Monthly Webinars
AIR-P Presents: IDD Curricula in the Health Professions: Current State and Future Directions
Presented By:
Dr. Priya Chandan, MD, PhD (above) and Dr. Kashia Rosenau, PhD (below)
Webinar Description:
While most medical students report that they want to learn more about seeing patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and feel underprepared to serve these patients when they graduate from their programs, the actual amount and quality of IDD-focused curricular content in medical and dental school curricula greatly varies between institutions. This webinar will present data from a recent WITH-funded research project examining the development of inclusive IDD curricula at medical and dental schools, and will also introduce an AADMD initiative, NICHE medical, that coordinates and supports medical schools who are working to develop innovative, community-engaged IDD curricula.
Topics will include:
- Our survey and focus groups found that self-advocates are highly involved in IDD curriculum development, but much more in curriculum delivery than in planning, design, or evaluation
- Most of the increased interest in IDD curricula over time is perceived to be driven by students, and the least by administrators
- NICHE: Successful IDD curriculum implementation at 29 medical schools (so far!)
- Upcoming RFP opportunities
Presenter Information:
Dr. Priya Chandan is a physician-scientist who engages in health services research to improve the quality of medical care for people with disabilities. She has been involved in health policy and advocacy efforts for over 15 years, and has served in leadership positions in both academia and industry at national, state, and local levels. She is currently a clinical associate professor at the University Louisville School of Medicine and is passionate about medical education. She serves as a mentor and a teacher to medical students and medical residents nationwide, across multiple medical specialties. For the last eight years, she has served as Project Director of an initiative that has activated 29 medical schools to create and implement community-engaged medical education efforts that are co-created with disabled self-advocates. Dr. Chandan serves as a senior editor for PM&R, the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and has expertise in mixed methods, econometrics, and community-engaged research methods.
Dr. Kashia Rosenau is a developmental psychologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at UCLA. She is also the Training Director for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (UC-LEND) program and the Clinical Director of the UC-LEND Clinic. Her work focuses on cognitive behavioral therapy for gender diverse neurodivergent adults and increasing access to knowledgeable providers. Dr. Rosenau is collaborating with an interdisciplinary team to improve primary care for autistic individuals and is actively working to improve inclusive disability curriculum in medical and dental schools.
View our most recent webinar below!
Webinar Title: Health of Autistic People During the COVID-19 Pandemic: National Autism Indicators Report Findings
Presented on September 19, 2023 by Kaitlin Koffer Miller, DrPH and Jessica Rast, PhD
Kaitlin Koffer Miller is the Regional Director of the Autism Services, Education, Resources, & Training Collaborative (ASERT) Eastern Region and the co-director of the Policy Impact Project at the Policy & Analytics Center (PAC) ad the AJ Drexel Autism Institute. Dr. Koffer Miller’s work focuses on policy research as well as qualitative data analyses. Dr. Koffer Miller holds both master’s degree and a doctorate of public health from the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University.
Jessica Rast is a research scientist at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute of Drexel University. She works in the Policy and Analytics Center examining questions about the lives, experiences, and services of autistic people. In her role, she catalogues and analyzes existing national data sources to present a national picture of experiences across life domains and the life span. Rooted in a life course approach to study, much of her work focuses on transition periods. She is particularly interested in health, health care, and models of health service provision.
Topics included:
- How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the accessibility of services and community engagement for autistic people, leading to significant implications for their overall quality of life.
- The long-term consequences of disruptions in accessing services during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the potential dire outcomes for autistic individuals.
- The findings of the report, which includes an examination of the impact of COVID-19 on health and healthcare among autistic children and adults, insurance coverage disparities by race and ethnicity, and changes in service utilization during the pandemic.
- Address how documenting disruptions in accessing services during the pandemic can inform evidence-based practices and guide policy improvements to better support autistic individuals during future public health emergencies.
Find our archived recordings here!