Diversity Education Series

June 24, 2004

The Diversity Education Series returned on Thursday, June 24, 2004, with a presentation about persons with disabilities. Mr. Mike Hudson, director of the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, presented,"Beyond Disability: Optimizing the Physician/Client Experience."

Mr. Hudson, who is himself legally blind, discussed some of the issues that arise for doctors who have patients with disabilities. He addressed common misperceptions and strategies for communicating with patients in respectful manner.

Mr. Hudson was joined by other staff members of the Resource Center; Marta Belsky, a specialist for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and Sathya Gopalakrishnan, a graduate student in agricultural economics. Both discussed their own personal experiences with disabilities and offered the medical students advice about working with patients who have disabilities.

This Diversity Education Series is a project which brings noted speakers to the college to discuss race, gender, religion and other cultural issues. The selection of speakers and topics is based on surveys of MSUCOM students, that have determined the areas of greatest interest to them as they prepare for careers in medicine.