Program History
Origins
Disabled healthcare workers have the indispensable power to translate their lived experiences into truly compassionate, accommodating, high-quality healthcare (1-4). But people with disability are often discouraged from entering the health professions and struggle against numerous obstacles to their career advancement and professional success, even after graduation, often without adequate mentorship (5-9). As a result, only 9.5% of all healthcare providers (10) and only 3.1% of physicians in the United States (11) are disabled, compared to 28.7% of adults in general (12). In late 2020, three organizations decided that they wanted more for disabled clinicians and trainees. The Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion and Equity (SMADIE), the Society of Physicians with Disabilities (SPD), and Medical Students with Disability and Chronic Illness (MSDCI) collaborated to pilot a virtual mentoring program for disabled MD/DO track trainees and physicians. This program created a virtual space where disabled trainees and clinicians could network, learn self-advocacy skills, and seek advice from disabled peers and role models in real time through live Zoom meetings. Based on lessons learned during the pilot phase, SMADIE partnered with SPD and MSDCI to launch the Disability in Medicine Mutual Mentorship Program (DM3P) in March of 2022.
Evolution
For the next two years, DM3P operated as a subsidiary of SMADIE and continued to offer live Zoom meetings for group discussion and networking. DM3P also diversified its offerings at the request of its members. New program elements included an ongoing educational guest lecture series, presentations by DM3P community members, online community forums for asynchronous mentorship, public comment letters, and more. DM3P also continued to nurture a vibrant, diverse community of prospective, student, and licensed clinicians with disability. Eventually, they took ownership of their community in significant ways, including stepping into leadership roles within DM3P’s organizational structure and creating platforms for anti-ableist advocacy. DM3P’s membership thus forged a strong, distinct voice that reached far beyond Stanford. The community expanded to include members from all health professions, all stages of training, and several countries outside the United States. In recognition of its expanding operations and continually growing community, DM3P became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in December 2024.
Today
As an independent 501(c)(3) organization, DM3P continues to maintain a close relationship with SMADIE and MSDCI. DM3P events continue to be sponsored and co-hosted by SMADIE, and DM3P serves as a fellowship and mentorship hub for members of SMADIE seeking specific guidance. DM3P also collaborates often with MSDCI on projects that push the needle towards disability inclusion in healthcare on a national scale.
Timeline
Pilot Program Launches
LinkedIn Group Forms
Stanford TMA Awards Funding
DM3P Launches
Member Lecture Series Launches
Executive Team Forms, Discord Group Forms
Stanford EdTech Awards Funding
Curation Team Forms, Website Launches
Email Launches
Internal Communications Team Forms
Grants and Fundraising Team Forms
Webmaster Team Forms
Public Comment Letters Published
DM3P Stars on Podcast
National Presentations
DM3P Incorporates
DM3P Becomes a Nonprofit
Social Media Team Forms, NBME Awards Funding
Origins
Today
Evolution
Origins
Disabled healthcare workers have the indispensable power to translate their lived experiences into truly compassionate, accommodating, high-quality healthcare (1-4). But people with disability are often discouraged from entering the health professions and struggle against numerous obstacles to their career advancement and professional success, even after graduation, often without adequate mentorship (5-9). As a result, only 9.5% of all healthcare providers (10) and only 3.1% of physicians in the United States (11) are disabled, compared to 28.7% of adults in general (12).
In late 2020, three organizations decided that they wanted more for disabled clinicians and trainees. The Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion and Equity (SMADIE), the Society of Physicians with Disabilities (SPD), and Medical Students with Disability and Chronic Illness (MSDCI) collaborated to pilot a virtual mentoring program for disabled MD/DO track trainees and physicians. This program created a virtual space where disabled trainees and clinicians could network, learn self-advocacy skills, and seek advice from disabled peers and role models in real time through live Zoom meetings.
Based on lessons learned during the pilot phase, SMADIE partnered with SPD and MSDCI to launch the Disability in Medicine Mutual Mentorship Program (DM3P) in March of 2022.
Evolution
For the next two years, DM3P operated as a subsidiary of SMADIE and continued to offer live Zoom meetings for group discussion and networking. DM3P also diversified its offerings at the request of its members. New program elements included an ongoing educational guest lecture series, presentations by DM3P community members, online community forums for asynchronous mentorship, public comment letters, and more.
DM3P also continued to nurture a vibrant, diverse community of prospective, student, and licensed clinicians with disability. Eventually, they took ownership of their community in significant ways, including stepping into leadership roles within DM3P’s organizational structure and creating platforms for anti-ableist advocacy. DM3P’s membership thus forged a strong, distinct voice that reached far beyond Stanford. The community expanded to include members from all health professions, all stages of training, and several countries outside the United States.
In recognition of its expanding operations and continually growing community, DM3P became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in December 2024.
Today
As an independent 501(c)(3) organization, DM3P continues to maintain a close relationship with SMADIE and MSDCI. DM3P events continue to be sponsored and co-hosted by SMADIE, and DM3P serves as a fellowship and mentorship hub for members of SMADIE seeking specific guidance. DM3P also collaborates often with MSDCI on projects that push the needle towards disability inclusion in healthcare on a national scale.
Citations
- Disability impacts all of us infographic. CDC Disability and Health. Published July 15, 2024. Accessed February 25, 2025.
- Iezzoni LI. Why Increasing Numbers of Physicians with Disability Could Improve Care for Patients with Disability. AMA J Ethics. 2016; 18(10):1041-1049. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.10.msoc2-1610
- Kakara M, Venkataramani AS. Earnings of US Physicians With and Without Disabilities. JAMA Health Forum. 2023;4(12):e233954. Published 2023 Dec 1. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.3954
- Khullar D. Doctors with disabilities: Why they’re important. The New York Times. July 11, 2017.
- Meeks LM, Jain NR. Accessibility, Inclusion, and Action in Medical Education: Lived Experiences of Learners and Physicians with Disabilities. American Association of Medical Colleges. 1-94. Published March 2018. Accessed February 25, 2025.
- Meeks LM, Poullos P, Swenor BK. Creative Approaches to the Inclusion of Medical Students With Disabilities. AEM Educ Train. 2019;4(3):292-297. Published 2019 Dec 24. doi:10.1002/aet2.10425
- Nouri Z, Dill MJ, Conrad SS, Moreland CJ, Meeks LM. Estimated Prevalence of US Physicians With Disabilities [published correction appears in JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Apr 1;4(4):e2110025. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.10025.] [published correction appears in JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Aug 1;5(8):e2232194. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.32194.]. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(3):e211254. Published 2021 Mar 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.1254
- Petersen K, Sheets Z, Singh S, Jawadi Z, Meeks LM. Inclusive Medicine and Medical Education: Increasing the Number of Clinicians With Disabilities. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health. 2022. Published 2022 Feb 24.
- Rastogi S. Establishing Equity in Medical Education – Supporting Clinical Trainees with Disabilities. N Engl J Med. 2021;384(10):885-887. doi:10.1056/NEJMp2035279
- Robeznieks A. Physicians with disability bring diversity, valuable perspective. AMA. July 6, 2023. Accessed February 25, 2025.
- Shockey TM, Fox K, Zhao G, Hollis N. Prevalence of Disability by Occupation Group – United States, 2016-2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Published May 19, 2023. 540-546. 72(20). Accessed February 25, 2025.
- Smith TS. 5 barriers faced by medical students, residents with disabilities. AMA. June 17, 2022. Accessed February 25, 2025.