Episode 118: Preparing to Thrive: Supporting Learners with Disabilities Through the Undergraduate-to-Graduate Medical Education Transition

Interviewees:

Dr. Zoie Sheets, Resident Physician in the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Chicago; and

Dr. Nalinda Charnsangavej, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Residency Program Director at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin.

Interviewer:

Lisa Meeks, PhD, MA, Guest Editor, Academic Medicine Supplement on Disability Inclusion in UME.

Description:

Preparing to Thrive: Supporting Learners with Disabilities Through the Undergraduate-to-Graduate Medical Education Transition

This episode of Stories Behind the Science brings you an intimate conversation with Dr. Zoie Sheets (University of Chicago) and Dr. Nalinda Charnsangavej (Dell Medical School, UT Austin), co-authors of Preparing to Thrive, part of the Academic Medicine supplement on Disability Inclusion in Undergraduate Medical Education.

We go beyond the article to uncover the motivations, lived experiences, and research that shaped their scholarship. Together, we explore four critical decision points that can shape the trajectory of disabled medical students as they move from UME to GME:

• Disclosure decisions

• Specialty selection

• Program selection

• Requesting and utilizing accommodations in residency

Zoie and Nalinda share how research, mentorship, and community informed their work, and why bridging this "black box" transition period is essential for cultivating a more inclusive profession. Whether you're a program director, DRP, advisor, or student, this episode offers insights and concrete strategies to ensure learners are not just surviving this pivotal transition—but thriving.

Resources and links to the open-access article, Disability Resource Hub, and related tools are in the show notes.

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h4bh81klK-mfP3grm5LNzmYp-czCEP_haP704aJBekk/edit?usp=sharing

Bios:

Nalinda Charnsangavej, MD is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin where she serves as the pediatric residency program director. She serves as Co-Chair of the Disability in Graduate Medical Education group as part of the Docs with Disabilities Initiative and Co-Chair of the UME to GME Transitions Committee for the Disability Resource Hub -- the result of a collaboration between the ACGME and DWDI. As a program director, she is interested in fostering a healthy and supportive learning environment that promotes physician well-being and resilience. Her current work focuses on the transition from medical school to residency training and how to support learners with disabilities during this critical transition period. Outside of medical education, she enjoys spending time with her family, teaching her children how to cook, and attending Texas Longhorn sporting events.

Zoie C. Sheets, MD, MPH is a resident physician in internal medicine and pediatrics (Med/Peds) at the University of Chicago. She is also a leader within the Docs with Disabilities Initiative, serving as Co-Chair of the Disability in Graduate Medical Education group and Co-Chair of the UME to GME Transitions Committee for the creation of a Disability Resource Hub — a collaboration between ACGME and DWDI. She believes deeply that increasing the number of disabled clinicians can transform medical education and practice, for providers and patients alike. Her current research focus centers on how graduate medical education can best support learners with disabilities, particularly during the challenging transition out of UME. In her free time, Zoie loves to read, re-watch too many medical dramas, and play with her two cats!

Key Words:

Disability inclusion

Medical education

Undergraduate medical education (UME)

Graduate medical education (GME)

UME–GME transition

Disabled medical students

Residency accommodations

Program director support

Disability Resource Professionals (DRPs)

Academic Medicine

Resources:

Article from Today's Talk

Sheets, Zoie C. MD, MPH; Fausone, Maureen MD, MA; Messman, Anne MD, MHPE; Ortega, Pilar MD, MGM; Ramsay, Jessica MD; Creasman, Megan MD, MA; Charnsangavej, Nalinda MD. Preparing to Thrive: Supporting Learners With Disabilities Through the Undergraduate-to-Graduate Medical Education Transition. Academic Medicine 100(10S):p S161-S165, October 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000006136

The Disability Resource Hub from ACGME and DocsWithDisabilities

https://bit.ly/DisabilityResourceHUB_GME

The Docs With Disabilities Podcast

https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/docswithpodcast

Docs With Disabilities You Tube, Disability in Graduate Medical Education Videos

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc4XEizXENYw58ptzAgfxBA4q3uLRcmx6

Docs With Disabilities Disability in Graduate Medical Education Working Group

https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/digme