
At the Docs With Disabilities Initiative, we remain unwavering in our commitment to equity-based work that is explicitly rooted in anti-ableism and anti-racism. Please take a moment to read our public statement available on Linked In. These values guide everything we do—from research and education to mentorship and policy change. We believe that meaningful inclusion requires more than awareness; it requires action, accountability, and community.
We are honored to do this work in partnership with you. Let’s keep moving forward—together.
Warmly,
Justin & Lisa
Exciting Announcements!
Congratulations to Rylee Betchkal, Docs With Disabilities Initiative (DWDI) Research Lab Assistant for her acceptance to the University of Georgia’s PhD in Counseling Psychology Program!
DWDI will be at AHEAD in Denver this summer! Please find our booth in the Exhibitor area. We’d love to connect with you in person, share some exciting news, resources, and DWDI swag.
DWDI and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) presented a session recently at the 2025 ACGME Annual Educational Conference! Review the recap of the presentation on Strategies to Enhance Inclusion of Learners with Disabilities in Graduate Medical Education.
Scope of Reach: Docs With Disabilities Resources are making an Impact!
Over 1,000 students and Disability Resource Professionals (DRPs) have downloaded our Guide to Requesting Accommodations on the USMLE Step Exams. This incredible resource is helping students, faculty, and advisors navigate the accommodations process with ease and confidence. The resource includes a step-by-step timeline creation, ways of crafting a strong personal essay, suggestions for collecting robust documentation, guides for writing letters of support, and advice for handling appeals.
Over 2,500 people have downloaded Equal Access for Students with Disabilities: The Guide for Health Science and Professional Education. Now in its second edition, this comprehensive guide remains the most legally informed resource on disability inclusion in health sciences education. Grounded in the ADA, case law, and OCR determinations, the book provides practical, real-world guidance for disability resource professionals, faculty, and student affairs staff. Included in this new edition is a focus on disability as a valued form of diversity, updates on technical standards and revised advice throughout, practical case studies demonstrating best practices, new appendix to guide faculty communication, and the latest legal guidance to ensure fully inclusive education.
The DWDI Website is experiencing an increase in traffic, with over 1,200 new visitors this quarter. Additionally, returning visitors are up by 15%, showing that our content and resources continue to resonate. If you haven’t visited lately, explore our website for the latest updates, videos, talks, webinars, and details on ongoing initiatives at Docswithdisabilities.org.
LinkedIn has proven to be a meaningful way for us to engage. Over the last 90 days, we have noted a 21% increase in comments and 49% increase in others reposting our content. LinkedIn is a great place to find updates about our recently published articles, upcoming events, and to register for our webinars, research rounds, book club events, and more.
We truly appreciate you engaging with us and sharing through all of these platforms!
Recent Team Successes
Articles
Our first Access In Nursing (AIN) team research paper Disability and Accommodation Use in US Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs was published in JAMA on February 20, 2025. This is the first ever accounting of disability prevalence in traditional prelicensure nursing students in US Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree programs. Congrats to the AIN team and co-first authors, Brandy Jackson and Vanessa Cameron!
The Inaccessible Road to Science for People with Disabilities, published February 2025 in Trends in Molecular Medicine, examines the contributions of disabled scientists and the barriers they face, including systemic ableism and lack of inclusivity and offers recommendations to foster an inclusive STEM environment. This invited commentary was bookended by Drs. Meeks and Swenor and included several lab members including Mytien Nguyen, Karina Pereira-Lima, Zoie Sheets and Rylee Betchkal. Congrats to all the authors!
Creating Accessible Online Content for Health Professions Education, published January 2025 with a team from Boston Children’s Hospital this paper discusses how strategies for supporting accessibility align with best practices for audiovisual and instructional design. We love collaborating with other teams–have an idea, contact us!
“We Need a Seismic Shift”: Disabled Student Perspectives on Disability Inclusion in U.S. Medical Education published in November 2024, is a New Award Winning RIME Research Report study that analyzes 674 first-person accounts from disabled med students, revealing systemic barriers and calling for urgent changes to disability inclusion in U.S. medical education. Congrats to Dr. Neera Jain for her leadership and awards for this work and to the whole team Erene Stergiopoulos, Amy Addams, Chris Moreland, and Lisa Meeks.
Features
American College of Chest Physicians featured our Docs With Disabilities Initiative co-directors, Drs. Lisa Meeks and Justin Bullock in recent CHEST articles about Disability Inclusion: From Stigma to Strength and This Armor of Mine. Congrats to our leaders!
DWDI co-director, Dr. Lisa Meeks recently traveled to DOHA, Qatar to present at the Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar Medical Advising Retreat. She shared information on disability inclusion during a featured talk, “Understanding and Removing Barriers for Medical Trainees with Disabilities: A Summary of Research Findings and Best Practice for Disability Inclusion. In addition to this visiting professorship, Dr. Meeks set up a Qatar/US research agenda for UME and GME. Look for more information on this important international project!
Webinars
New Mentoring Panel! DWDI hosted a Women with Disabilities in Allied Health (WWDIAH) Panel on February 26, 2024. The panel featured Dr. Kara Ayers, Joy Macheel, Dr. Kruti Shah, Dr. Erin Andrews, Lori Goldberg, and moderators: Dr. Reshawna Chapple and Dr. Lisa Meeks. This panel focused on the power of Mentorship in Allied Health Professions. The webinar is now available on our You Tube page. Be sure to follow our YouTube to get alerted to the latest resources!
Partnered Workshops: We were thrilled to partner with the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT), to present "Technical Standards for Inclusive Physical Therapy Education: A Workshop Webinar" featuring speakers Amanda Sharp PT, DPT, PhD and Lisa Meeks, PhD, MA. This webinar focused on how to revise technical standards to create a more accessible learning environment.
More partnered workshops! DWDI Access in Nursing (AIN) program partnered with AHEAD and American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to bring our respective constituents “Aligning Nursing Technical Standards for Disability Inclusion” Featured speakers were Brandy Jackson and Anne Lewis, Co-chairs of Access in Nursing along with Dr. Lisa Meeks.
Upcoming Opportunities
Newsletter
The next Docs With Disabilities Newsletter will arrive late Spring highlighting initiatives, programs, and publications which occurred after February 2025. Let us know if you have any content you’d like included in this newsletter!
New DWDI Program
DWDI is excited to announce the formation of Access in Pharmacy (AIP) this year. Initial steps have already begun with a working group leading this effort including Brian Hemstreet, Steven Erickson, Candis Morello, Toni Qualantone and Kruti Shah. We look forward to another successful program to add to DWDI and to working together with Pharmacy organizations, leaders and learners.
New Supplement in Academic Medicine
Academic Medicine will publish a special supplement on Disability Inclusion in Medical Education, guest edited by our own Dr. Lisa Meeks. This landmark issue will feature original research, theory-driven work, and insightful commentaries exploring disability inclusion across the medical education continuum. Look for preprints in late summer!
6th annual SMADIE Conference
The Stanford Conference on Disability in Healthcare and Medicine, hosted by the Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion and Equity (SMADIE) is on April 26, 2025. Details on registration can be found here. Dr. Lisa Meeks is the keynote speaker discussing how to drive lasting change and meaningful inclusion in healthcare through leadership and collective action. View the Instagram announcement here.
New Book Alert! “Advancing Disability Inclusion in Medical Education: Case Studies and Practical Insights,” edited by Dr. Lisa Meeks is coming in 2026.
This book combines legal, ethical, and organizational perspectives with real-world case examples to provide actionable insights on incorporating accessibility into medical education. This is a really exciting resource and YOU have the opportunity to be involved. If you have a unique case study that you’re interested in publishing, please share details using this form.
Resource Highlight
Medical School Terminology Guide: Our Medical School Terminology Guide is designed to help DRP’s confidently navigate the often complex language, acronyms, and structure of medical education. This guide equips you with the tools to better support students with disabilities through both coursework and clinical experiences. Look for our Nursing School Terminology Guide coming this summer!
3-part webinar, “Requesting Accommodations for the NBME”. addresses pressing questions about accommodations on the NBME Step exams. Thanks to the University of Michigan Center for Disability Health and Wellness for co-sponsoring this important series.
Important Podcast Series
Suicidality in Medical Training, The Docs with Disabilities Initiative’s six-part podcast series, Episodes 102 - 107, aims to break the silence surrounding mental health in medical training. By sharing personal stories and expert insights, the series highlights the need for greater compassion and support for mental health in medical education. Created in partnership with the Ruddell family and mental health experts, it honors Dr. Jack Ruddell and all medical trainees lost to suicide. The series begins with Episode 102: Honoring Dr. Jack Ruddell: A Story of Joy, Compassion, and Mental Health in Medical Training. Listen, share, and help raise awareness.
Bookclub
DWDI hosted our Disability Equity Book Club, featuring the book How Do You Feel? by Dr. Jessi Gold on December 4, 2024. Dr. Gold joined the book club discussion with nearly 200 registrants. From the feedback survey, we learned that 100% of participants were likely or very likely to recommend the book club to a colleague. We are especially grateful to Dr. Gold for sharing her time and talents with us.
New DREAM Talks (Disability Research and Education in Academic Medicine)
Core Competencies for Students Entering Medical School: A Pan-Canadian Consensus on Re-envisioning Technical Standards and Addressing Ableism in Undergraduate Medical Education on February 25, 2025. This session featured the following speakers: Cheryl L. Holmes MD, FRCPC, MHPE , Laura Nimmon, PhD, MA, BA, and Lisa Graves MD CCFP (AM) FCFP MCl.Sc. It explored a pan-Canadian, consensus-based approach to updating technical standards through functional core competencies that reflect the realities of modern medical education.
Addressing Medical Student Burnout Through an Inclusive Lens featuring Mytien Nguyen on December 12, 2024. This Research Round discussed burnout among medical students, specifically the risk of burnout among racial and ethnic underrepresented students with a disability, or among students who have co-occurring disabilities.
Innovating for a Sustainable Workforce through Neuroinclusive Selection to Health Professions: Process Evaluation of a Novel Co-Designed Interview on November 5th. This Research Round invited Alison Callwood, PhD, FRCM, SFHEA, MSc, PGCert, Dip HE/RM, BSc(Hons) Nursing/RGN Associate Professor at the University of Surrey to explore the development of an online interview platform designed with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. This important session was offered in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Disability Health Research Center with thanks to Bonnielin Swenor for sponsoring the event!
DWDI Leadership Retreat
In December, DWDI leaders gathered for a five-day retreat focused on future project planning. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with 100% reporting strengthened relationships within the team, feeling better prepared to collaborate on high-quality projects, and making significant progress on deliverables that wouldn’t have been achieved outside the retreat. The team also benefited from “The Art of Presenting with Simon,” a professional development course led by Simon Sinek.
Hiring News
Docs With Disabilities Initiative is expanding!
Ali Martin Scoufield was hired in December as the inaugural Chief of Staff for DWDI. Ali is a full time PhD student at Cleveland State University, completing her research on barriers disabled undergraduates experience at state universities. She has twenty years of experience working in higher education, overseeing functional areas including case management, dean of students, disability services, food pantry, violence prevention, residence life, student activities, and student conduct. Her research interests include equity and access in higher education, ethically utilizing AI in education, and addressing barriers for newcomer/refugee students. Ali is excited to connect her personal and professional passions through DWDI. She can be reached via email at admin@docswithdisabilities.org
Research Assistants
Dr. Meeks will be seeking two new research assistants to begin this July. If
interested, check out the announcement.
Stay Connected
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Thank you for your continued support in fostering an inclusive environment in health professions education. Together, we can make a significant difference.
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