Promoting Awareness, Diversity, & Inclusivity: Accessibility in Medical Education

2021 Pamela J. Mackintosh Undergraduate Research Awards, Single-term, 3nd PlaceThis project explores both previous and current limitations of medical education accessibility and their consequential impacts on the growth of medical diversity, innovation, and understanding. The high cost of applications, travel, and tuition associated with medical school limit the number and range of candidates that can truly pursue higher education, and both the cost and time associated with traveling for interviews further limit candidates in their pursuit of a medical career; these issues could be addressed by making cost-effective use of online tools and communicative platforms, many of which have been used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.Societal standards also play an important role here, as disabled individuals are often seen as less-than and are thus more discouraged and even less trusted in high-power positions; although this is a multi-faceted issue, raising community awareness and initiating open conversations about the stigma and falsities around the disabled community is an important first step towards creating amore open and inclusive medical field. Furthermore, there are several outdated principles outlined by medical schools themselves that prevent some disabled individuals from pursuing a medical career such as physical and psychological requirements that are either vaguely outlined or that could be resolved through the use of new technological advancements and understandings. Finally, it is essential that medical schools refine their current systems and policies with inclusivity at the forefront, which includes considering disabled individuals and their needs as a priority rather than as an afterthought.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/168404/1/Medical_Education_Accessibility_2.pdfDescription of Medical_Education_Accessibility_2.pdf : ProjectSEL