Carole Schwartz M.S., Gerontology, OTRis President of the Alliance for Disability in Health Care Education. Schwartz wasADHCE.org'sVice President from 2022 - July/2024 & Board Member (since 2021).
Schwartz currently contributes to a variety of professional healthcare education, advocacy and quality improvement projects. Schwartz continues to coauthor publications related to disability and healthcare inequity for persons with disabilities; as well as topics related to healthcare quality measures. Topics include improving inequitable disability health care e.g. enabling interventions that consider environmental factors to maximize physical and cognitive function; assessments and interventions enhanced by patient directed/informed care. Schwartz is particularly interested in topics related to disability health care curriculum equity for persons with all cause impairments of cognition and communication. The gaps in clinicians’ curriculum regarding assessment and care planning for this population was exemplified and personal when caring for her late non-speaking/non-signing stepdaughter with profound disabilities.
Schwartz's over 30 years of combined experience as a professional clinical occupational therapist (acute and post-acute care rehabilitation settings) and work in research and development of quality health care measures, State policy work with Aging populations (with and without disabilities), disability healthcare advocacy organizations and as a university healthcare professional educator. Carole Schwartz's Career and Publication details can be found by clicking on the following links at LinkedIn and ResearchGate
Dr. Rebecca Weston, EDD, MSN, RN, CNE is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on Maternal, Child, and Family Education, and a Doctor of Education in Developmental Education specializing in Curriculum and Instruction Design. She is a Certified Nurse Educator and on the Alliance for Disability in Healthcare Education Board of Trustees. She was the recipient of the 2016 Northwestern State University's Nurse Educator of the Year award, the 2016 Shreveport District Nurses Association Nurse of the Year award, and the 2022 University of Maryland School of Nursing’s Excellence in Teaching award for undergraduate nursing.
Dr. Weston's unique teaching strategies for adult learners include seamlessly integrating advanced technology throughout her courses and teaching nursing students using real-world strategies, games, technology and humor, both synchronously and asynchronously. Dr. Weston has presented at conferences throughout the United States speaking on topics related to increasing student engagement, effectively utilizing technology in the nursing classroom, interprofessional collaboration, and improving disability care and advocacy among healthcare students.
Ellen BannisterMA, is the mother of two sons with developmental disabilities. She is Academic Programs Coordinator of the Center for Learning and Leadership/ Oklahoma’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC). Her formal training was in the humanities, but her life experience of caring for children with developmental disabilities has inspired her current work: improving access to high-quality health care for people with developmental disabilities.
Ellen acts as liaison for the UCEDD’s academic partners and coordinates the Oklahoma UCEDD/LEND Consumer Advisory Committee. She is a member of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences (OUHS) Interprofessional Educators and Practitioners Association (IEPA). Ellen coordinates the SAME/FAME (Self-Advocates/Family Advocates as Medical Educators) simulation training for interdisciplinary health profession learners at the OUHS.
Andrew Symons, M.D. is President of the NYS Academy of Family Physicians. He states "I am a family physician at UBMD Family Medicine where I provide comprehensive care for children and adults. Health maintenance is a cornerstone of my practice, at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, together with a team of resident physicians, I care for adult patients who require hospitalization. I maintain excellent relationships with subspecialists and can coordinate consultation with them when my patients need specialized care.
My research is focused on medical education, particularly as it relates to determinants of student choice to pursue careers in primary care. I also supervise residents at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. Teaching students and residents keeps me sharp. I serve as the vice chair for medical student education in the Department of Family Medicine and have a special interest in teaching students about the central role of family medicine in providing high quality, cost-effective health care. I direct the first-year clinical skills course in the medical school and routinely lecture in that course on the fundamentals of performing a patient interview and physical exam. I developed and implemented a curriculum to teach students to care for patients with disabilities. In addition, medical students participating in their family medicine clerkship and clinical skills course accompany me as I see patients, to deepen their understanding of patient care.
The Alliance for Disability in Health Care Education, Inc. (ADHCE), is a “501 (c) (3) Public Charity” organization of healthcare educators and professionals who are working to integrate disability-related content and experiences into healthcare education and training programs.
ANDREW SYMONS, MD