DocsWithDisabilities Research and Resource Rounds

Collection V: Episode 23. Disclosure: the social, political, cultural, and legal dimensions of the choice to disclose disability in the health sciences.

Author: Neera R. Jain Citation: Jain, Neera R. "Political Disclosure: Resisting Ableism in Medical Education." Disability & Society 35, no. 3 (2020): 389–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2019.1647149. Description: This episode opens Collection V, Disclosure: the social, political, cultural, and legal dimensions of the choice to disclose disability in the health sciences. Jain introduces the concept of "political disclosure," a form of disability disclosure oriented towards leveraging disability identity for collective benefit and the destigmatization of disability in medicine–rather than securing accommodations. The article identifies three forms of political disclosure—visibility, upstanding, and activism—and examines the personal, relational, and institutional factors that tilt individuals toward or away from these acts. Grounded in disability studies and social theory, Jain's analysis situates students' disclosure practices within the broader ableist culture of medicine and foregrounds the value of disability epistemologies in medical education. Jain's work is grounded in interviews with disabled medical students and school officials across four medical schools. The episode also highlights resources for disability community-building in medicine that has flourished in the years since the article's publication. Producer: Zoey Martin Lockhart, Lisa Meeks Audio Engineer: Jacob Feeman Transcript: Episode 23 Transcript [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rGq_ASQuRlHK2XTvMPRHeJx01xal94lP/edit] Release: 2026 Keywords: Political Disclosure Disability Disclosure Disability Epistemologies

Collection IV: Episode 22: Preparing to Thrive: Supporting Learners With Disabilities Through the Undergraduate-to-Graduate Medical Education Transition

Episode 22: Preparing to Thrive: Supporting Learners With Disabilities Through the Undergraduate-to-Graduate Medical Education Transition Collection IV: Policies towards Disability Inclusivity in the Health Sciences. Article or Publication discussed: "Preparing to Thrive: Supporting Learners With Disabilities Through the Undergraduate-to-Graduate Medical Education Transition" Authors: Zoie Sheets, Maureen Fausone, Anne Messman, Pilar Ortega, Jessica Ramsay, Megan Creasman, and Nalinda Charnsangavej Citation: Sheets, Zoie C., Maureen Fausone, Anne Messman, et al. "Preparing to Thrive: Supporting Learners With Disabilities Through the Undergraduate-to-Graduate Medical Education Transition." Academic Medicine 100, no. 10S (2025): S161. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000006136 [https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000006136]. Description: This episode explores concrete strategies for supporting disabled medical students as they navigate the critical transition from medical school to residency. The authors organize their recommendations across four key areas: disability disclosure, specialty selection, program selection, and requesting accommodations in graduate medical education. The episode describes the vital roles that faculty mentors, Disability Resource Professionals (DRPs), UME institutions, GME programs, and accrediting bodies each play in creating environments where disabled learners can thrive. Producer: Zoey Martin Lockhart, Lisa Meeks Audio Engineer: Jacob Feeman Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n_6VUQr0mwmQHOPBgUXU3qJhKHQGyiztVGFUa-kef2E/edit?usp=sharing [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n_6VUQr0mwmQHOPBgUXU3qJhKHQGyiztVGFUa-kef2E/edit?usp=sharing] Keywords: Residency Graduate Medical Education Disability Resource Professionals

Collection IV: Episode 21: Policies towards Disability Inclusivity in the Health Sciences

Episode 21: Collection IV: policies towards disability inclusivity in the health sciences. Article or Publication discussed: Authors: Liz Bowen, Emily Cleveland-Manchanda, Peppar E.P. Cyr, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, Susan Havercamp, Kristi Kirschner, Rebecca Kronk, Lisa M. Meeks, Peter Poullos, Zoie Clarise Sheets, Dorothy W. Tolchin, Stephanie Pham Van, Silvia Yee, and Erik Parens Citation: Bowen, Liz, Emily Cleveland-Manchanda, Peppar E.P. Cyr, et al. "Anti-Ableist Medical Education: Meeting the Challenges." The Hastings Center. Issue Brief, 2024 https://www.thehastingscenter.org/anti-ableist-medical-education-meeting-the-challenges/ [https://www.thehastingscenter.org/anti-ableist-medical-education-meeting-the-challenges/]. Description: The Hastings Center Issue Brief covered in this episode describes the challenges confronted by those seeking to implement anti-ableist, disability-specific education. Its specificity and realism when articulating barriers and suggesting solutions is refreshing. The tone is empathetic and practical. Sprinkled throughout the issue brief—perhaps more accurately described as a guide—are training, evaluation, and educational resources that, beyond providing immediately deployable content, are foundational examples of disability-inclusive achievements. Hopefully, these resources act as encouragement to disability educators and advocates in the pedagogical trenches. Producer: Zoey Martin Lockhart, Lisa Meeks Audio Engineer: Jacob Feeman Transcript: Episode 21: "Anti-Ableism Medical Education: Meeting the Challenges" [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ApIIlxxyBmRK3_QiD-ZrefJWZcUlwQoi-xRZ7UKDWxk/edit?usp=share_link] Release: 2025 Keywords: Anti-Ableism Medical Education Biopsychosocial model Disability competencies Clinical disability training

Collection IV: EPISODE 20: "Addressing Ableism in Physician Well-Being Planning" (Quon, 2024)

Title of Featured Article: Addressing Ableism in Physician Well-Being Planning Citation: Quon, Michael. 2024. "Addressing Ableism in Physician Well-Being Planning." JAMA 332 (4): 275–76. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.7736 [https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.7736]. Authors: Michael Quon Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rm5hiHNrxW0Gbs141BmLIPm48xvR_l9d/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=107682871199975293144&rtpof=true&sd=true [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rm5hiHNrxW0Gbs141BmLIPm48xvR_l9d/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=107682871199975293144&rtpof=true&sd=true] Summary: Research and Resource Rounds episode 20 discusses Dr. Michael Quon's thoughtful assessment of the National Academy of Medicine's National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being. At the plan's core is a contradiction: while the plan aims to combat physician burnout and promote wellness, it systematically ignores the needs of disabled physicians. Quon identifies a pattern of structural ableism throughout the plan's recommendations. Disability is treated as a temporary problem requiring management rather than an ongoing aspect of professional diversity requiring sustained workplace accommodations; temporary injury and short-term accommodations are forefronted in the plan while long-term accommodations that facilitate disabled doctors' enduring career of medical practice are overlooked. Quon advocates for fundamental shifts: accommodation policies that don't require disclosure, improved licensing processes, integration of disability experts into leadership, and recognition that disabled physicians bring unique value to patient care through their lived experiences. Keywords: Well-being, Ableism, Medical Education, Implicit bias, Explicit bias, Disability, medicine, medical training, National Academy of Medicine, physicians with disabilities, accommodations Producer: Zoey Martin Lockhart, Lisa Meeks Audio Engineer: Jacob Feeman Release: July 2025

Collection IV: Episode 19: AMA Organizational Strategic Plan to Advance Health Equity

Episode 19: AMA Organizational Strategic Plan to Advance Health Equity Collection IV: policies towards disability inclusivity in the health sciences. Article or Publication discussed: AMA's Authors: AMA (2024-2025) Citation: "AMA Organizational Strategic Plan to Advance Health Equity 2024-2025." 2024. American Medical Association. June, 2024. https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/ama-s-2024-2025-strategic-plan-advance-health-equity [https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/ama-s-2024-2025-strategic-plan-advance-health-equity]. Description: Research and Resource Rounds Episode 19 launches Collection IV: policies towards disability inclusivity in the health sciences. The episode examines how the AMA's 2024-2025 Organizational Strategic Plan to Advance Health Equity integrates disability consciousness into its vision for healthcare transformation. The 2024 Plan builds on the foundation laid by AMA's (original) 2021 Strategic Plan. Both plans explicitly name ableism and racism as interconnected systems of oppression. The episode provides an overview of the 2024 strategic plan, including of the five strategic approaches towards health equity identified in the plans: embed equity, build alliances and share power, ensure equity in innovation, push upstream, and foster pathways. The AMA's plan and associated resources show notable progress since 2021, including the establishment of a disability employee resource group, educational partnerships including disability-focused modules on the AMA Ed Hub by the Docs With Disabilities Initiative, and policy adoption on organ transplant equity and barriers in medical education for disabled trainees. Producer: Zoey Martin Lockhart, Lisa Meeks Audio Engineer: Jacob Feeman Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xWcJBRtUFh4HIncv3ITe6TAk8ym8GMyd/edit [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xWcJBRtUFh4HIncv3ITe6TAk8ym8GMyd/edit] Release: June 2025