Equal Access in Science & Medicine
The Equal Access in Science and Medicine committee is the student-led organization for trainees with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and mental health conditions at the Johns Hopkins University East Baltimore campus.
About Us
Founding Principles
1. People with disabilities are a valuable component of a diverse workforce but are underrepresented in medicine and biomedical sciences.
2. People with disabilities in science and medicine face social and institutional barriers to success related to the structure, culture, and climate of training programs. Barriers to access may be based on stereotypes, generalizations, or outdated information.
3. In a high-stakes, competitive environment, trainees with disabilities may fear disclosure because of real or imagined concerns about judgment, bias, licensing, clinical privileges, and skewed perception of ability.
The Equal Access in Science and Medicine committee aims to address these issues by creating a sense of community among students with disabilities, providing resources and educational materials for supporting students with disabilities in clinical and lab environments, and advocating for policies that benefit students with disabilities.
Three Tenets
Education
Providing resources for students with disabilities and educating the broader Johns Hopkins community about the value of including the perspectives of individuals with disabilities.
Community
Creating spaces for trainees in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and School of Public Health to share experiences related to disability and organizing mentorship opportunities for trainees with disabilities.
Advocacy
Identifying unmet needs among students with disabilities and advocating for policies that support current and future students with disabilities.
Focus on Education
Lecture Series
The Equal Access in Science and Medicine lecture series is a new event series featuring the perspectives of scientists and clinicians with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and mental health conditions.
The series aims to provide role models to trainees with these conditions and to highlight barriers to access in science and medicine.
Dr. Kay Jamison delivered the inaugural Equal Access in Science and Medicine lecture in February, 2020
New and Noteworthy
Disability, Science, & Medicine News
Expanding Accessibility in Neuroscience Through Speech-to-Text Technologies
Dr. Tilak Ratnanather, associate research professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, discusses how speech-to-text technology benefits people with hearing loss in this Society for Neuroscience article.
Disability Health Research Center Webinar: COVID-19 and Disability
The Johns Hopkins University Disability Health Research Center discusses how COVID-19 has affected people with disabilities.
Growing Pains
Medical student Maïté Van Hentenryck discusses her experiences as a disabled medical student in this JAMA opinion.
Get Involved
Want to find out more about the Equal Access in Science and Medicine committee? Have ideas for how we can improve? Contact us by email or join our Listserv for updates.
