Episode 108: ICAM Panel – Facing Ableism: What’s Our Role in Building Inclusion

Interviewer: Dr. Lisa Meeks

Interviewees: 

·       Abbey MacLellan

·       Zachary Ford

·       Marihan Farid

·       RJ Roggeveen

·       Michael Quon

·       Lynn Ashdown

Description:

Episode 108: ICAM Panel – Facing Ableism: What’s Our Role in Building Inclusion
🎙️ Live from the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM)

Ableism in medicine isn’t always loud—but it’s everywhere. In this special live episode, host Dr. Lisa Meeks moderates a powerful conversation with residents, clinicians, and advocates who challenge the structures and assumptions that exclude disabled people from medicine.

Recorded at ICAM in Halifax, this panel features the brilliant minds behind the award-winning book Am I Ableist?—Drs. Abbey MacLellan, Marihan Farid, and Zachary Ford—alongside dynamic advocates and clinicians RJ Roggeveen, Dr. Lynn Ashdown, and Dr. Michael Quon. Together, they unpack how ableism—both overt and subtle—shows up in admissions, clinical training, patient care, and everyday interactions.

Through stories, reflections, and real-time audience engagement, the panel explores:

·       How internalized and structural ableism shape perceptions and policies

·       The dangers of diagnostic overshadowing and inaccessible care

·       What it means to call in, not call out, and to reflect on your own biases

·       Concrete examples of advocacy, inclusive design, and collective action

·       Why disability pride, not just accommodation, should be the goal

This conversation is essential for anyone training, teaching, or working in healthcare. It’s not just about awareness—it’s about action.

🎧 Tune in, reflect honestly, and join us in reimagining a future where all bodies and minds belong in medicine.

Transcript available here: Transcript

Bio's: 

🔑 Keywords

• Ableism in Medicine
• Disability Inclusion
• Structural Ableism
• Medical Education
• Disabled Physicians
• Disability Pride
• Health Equity
• Inclusive Curriculum
• Docs With Disabilities
• Accessible Healthcare
• Lived Experience
• Clinical Accommodations
• Diagnostic Overshadowing
• Internalized Ableism
• Anti-Ableism
• Intersectionality in Healthcare
• Patient Experience
• Medical Trainees with Disabilities
• Healthcare Advocacy
• Medical Humanities
• Physician Wellness
• Disability Advocacy
• Accessibility in Medical Training
• Inclusive Clinical Teaching
• Health Professions Education

Produced by: Dr. Lisa Meeks 

Digital Media: Lisa Meeks 

Resources:

📚 Featured Book

• Am I Ableist? – Award-winning educational resource on recognizing and challenging ableism in medical education
  🔗 https://sites.google.com/view/amiableist/home

📝 Academic Articles

Structural Change & Physician Inclusion

• Munro C, Knoll G, Gartke K, Hind K, Quon M. Implementation of a Policy for Accommodations for Physicians With Disabilities.
  Acad Med. 2025;100(7):781–785.
  🔗 Read Article
• Quon M. Addressing Ableism in Physician Well-Being Planning.
  JAMA. 2024;332(4):275–276.
  🔗 Read Article

Ableism in Medical Education

• Jain NR. The capability imperative: Theorizing ableism in medical education.
  Soc Sci Med. 2022;315:115549.
  🔗 Read Abstract
• Jain NR. (Un)learning ableism to advance justice in medical education.
  Clin Teach. 2023;20(S1):e13656.
  🔗 Read Article
• Brown MEL, Finn GM. Characterizing ableism to promote inclusivity within clinical teaching.
  Clin Teach. 2024;21(5):e13785.
  🔗 Read Article

Policy & Licensure

• Stergiopoulos E, Martimianakis MAT, Zaheer J. Questioning physicians about health conditions at medical licensure registration: How should policy evolve in Canada?
  CMAJ. 2023;195(20):E710–E716.
  🔗 Read Article

 

• Stergiopoulos E, Fernando O, Martimianakis MA. “Being on Both Sides”: Canadian Medical Students’ Experiences With Disability, the Hidden Curriculum, and Professional Identity Construction.
  Acad Med. 2018;93(10):1550–1559.
  🔗 Read Article

 

🎧 DocsWithDisabilities Podcast Episodes

• Episode 54 – Dr. Lynn Ashdown
  🔗 Listen
• Episode 55 – Dr. Michael Quon
  🔗 Listen

 

🧰 Professional & Policy Resources

• OMA Resource: Workplace accommodations for doctors with disability and chronic illness
  🔗 View Resource
• Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities (CAPD)
  🔗 www.capd.ca
• Physician Health Inclusion Community of Practice
  🔗 Join Community

📦 Shared Resource Drive

• Resource folder from the ICAM panel (includes slides, articles, and more)
  🔗 bit.ly/FacingAbelism

📱 Social Media and More

• RJ Roggeveen on Instagram:
  🔗 @RJ_adapted
• Docs With Disabilities Initiative (DWDI)
  🌐 Website
  📸 Instagram: @docswithdisabilities
  🐦 Twitter (X): @DocsWith
  📺 YouTube: @docswithdisabilitiesinitiative