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Docs With Disabilities

Docs With Disabilities

Written by: Dr. Lisa Meeks and Dr. Peter Poullos
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Join hosts Drs. Lisa Meeks, Peter Poullos and guest hosts as they take a deeper dive into the experiences of health care providers with disabilities through critical conversations with the doctors, researchers, administrators, faculty and policy makers that work to ensure medicine remains an equal opportunity profession.Copyright © 2019 Lisa Meeks Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • Episode 125: The Call is Coming From Inside the House

    Episode 125: The Call is Coming From Inside the House
    May 25 2026
    Interviewees: Neera Jain, PhD — Senior Lecturer, Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, Waipapa Taumata Rau, The University of Auckland Hannah Kakara Anderson, PhD, MBA — Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania Abigail (Abby) Konoposky, PhD— Director of Medical Education Research, Department of Psychiatry, Northwell Interviewer: Lisa Meeks, PhD, MA — Professor of Medical Education, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago; Host, the Docs With Disabilities Podcast Description: In this episode of Stories Behind the Science, we sit down with Drs. Hannah Kakar Anderson, Abby Konoposky, and Neera Jain to discuss a paper that confronts some of the most painful and persistent realities in medical education: The Call Is Coming from Inside the House. Together, they explore how racism and ableism intersect in the experiences of racially minoritized medical learners with disabilities—and why traditional conversations about diversity and inclusion often fail to capture these realities. Using disability critical race theory (DisCrit), narrative inquiry, and counter-storytelling, the authors illuminate what participants described as a haunted "house of medicine"—a space marked by exclusion, surveillance, distorted reflections of self, and support systems that too often become sources of harm rather than protection. Through powerful metaphors drawn from horror—No Trespassing, Hall of Mirrors, and The Call Coming from Inside the House—the conversation examines how institutional structures and well-intentioned actors alike can perpetuate systems that marginalize learners. But this episode is not simply about oppression. It is equally a conversation about resistance, agency, and survival. Grounded in Caitlin Seida's poem Hope Is Not a Bird, Emily, It's a Sewer Rat, the authors reflect on the fierce and complicated hope carried by learners who persist despite environments that were never designed with them in mind. Their stories are not one-dimensional accounts of struggle—they are acts of testimony, community building, and imagination for a different future. The discussion reviews: How racism and ableism operate as intertwined forces within medical education.Why horror became a powerful analytic metaphor for understanding participants' experiences. What it means to be simultaneously hyper-visible and invisible in training environments.How institutional actors may unintentionally reproduce harmful systems—and what it means to recognize "the call" within ourselves.Why the authors resisted easy solutions and instead invite educators to sit with discomfort before rushing to reform.How participants' stories function as "apocalyptic logs" and acts of "leaving evidence" for future learners and institutions. Dr. Anderson brings a clinician-educator's perspective and deep commitment to educational equity, reflecting on disability as both a personal and professional identity. Abby Konoposky offers a linguist's and educational psychologist's lens, unpacking agency, metaphor, and the power of story to challenge dominant narratives. Dr. Jain contributes expertise in ableism, disability studies, and anti-ableist practice, connecting participants' experiences to broader histories of disability rights and racial justice. Together, they invite listeners not only to understand these stories—but to reckon with what they reveal about medicine itself. This episode asks us to imagine what medicine might become if we listened more closely to the people who have long been navigating its haunted spaces—and if we allowed their stories to reshape the house itself. Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dWbGNYB_pzptoEUDSKiS7bOr3DHEOGwqundz90i4fVk/edit?usp=sharing Bios: Hannah Kakara Anderson, PhD, MBA, is an Instructor of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. Her work focuses on educational equity in medical education, with particular attention to disability equity and the creation of learning environments that support diverse learners and the communities they serve. Drawing from both lived experience and scholarship, her work explores how medical education can better sustain learners with disabilities and advance justice in training environments. Abigail (Abby) Konoposky, PhD, supports medical education research in the Department of Psychiatry at Northwell Health. Trained in linguistics and educational psychology, her scholarship explores language, agency, and the ways stories shape educational experiences and systems. Her work is informed by both personal experience with disability and a commitment to understanding how narrative and structure interact in medical education. Neera Jain, PhD, MS is Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education at Waipapa Taumata Rau, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her scholarship focuses on ...
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Episode 124: Mapping the Landscape of Technical Standards: A Nationwide Review of Medical Schools

    Episode 124: Mapping the Landscape of Technical Standards: A Nationwide Review of Medical Schools
    Nov 13 2025
    Interviewees: Carol Haywood, PhD, OTR/L — Assistant Professor, Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chris Moreland, MD, MPH — Professor of Internal Medicine; Division Chief for Hospital Medicine; Interim Associate Chair for Faculty Affairs and Development, Dell Medical School (Comments made in ASL and voiced through interpreters) Interviewer: Lisa Meeks, PhD, MA — Guest Editor, Academic Medicine Supplement on Disability Inclusion in Undergraduate Medical Education Description: In this episode of Stories Behind the Science, we sit down with Dr. Carol Haywood and Dr. Chris Moreland to explore a deceptively powerful document: the medical school technical standards. These quietly influential statements—often tucked deep in an admissions webpage—shape who feels welcome to apply, who gains access, and how institutions imagine the future of their profession. Haywood and Moreland, co-authors of a national analysis featured in the Academic Medicine supplement on Disability Inclusion in Undergraduate Medical Education, unpack what happens when ambiguous language, outdated assumptions, and vague expectations collide with real people making real decisions about their careers. Together, they dig into the nuances of functional vs. organic standards, the importance of clarity for applicants who lack insider knowledge, and the ripple effects of inequitable policies across a learner's entire training experience. What emerges is both sobering and hopeful: a field undergoing change, a growing recognition that words matter, and a roadmap for institutions ready to bring their values into alignment with their practices. The discussion reviews: How technical standards became a gatekeeper—and why revising a single sentence can shift an entire culture. Why students with disabilities read these documents differently—and why that matters for equity. How ambiguity in admissions can deter talented future physicians long before they step foot in a classroom. What schools can do now to create standards that prioritize competence, flexibility, and inclusion. Dr. Haywood brings a researcher's lens and an occupational therapist's creativity to the conversation, illuminating how functional expectations—not assumptions about bodies—should guide medical training. Dr. Moreland shares deeply personal reflections on navigating technical standards as a deaf physician, offering rare insight into how these documents land on applicants with lived experience. This episode invites the audience to imagine a medical education landscape where technical standards do what they should do—define competence, set expectations, and open doors—rather than unintentionally closing them. Bios: Carol Haywood, PhD, OTR/L, is Assistant Professor of Medical Social Sciences in the Determinants of Health Division and core faculty in the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. Building from her work as an occupational therapist in acute rehabilitation, she completed a PhD in occupational science at the University of Southern California and a postdoctoral fellowship in health services and outcomes research at Northwestern University. Using qualitative, mixed methods, and community-engaged research approaches, she studies disability in a variety of contexts, as well as health care access, coordination, and quality. She is driven by a vision of health care that facilitates equity for people with disabilities. Chris Moreland, MD MPH, is a professor of medicine, interim associate department chair for faculty affairs, and division chief for hospital medicine at Dell Medical School at UT Austin. He practices clinically as a hospitalist. As a career-long clinician educator, his teaching has been recognized regionally and nationally. His collaborative advocacy and research efforts describe the experiences of our healthcare workforce and learners with disabilities, as well as strategies to foster pathways to thriving clinicians. He has served as president and longtime board member for the Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses; he holds current roles on the Docs with Disabilities Initiative advisory board, the AAMC Group on Diversity and Inclusion steering committee, and as a consultant with the National Deaf Center. Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18hUPguWf_jWeDC1fmOgSKSXPv4xGnkQIPUi3zhfH540/edit?usp=sharing Resources: Singer, Tracey; Madanguit, Lance MD; Fok, King T. MD, MSc; Stauffer, Catherine E. MD; Meeks, Lisa M. PhD, MA; Moreland, Christopher J. MD, MPH; Huang, Lynn MS; Case, Benjamin MPH; Lagu, Tara MD, MPH; Kannam, Allison MD; Haywood, Carol PhD, OTR/L. Mapping the Landscape of Technical Standards: A Nationwide Review of Medical Schools. Academic Medicine 100(10S):p S144-S151, October 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000006135 McKee, M.M., Gay, S., Ailey, S., Meeks, L.M. (2020). ...
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    42 mins
  • Episode 123: Evaluating Disability-Inclusive Content on U.S. Medical Schools' Websites: A National Study

    Episode 123: Evaluating Disability-Inclusive Content on U.S. Medical Schools' Websites: A National Study
    Oct 22 2025

    Episode 123: Evaluating Disability-Inclusive Content on U.S. Medical Schools' Websites—A National Study

    Interviewees:
    Ifeoma Ikedionwu, MD — Psychiatry and Internal Medicine Dual Intern, UT Southwestern
    Dominique Cook — Fourth-Year Medical Student, University of South Florida

    Interviewer:
    Lisa Meeks, PhD, MA — Guest Editor, Academic Medicine Supplement on Disability Inclusion in Undergraduate Medical Education

    Description:
    In this episode of Stories Behind the Science, Dr. Lisa Meeks sits down with Dr. Ifeoma Ikedionwu and Dominique Cook, co-authors of the first national study examining how medical school websites communicate disability inclusion. Their paper, Evaluating Disability-Inclusive Content on U.S. Medical Schools' Websites: A National Study, is part of the Academic Medicine supplement on Disability Inclusion in Undergraduate Medical Education.

    What do medical schools' digital front doors say about who belongs? The conversation explores how public-facing messages shape applicants' sense of access, belonging, and possibility—and why visibility is the first step toward equity. Ikedionwu and Cook share how their lived experiences as medical students with and without disabilities inspired a research project that merges advocacy, analysis, and systemic change.

    Together, they unpack the challenges of quantifying inclusivity, the nuance of intersecting identities, and the powerful role of student-led research in shaping institutional accountability. The episode underscores how every mission statement, technical standard, and accessibility page sends a message—and how aligning those messages with institutional values can create a more inclusive path for future physicians.

    Listeners will leave with actionable insights:

    • Audit your institution's website for clarity, tone, and accessibility.

    • Engage learners with lived experience in reviewing public materials.

    • Translate inclusion from policy into practice—and from practice into visibility.

    Because as Ikedionwu reminds us, "It's not enough to do the work—you have to share it, so others can find their way."

    Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UmiXVs8wESM28eRYAM-d13IuJTV6VzR2khagExHF12A/edit?usp=sharing

    Resources:
    Article from Today's Talk:
    Ikedionwu I, Cook D, Kim N, Cotts J, Case B, Meeks LM. Evaluating Disability-Inclusive Content on U.S. Medical Schools' Websites: A National Study. Academic Medicine. 2025;100(10S):S60–S67. Read the full article here →

    Related Reading:
    Equal Access for Students with Disabilities: The Guide for Health Science and Professional Education (2nd Ed). Meeks LM, Jain NR, & Laird EP. Springer Publishing, 2020.

    🎧 The Docs With Disabilities Podcast: https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/docswithpodcast

    Key Words: Disability inclusion · Medical education · Admissions · Accessibility · Representation
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    44 mins
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