❄️ WINTER NEWSLETTER ❄️
- DWDI Team
- Dec 14, 2025
- 13 min read
Updated: Dec 18, 2025
Alt Text: Blue background, Docs with Disabilities Initiative in white letters. Yellow line above and beside words.
December 14, 2025
A Note From Our Co-Directors
As we come to the end of this year, we are reminded of how fortunate we are to be in community with you. This season invites reflection, and we continue to be inspired by the dedication, integrity, and care you bring to the work of advancing equity in health professions education and disability justice.
Your commitment shows up in many meaningful ways. You support learners, guide faculty and staff, lead change on your campuses, and strengthen our growing community of practice. Every action, every conversation, and every moment of advocacy moves us closer to a future where learners with disabilities have full access to the opportunities they deserve.
We are deeply grateful for your partnership. Thank you for choosing to be in this work with us, for trusting us with your stories, and for contributing to a movement that continues to grow in visibility and impact.
As the year comes to a close, we hope you find time for rest and connection. We look ahead with optimism and excitement for what we will create together in the new year.
With appreciation,
Lisa and Justin
DWDI Programming
🌟 Access in Medicine (AIM) Summit — April 2026
DWDI is gearing up to host the 2026 AIM Summit at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago on April 10-12th. This national convening will bring together leaders in Disability Resources and Student Affairs for two days of advanced training, research translation, and collaborative problem-solving. We’re excited to welcome this year’s cohort to Chicago as we continue building momentum toward more inclusive medical education systems. A few slots are still available. Please contact lmeeks@uic.edu if interested.
🎉 Kudos Corner
👏 Celebrating a New Leadership Role: Aggie McGrane
Please join us in congratulating Aggie McGrane on her new position as Senior Associate Director for the Health Science Campus, Student Accessibility Center at Loyola University Chicago. Aggie’s deep commitment to accessibility, learner support, and equity in the health sciences continues to inspire our community. We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone and grateful for the expertise and heart she brings to DWDI and the broader field.
🎓 Milestone Moment for Dr. Vanessa Cameron 🎓
The AIN community is proud to celebrate Vanessa Cameron on the successful defense of her PhD. Completing a doctoral defense is no small feat, and this milestone reflects Vanessa’s dedication, expertise, and perseverance. We are excited to celebrate this achievement and the contributions she will continue to make to nursing education and beyond.
🏆 Congratulations to Justin Bullock: 2025 RIME Trainee Award Recipient
We are thrilled to celebrate our co-director, Dr. Justin L. Bullock, who has been selected as the 2025 RIME Trainee Award recipient by the AAMC’s Group on Educational Affairs. This prestigious national honor recognizes outstanding scholarship from emerging leaders in health professions education.
Justin was recognized for the publication “Numbers Ain’t Neutral: A QuantCrit Analysis of the Relationship Among Stereotype Threat, Threat Mitigation, and Identity Safety,” co-authored with Dr. Ann M. O’Hare, Dr. David K. Prince, Dr. Nisha Bansal, Dr. Karen Hauer, Dr. Pim Teunissen, Dr. Bessie Young, and Dr. Javeed Sukhera.
🏅 Congratulations to Dr. Lisa Meeks: 2025 ASME Gold Medal Recipient
We are thrilled to share that Dr. Lisa Meeks has been awarded the 2025 ASME Gold Medal, one of the most prestigious honors in medical education. This award recognizes scholars who have made extraordinary, sustained contributions to the field—and Dr. Meeks’ work continues to transform how institutions understand and advance disability inclusion.
Celebrated as a “transformative force” and an international leader whose scholarship has “shifted paradigms, opened doors, and brought the voices of disabled learners and healthcare providers to the center of academic inquiry,” Dr. Meeks’ impact spans research, policy, mentorship, and global collaboration.
Upon receiving the award, Dr. Meeks shared: “While I accept this award personally, I also see it as a reflection of a much larger collective effort; a celebration for the entire community of scholars, trainees, and advocates who are committed to advancing this work.”
🎉🩺 Introducing the Clinical Accommodations Guide!
This guide provides an overview of determining and implementing reasonable accommodations in undergraduate medical education (UME). Built on a foundation of 75 vetted accommodations currently in use at U.S. medical schools, it offers consensus-based language for communicating about accommodations. Additionally, the guide clarifies the process for determining clinical accommodation and supports a deeper understanding of clinical accommodations currently in use.
🔗 Explore the guide: HERE
3 Upcoming Events for January -Register NOW!
As always, all of our events will be recorded and made available on our YouTube page.
Upcoming DREAM Research Rounds: Food Insecurity Among Medical Students
Jan 13th 2026 | 12:00 PM CT, 1:00 PM ET
Our January DREAM Research Rounds will explore food insecurity as an often-hidden barrier in medical education—who is affected, why it persists, and how institutions can shift from helping students survive to supporting them in truly thriving.
Speaker: Bassel Shanab
Description:
Medical education has various rites of passage in the development of a physician, simply illustrated as working late nights on a basic diet (coffee, ramen, etc.), but can often overlook detrimental experiences: food insecurity. For students of marginalized identity, food insecurity is more common and can be perpetuated by the demands of medical education. In this talk, we will discuss what food insecurity looks like, who is food insecure and potential causes as to why, and what we can do about it.
Register: HERE
Suggested Reading:
Upcoming Webinar: Clinical Accommodations Guide — Implementation & Infrastructure
Jan 21, 2026 | 11:00 AM CT, 12:00 PM ET
co-hosted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
Panelists: Zainub Dhanani; Matt Sullivan, PhD; Sarah Traino; Lauren CobbsModerators: Lisa Meeks and Amy Addams
Register HERE.
Join us for the third session of our 4-part Clinical Accommodations series. This webinar translates the findings from a national Delphi study—and the resulting Clinical Accommodations Guide—into long-term policy, planning, and systems-level infrastructure for disability inclusion in clinical education.
Learning Objectives:
Designed for deans of students, clinical faculty, DRPs, and institutional leaders.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Explain how standardized accommodation language can be used to improve communication and grow understanding of accommodations currently in use across the US.
2. Describe the strategic role of academic and clinical leadership in supporting DRPs and learners through coordinated and well-defined accommodation processes.
3. Identify opportunities to integrate the Clinical Accommodations Guide into long-term planning efforts, including faculty development, institutional practices and sustainability efforts.
Official Launch of the ACGME/DWDI Disability Resource Hub
a Residency specific resource for disability inclusion
Tuesday, January 20, 2026 | 12:00-1:00 CT 1:00–2:00 PM ET
Speakers:Lisa Meeks, PhD, MA • Zoie Sheets, MD • Nalinda Charnsangavej , MD
Moderator: Morgan Passiment, ACGME
Register: HERE
DescriptionThe transition from undergraduate medical education (UME) into residency and fellowship remains a critical—and vulnerable—point for learners with disabilities. Despite growing recognition of disability in medical education, structural gaps, inconsistent policies, and limited professional development leave many learners unsupported as they move through graduate medical education (GME) and into practice.
This launch event introduces the ACGME–Docs with Disabilities Disability Resource Hub, a centralized, open-access platform designed to support disability inclusion across the UME–GME continuum. Developed through a collaboration between the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Docs with Disabilities Initiative, and funded in part by a Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Catalyst Award for Transformation in Graduate Medical Education, the Hub equips institutions and individuals with practical guidance, tools, and evidence-informed resources to foster accessible, compliant, and inclusive learning environments.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Describe the purpose of the ACGME–Docs with Disabilities Disability Resource Hub and its role in advancing disability inclusion across UME and GME.
Navigate the Hub to locate key resources relevant to policy development, accommodations, and learner support.
Discuss ways the Hub can be integrated into individual and institutional professional development efforts to strengthen accessible practices across medical education.
Who Should AttendThe Disability Resource Hub is designed for all individuals involved in supporting medical students, residents, and fellows.
This session will be valuable for:
ADA compliance officers; career advisors; designated institutional officials (DIOs); disability resource professionals (DRPs); faculty and clinical educators; human resources professionals; institutional and program coordinators; student affairs leaders; program directors and associate/assistant program directors; residents and fellows.
In Case you Missed It: Recordings Now Available!
DREAM Research Rounds Recording: Jack Ruddell Memorial Talk
Aired on: Thursday, September 18th, 2025
Each year on the week of National Physician Suicide Awareness Day, this inaugural memorial talk honors the life of Dr. Jack H. Ruddell (1994–2020) and brings attention to the urgent and often silenced crisis of suicide in medicine. Featuring Dr. Justin Bullock, along with John and Jennifer Ruddell, the session blends lived experience, scholarly insight, and a call for systemic change to better support the mental health of medical learners and physicians.
Sponsored by: The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Department of Medical Education.
Watch the recorded session: HERE
Featured Article:
Academic Medicine Supplement on Disability Inclusion Launch
This AAMC webinar celebrated the release of the Academic Medicine Supplement on Disability Inclusion, featuring contributing authors who shared key insights from their research and reflected on the significance of this landmark collection for the future of medical education. The session highlights emerging evidence, lived experience, and the collaborative efforts driving inclusion forward across the field.
Recording available following registration HERE.
DREAM Research Rounds Recording: Race, Disability, and Medical Student Outcomes
Barriers related to race and disability are often examined separately, yet students with intersecting marginalized identities experience compounded challenges that shape their academic pathways. In this session, Dr. William Eidtson presents new multi-institutional research on how these intersections influence outcomes such as leaves of absence and extended time to graduation, and shares strategies institutions can adopt to build more integrated, equity-driven support systems.
Sponsored by: The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Department of Medical Education.
Watch the recorded session: HERE
DREAM Rounds Recording: Disability, Race, and Step 1 Accommodations
Explore new research on disability, race, and access to Step 1 accommodations. In this DREAM Rounds session, Dr. Lisa Meeks and Mytien Nguyen share findings from a multi-institutional study examining who requests accommodations, who receives them, and how institutional resources shape outcomes.
Watch the recorded session: HERE
Webinar Recording: Advancing Equity Through Standardized Clinical Accommodations
This session introduces the new Clinical Accommodations Guide, a practical roadmap designed for DRPs, faculty, program leaders, and students working to create more inclusive clinical learning environments. Developed from real-world practices across nine U.S. medical schools and refined through a Delphi review, the Guide clarifies roles, demystifies accommodation processes, and supports constructive dialogue around accessibility. Panelists share insights on how institutions can use this resource to remove barriers for disabled learners.
Sponsored by: AHEAD in partnership with DWDI, SMADIE, MSDCI, and DM3P.
Watch the recorded session: HERE
Recording Available: Shaping a New Narrative for Disability Inclusion in Nursing
The Docs with Disabilities Initiative and SAGE Publishing hosted a virtual launch event celebrating Creative Nursing’s special issue, Shaping a New Narrative for Disability Inclusion in Nursing. This powerful session highlights scholarship, creative expression, and lived experience that reimagine what inclusive nursing education and practice can look like when accessibility, creativity, and belonging guide the work.Hear from authors and thought leaders who are transforming nursing through research, reflection, and storytelling, and explore how the profession can lead the way in advancing equity and inclusion for disabled learners, professionals, and patients.
Watch the recorded event HERE.
Publications
We are excited to share a series of important new publications from our team!
A new national study titled Race and Disability Characteristics and Accommodation Disparities on the USMLE Step 1 was recently published in JAMA Network Open.
Drawing from data across nine U.S. medical schools, the study reveals significant disparities in both the request and approval of Step 1 accommodations. Asian medical students and those with psychological disabilities were less likely to request accommodations, while students diagnosed after matriculation and those without support from specialized Disability Resource Professionals (DRPs) were less likely to receive them. These findings highlight the critical role of early diagnosis, institutional resources, and equitable processes in ensuring fair access to high-stakes exams.
🔗Read Article: HERE
A new commentary titled Reconsidering the Need for Technical Standards: Embracing Competency-Based Education in Nursing
This article examines how traditional technical standards—long used to define nonacademic requirements in nursing programs—have become outdated barriers to inclusion. The authors argue that competency-based education (CBE) offers a more accurate, equitable, and less biased approach to assessing readiness for practice. By shifting from ability-focused standards to outcomes-based frameworks, nursing education can better support a diverse and representative workforce.
🔗 Read Article: HERE
A new commentary titled Collective Action for Advancing Disability Inclusion in Nursing Education: The Access in Nursing Program
This article highlights how the Access in Nursing (AIN) program—part of the Docs with Disabilities Initiative—models collaborative, justice-oriented approaches to transforming nursing education. Grounded in frameworks such as distributed leadership, communities of practice, asset-based leadership, and disability justice, the authors illustrate how AIN’s structure centers disabled expertise, flattens hierarchies, and fosters sustainable systems of equity. Examples from AIN’s interinstitutional research and education working groups demonstrate how collective action can strengthen belonging and create scalable pathways to inclusion across nursing education.
🔗 Read Article: HERE
A new article titled Access in Nursing Education: The Interactive Process for Determining Disability Accommodations
This article explores how nursing programs can better support disabled students by strengthening the accommodation process and fostering a culture of inclusion. The authors clarify the roles of Disability Resource Professionals, faculty, and students; outline the steps of a legally grounded interactive process; and address the persistent misconceptions that create barriers to access. By adopting inclusive teaching strategies, developing proactive policies, and recognizing disability as a valued dimension of diversity, nursing education can enhance both equity and workforce readiness.
🔗 Read Article: HERE
A new national study titled Discrimination Experiences Among Medical Students
This article was published this month, offering one of the most comprehensive examinations to date of how disability intersects with race, ethnicity, and sex in shaping learners’ experiences of discrimination. Analyzing data from more than 45,000 graduating medical students, the authors found that Asian, Black, and Hispanic female medical students with disabilities were significantly more likely to report general and race-based discrimination than their White male peers without disability. White and Asian female students with disabilities were also more likely to report gender-based discrimination. These findings underscore the need for medical education to address overlapping and compounding forms of discrimination to better support students with intersecting marginalized identities.
🔗 Read Article: HERE
New Publications and Resources from AIN Team Members
Congrats to all!
📄 Nursing Program Attributes Contributing to a Culture of Civility
This study examined nursing program attributes that contribute to a culture of workplace civility. 🔗 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39761184/
📄 Spoken word poetry in nursing education: A concept analysis
This article aims to standardize the conceptualization of ‘spoken word poetry’ within nursing contexts through defining attributes, antecedents, and consequences.. 🔗 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953625005027
📄 Ableism experienced by disabled undergraduate nursing students in the United States: A qualitative metasynthesis
This article aims to synthesize existing body of qualitative research on ableism experienced by disabled BSN students in the United States. 🔗 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471595325002367
📄 Good Disabled Company: A Disabled Student Perspective on Nursing School
In this commentary, a recently graduated nursing student with a disability reflects on experiences with ableism and disability empowerment in nursing education, as well as what can be done in the future to encourage the inclusion and integration of disabled nursing students.. 🔗 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10784535251379550
📄 Creating Influence Through Political Skill
This piece examines how political skill can support nursing educators and leaders in advancing change, improving collaboration, and strengthening influence within complex institutions. 🔗 https://journals.lww.com/jnsdonline/citation/9900/creating_influence__political_skill_through.149.aspx
A recorded webinar offering insight into disability inclusion, accommodations, and best practices for nursing and health professions educators. 🔗 https://www.sigmarepository.org/general_webinars/80/
📄 The relationship between faculty diversity and workplace civility in nursing education: A correlational analysis
The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between faculty diversity and workplace civility in nursing programs. 🔗 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38657338/
Podcast Updates
🎧 New Podcast Episode 118: Preparing to Thrive
In this episode, Drs. Zoie Sheets and Nalinda Charnsangavej discuss the key decision points that shape the UME-to-GME transition for learners with disabilities. Their conversation offers insight and strategies for advisors, DRPs, program directors, and students working to make this transition more inclusive.Listen to Episode 118.
🎧 New Podcast Episode 119: Disability in Undergraduate Medical Education
In this episode, Drs. Kirsten Brown, Dionna Bidny, and Abby Konopasky discuss their sweeping scoping review of disability in UME, drawing from more than 80 publications to trace how the field has evolved—and where critical gaps remain. Their conversation highlights why framing matters, where disabled voices have been missing, and how a more inclusive, equity-driven approach can reshape medical education.Listen to Episode 119.
🎧 New Podcast Episode 120: The Intersection of Disability, Race, Ethnicity, and Financial Background on Food Insecurity
In this episode, Bassel Shanab discusses his multi-institutional study on food insecurity among medical students and the ways disability, race, ethnicity, and financial background shape who is most affected. He shares the lived experiences behind the research, the hidden realities of hunger in medical education, and practical steps schools can take now—from screening and transparency to evidence-based supports. A powerful conversation for students, educators, DRPs, and institutional leaders committed to fostering learner well-being.Listen to Episode 120.
🎧 New Podcast Episode 121: Promoting Disability Inclusion Through an Expanded Learning Environment Framework
In this episode, Dr. Erick Hung shares how a single learner story at UCSF catalyzed a comprehensive rethinking of the medical education learning environment. Through six key domains—including a new societal layer—he and Dr. Lisa Meeks explore how institutions can move beyond compliance to create cultures of true inclusion. This conversation offers practical guidance for leaders and educators working to build equitable systems: strengthening peer networks, re-examining policies, and partnering with students in the co-creation of change.Listen to Episode 121.
🎧 New Podcast Episode 122: Clinical Accommodations in Undergraduate Medical Education
In this episode, Matt Sullivan and Suchita “Suchi” Rastogi discuss how a grassroots idea—sparked by student experiences and the need for clarity in clinical environments—grew into the first national, evidence-based guide for standardized clinical accommodation language. Their conversation with Dr. Lisa Meeks explores how consensus-building, transparent communication, and centering disabled voices can transform both policy and practice. A timely episode for DRPs, Student Affairs partners, and institutional leaders working to strengthen equity in clinical training.Listen to Episode 122.
🎧 New Podcast Episode 123: Evaluating Disability-Inclusive Content on U.S. Medical Schools' Websites
In this episode, Dr. Ifeoma Ikedionwu and Dominique Cook join Dr. Lisa Meeks to discuss the first national study examining how medical school websites communicate disability inclusion. Their conversation explores why public-facing messages matter, how visibility shapes belonging, and what institutions can learn from student-led research that merges advocacy and analysis. A timely episode for leaders, DRPs, admissions teams, and anyone committed to creating a more inclusive pathway into medicine.Listen to Episode 123.
🎧 New Podcast Episode 124: Mapping the Landscape of Technical Standards
In this episode, Drs. Carol Haywood and Chris Moreland join Dr. Lisa Meeks to discuss their national review of medical school technical standards and how these influential documents shape access, belonging, and opportunity in medical education. They unpack the consequences of ambiguous language, outdated assumptions, and unclear expectations—and offer a path toward standards that reflect competence, flexibility, and inclusion. A powerful episode for admissions leaders, faculty, and anyone working to align institutional values with practice.Listen to Episode 124.
DocsWithDisabilities Research and Resource Rounds
🎧 Research and Resource Rounds Episode 21: Policies Toward Disability Inclusivity in the Health Sciences
This episode explores Anti-Ableist Medical Education: Meeting the Challenges, a Hastings Center Issue Brief that candidly examines the barriers to implementing disability-specific education—and the practical solutions educators can put into action now. Featuring insights from a multidisciplinary team of scholars and clinicians, the conversation highlights training tools, evaluation strategies, and real-world examples that advance disability-inclusive teaching and learning. Listen to Episode 21.
💬 Keep the Momentum Going
Thanks to you, activity across the Docs With Disabilities Initiative keeps climbing—more visits, more downloads, more conversations. We love seeing this community grow.
Here are easy ways to stay connected and amplify the work:
Share this issue with a colleague or listserv.
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Thanks for championing accessibility and inclusion in health professions education.
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