Rewriting Belonging: Disrupting Ableism in Medical Education Through Poetry
Presenter: Dr. Megan Brown, PhD
Originally played on July 8, 2025
Description: "Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar."
Medical education often operates within rigid structures, valuing uniformity and efficiency over individuality and lived experience. For disabled medical students and doctors, our structures of education perpetuate ableist norms and often silence those that challenge established ideas of what it means to belong in medicine.
This talk explores how poetic inquiry—an arts-based research method—can create space for disabled learners to articulate their experiences in ways that go beyond the possibilities of traditional research methods. By privileging voice, emotion, and subjectivity, poetry offers rich potential to challenge established norms, disrupt ableist assumptions, and enable its readers to radically reimagine medical education.
Through considering examples of poetic inquiry in practice, attendees will be invited to consider how engaging with poetry might not only bring new perspectives to their teaching and research but also inspire a deeper commitment to dismantling exclusionary practices and fostering an educational culture where all voices are heard and valued.
Bio:
Dr. Megan Brown, PhD (she/they), is a Senior Postdoctoral Researcher in Medical Education at Newcastle University, UK. As a multiply disabled, Autistic researcher, Megan focuses on the experiences of disabled learners and the disabled medical workforce in the UK, advocating for systemic changes in education and training. They earned their PhD in Medical Education from Hull York Medical School in 2022, with research on longitudinal models of learning and identity development. Megan specialises in qualitative research methods, including longitudinal research and creative approaches, and is a pioneer of poetic inquiry as a methodology within medical education. She is an ex-clinician, having left clinical medicine to retrain as a medical education researcher.
Really inspiring webinar topic! Dr. Megan Brown’s work using poetic inquiry to disrupt ableism in medical‑education feels so necessary. It is wonderful to see creative research approaches that honour disabled learners’ lived experiences and push for more inclusive cultures in medicine. Thanks to the Docs With Disabilities team for hosting this meaningful talk! --Flying Car
This discussion thoughtfully shows how poetry can create space for experiences that conventional academic approaches may overlook.I appreciated the emphasis on voice, emotion, lived experience, and belonging, particularly in considering how medical education can become more inclusive and responsive.I recently came across a similar discussion on https://capitaladjustingservices.com/, and it offered another perspective on thoughtful communication and inclusion.
Mình có lần lướt đọc mấy trao đổi trên mạng شيخ روحاني thì thấy nhắc nên cũng tò mò mở ra xem thử cho biết. Mình không tìm hiểu sâu جلب الحبيب chỉ xem qua trong thời gian ngắn để quan sát bố cục جلب الحبيب cách sắp xếp شيخ روحاني các mục và trình bày nội شيخ روحاني dung tổng thể. Cảm giác là các phần được trình bày khá gọn, các Huren Berlin mục rõ ràng nên đọc lướt cũng không bị rối với mình như Hurentest Berlin vậy là đủ để nắm tin cơ bản rồi. جلب الحبيب
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This is a powerful and thoughtful piece that highlights how poetry can challenge assumptions and create space for more inclusive medical education. I found bcbug interesting as a related perspective when considering how language can influence belonging and understanding. https://bcbug.com/ connection between personal expression, disability, and education was especially meaningful, making this an engaging and important read.
I really appreciated this thoughtful exploration of how poetry can create space for disabled learners to express experiences that traditional academic methods may overlook. The emphasis on voice, emotion, and lived experience makes the discussion powerful for rethinking belonging in medical education. I recently encountered https://skyviewlaw.com/ in another meaningful discussion, and it prompted me to think about inclusion more carefully.