Episode 111: ACGME/DWDI Disability Resource Hub Case Study: Physical Disability in a Neurology Residency

 

Interviewees: Tom Pisano, MD PhD and Laura Ashley Stein, MD, MS, Ed.

Interviewer: Lisa Meeks, PhD, MA

Description:

In Episode 111, Dr. Lisa Meeks talks with Dr. Tom Pisano (former Penn neurology resident; now neuro-hospital medicine and neuro-immunology fellow) and Dr. Laura Stein (Adult Neurology Program Director at Penn) about building an accessible neurology residency for a physician who uses a wheelchair—and how trust, planning, and culture made it work.

Together, they trace Tom’s match-day disclosure strategy and “find-your-people” approach, an accessibility walk-through with tape measures and ADA checks, and the practical creativity of equivalent rotations when sites differ in accessibility. They also unpack a real barrier—a security policy that blocked ED entry during stroke alerts—and how reframing access as patient safety moved the system.

Listeners will hear candid advice for residents (hold onto your “why,” communicate early, invite teaching adaptations) and for program directors (start with goals, not habits; assume success; apply the same creativity you offer patients to your trainees).

This episode accompanies a written case study and a Mini Grand Rounds conversation in Learn at ACGME. Part of the ACGME/DWDI Disability Resource Hub, supported by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Catalyst Award, it’s a practical guide for PDs, residents, and anyone committed to equitable clinical training.

 

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xB_Cp8EiekJ9ExUZLP61EvE-0y4HUv22LuRp0D6uNB0/edit?usp=sharing

Key words:

Medical education, physical disability, disability research, residency, accommodations, wheelchair, SCI, medical technology, residency, neurology, program director, GME, GME Policy

Bio:

Laura Stein

I have been involved in the Neurology Residency Program since 2018, and Director of the program since 2024. I teach residents on multiple inpatient services as well as in outpatient continuity clinic and stroke clinics. I also lead didactic sessions and workshops for resident onboarding and in our resident lecture series. I am particularly interested in expanding resident exposure to structured experiences in medical education and quality improvement and currently mentor multiple residents per year in medical education and quality improvement projects. In 2020, I was honored to receive the University of Pennsylvania Neurology Residents teaching award.

I received my masters in medical education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018. I have been a member of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Residency-In-Training Examination Committee since 2019. I have also been a member of the American Heart Association (AHA) Stroke Professional Education Committee since 2016 and currently serve as the Vice Chair of this committee.

Clinically, I function predominantly as a neurohospitalist and attend on the stroke inpatient and consult services, the neurology ward service, and the PPMC consult service. I am dedicated to ensuring delivery of high-quality neurologic care across our system and currently am the physician co-lead for our neurovascular disease team, which spans our six-hospital network, as well as our HUP inpatient neurology unit-based quality improvement team.

Tom Pisano

I enjoy weekend bike rides with my wife, followed by trying out a new restaurant. When traveling, if possible, I always try to get in some monoskiing or scuba diving. I would also consider myself a (very) mildly competitive board gamer.

I will be pursuing a combined neurohospitalist/neuroimmunology fellowship to develop expertise in myelopathies. My research includes brain-computer interfaces, especially of the spinal cord.

Producer:  Lisa Meeks

Follow Us:

• X: @DocsWith

• Instagram: @DocsWithDisabilities

• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/docs-with-disabilities-initiative

Resources: 

Disability Resource Hub: https://dl.acgme.org/pages/disability-resource-hub

Case Studies in Disability Resource Hub: https://dl.acgme.org/pages/disability-resource-hub#case_studies

UME to GME Toolkit: 

https://dl.acgme.org/pages/disability-resource-hub-transitions-toolkit-introduction

Policy Toolkit: https://dl.acgme.org/pages/disability-resource-hub-policy-toolkit

Disability in Graduate Medical Education Program: 

https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/digme

 

Link to Case Study: Coming Soon!