Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship

Last week, the Association of American Medical Collegeshosted Learn Serve Lead: The AAMC Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. More than 4,500 members of the academic medicine community came together to hear from leading experts, turn ideas into action, discuss the latest pressing issues and network with colleagues who share their mission and work to shape the education of tomorrow’s doctors.

A team of researchers of faculty and learners comprised from Central Michigan University, Michigan State University and the University of Colorado, led by Neli Ragina, PhD, a Principal Investigator on the study, were one of only 10 groups nationwide selected to present their medical education research in the category of Medical Education Innovations and DEI. The study, entitled An Interprofessional Innovative Approach to Improving Healthcare for People with Disabilities:  The Healthcare Education Engaging Disability Studies (HEEDS) Program, is an innovative approach to a curriculum intervention with the goal of improving skills, attitudes and beliefs of health care professionals towards people living with disabilities by providing early exposure for students. Methods included a year-long community service project with disability community organizations, five seminars focused on disabilities and medicine and standardized patient encounters portraying disability cases. The study found that students had significantly improved attitudes and beliefs regarding patients with disabilities and significantly improved communication skills after completing the HEEDS program. The findings indicate that incorporating the HEEDS program into the curriculum helps shape the character of future health care professionals and instill values of empathy, inclusivity and innovation that will resonate throughout their careers.

In addition, Ragina and her team have published a chapter 23 entitled “Collaborating with People with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism in Healthcare Education” in the book Intellectual Disabilities and Autism: Ethics and Practice by Spinger Nature Publishing group.

This book is a crucial resource for academic medicine and health care professionals, as it addresses the ethical complexities and practical challenges of providing care to individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism. It provides a roadmap for more inclusive and compassionate care practices and fosters a deeper understanding of the special needs of individuals with ID and autism, while equipping health care professionals with the tools to improve patient outcomes.