Many leaders in medical education have called for the inclusion of students with disabilities. Yet, a small number of review articles have been written summarizing the key literature addressing this topic. This review focuses on literature published between 2000 and 2021 that discusses medical education disability-specific barriers, student disability prevalence, and available institutional disability resources. Barriers include lack of procedure for students with disabilities to access services, delays in education to address disability needs, identified institutional disability resource professional (DRP), structural and physical barriers, outdated policies, and lack of understanding of accommodations needed in all educational settings, especially clinical. Medical school stakeholders must clearly understand the published literature on this topic to promote the full inclusion of students with disabilities.

Laminin-α2 related congenital muscular dystrophy (LAMA2-CMD) is a fatal muscle disease caused by mutations in the LAMA2 gene. Laminin-α2 is critical for the formation of laminin-211 and -221 heterotrimers in the muscle basal lamina. LAMA2-CMD patients exhibit hypotonia from birth and progressive muscle loss that results in developmental delay, confinement to a wheelchair, respiratory insufficiency and premature death. There is currently no cure or effective treatment for LAMA2-CMD. Several studies have shown laminin-111 can serve as an effective protein-replacement therapy for LAMA2-CMD. Studies have demonstrated early treatment with laminin-111 protein results in an increase in life expectancy and improvements in muscle pathology and function. Since LAMA2-CMD patients are often diagnosed after advanced disease, it is unclear if laminin-111 protein therapy at an advanced stage of the disease can have beneficial outcomes. In this study, we tested the efficacy of laminin-111 protein therapy after disease onset in a mouse model of LAMA2-CMD. Our results showed laminin-111 treatment after muscle disease onset increased life expectancy, promoted muscle growth and increased muscle stiffness. Together these studies indicate laminin-111 protein therapy either early or late in the disease process could serve as an effective protein replacement therapy for LAMA2-CMD.

Highlights Medical students teach effective school-based intervention classes. Program increases likelihood of discussing sensitive topics with providers. Substance abuse classes had the largest mean % increase in student response. Personal relationships as well as exercise classes improved student response. Stress reduction classes had the least impact on high school students.

Background The transition to medical school marks a very stressful time for matriculating students. Despite this challenging transition period, intellectually rigorous pre-matriculation programs are not a common component of the curriculum at many medical schools across the country. Students are often not given the opportunity to learn about the high expectations of medical school before being thrown into classes. Thus, more time and attention should be devoted to curricular interventions that target this critical window in medical education. Methods MedFIT is a robust, 1.5-week orientation program that introduces matriculating students to the rigors of medical school in a low-stakes environment. This program provides students with a preview of the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) curriculum through hands-on learning sessions in addition to exposing them to extracurricular opportunities and research initiatives. Furthermore, MedFIT connects incoming students with second-year mentors, laying the foundation for longitudinal peer mentorship. Findings Qualitative survey feedback from each subsequent class has been increasingly positive, demonstrating MedFIT’s effectiveness in improving students’ academic and interprofessional transitions into medical school. Despite the program's hybrid format in 2020 due to COVID-19, overall ratings were as positive as the previous year. Additionally, students had decreased rates of remediation, repeated years, and withdrawal, and had better Match outcomes when compared to students who participated in UNR Med’s previous orientation program. Discussion and conclusions MedFIT remains a well-received, adaptable entity that is continuously modified every year to best supplement student needs and mirror the pre-clinical curricular landscape present at that time. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44217-022-00012-z.

Many leaders in medical education have called for the inclusion of students with disabilities. Yet, a small number of review articles have been written summarizing the key literature addressing this topic. This review focuses on literature published between 2000-2021 that discusses medical education disability-specific barriers, student disability prevalence, and available institutional disability resources. Barriers include lack of procedure for students with disabilities to access services, delays in education to address disability needs, identified institutional disability resource professional (DRP), structural and physical barriers, outdated policies, and lack of understanding of accommodations needed in all educational settings, especially clinical. Medical school stakeholders must clearly understand the published literature on this topic to promote the full inclusion of students with disabilities.