Why Disability Must Be Included in Medical School Diversification Efforts

Nicole D Agaronnik; Shahin A Saberi; Michael Ashley Stein; Dorothy W Tolchin

doi:10.1001/amajethics.2021.981

Why Disability Must Be Included in Medical School Diversification Efforts

AMA J Ethics. 2021 Dec 1;23(12):E981-986. doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2021.981.

Authors

Nicole D Agaronnik¹, Shahin A Saberi¹, Michael Ashley Stein², Dorothy W Tolchin³

Affiliations

¹ First-year medical student at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.
² Executive director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability and visiting professor at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
³ Instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation, part-time, and director of medical student education in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

PMID: 35072615
DOI: 10.1001/amajethics.2021.981

Abstract

Individuals living with disabilities are underrepresented in the physician workforce, despite benefits of inclusion. This article describes how both ableism in admissions processes and expectations set by technical standards can perpetuate harm. The authors advocate for active attention to disability diversity and equity in medical school admissions.

MeSH terms

Disabled Persons*
Humans
Physicians*
Schools, Medical
Social Discrimination