Stanford Conference on Disability in Healthcare and Medicine | MSDCI and SMADIE
Stanford Conference on Disability in Healthcare and Medicine | MSDCI and SMADIE
Photo credit: Rick Giudotti
Acting Assistant Professor
University of Washington / Seattle Children’s Research Institute
Ram is an Acting Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Cellular Therapies at the University of Washington and a Principal Investigator in the Ben Towne Center at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute. His mission is to advance diversity and wellbeing in medicine and science and is a fierce advocate for all.
Medical Student
Rush Medical College, MSDCI National Director of Community, LMSA National Director of Publications
Dahlia Chavez is a medical student and serves as Co-Director of Community for Medical Students with Disabilities & Chronic Illnesses (MSDCI). In this role, she co-leads national peer-support programming (e.g., Rest Rounds, MSDCI Body Doubling). She works to foster connection and resource-sharing among disabled and chronically ill trainees across institutions. As a Latina, first-generation student living with disability and chronic illness, Dahlia brings both lived experience and leadership in inclusive medical education, mentorship models, and advocacy. Her work emphasizes bridging narratives with data to advocate for structural reform in medical training and expanding the scope of DEI in medicine.
Medical Student
California University of Science and Medicine
Jacob Nguyen is an MD candidate at the California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM) and a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a minor in Biomedical Research. At CUSM, he serves as the President of Best Buddies, a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He also contributes to disability advocacy within the medical school community as a student mentor for the Learning Environment, Equity, and Disabilities Services department. In addition, Jacob serves as Co-President of Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) at CUSM, as he is passionate about bridging cultural gaps in health equity and promoting awareness of disability and health disparities affecting Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Through his research efforts, he seeks to highlight inequities, inform clinical practice, and advance accessibility and inclusion for both patients and healthcare providers with disabilities.
Medical Student
Harvard Medical School
Henrike “Kiki” Schmalfuss is a third-year medical student at Harvard Medical School. She currently serves as a co-leader of HMS Student Alliance for Chronic Illness, Health Conditions, and Disabilities (HACHD). From 2023-2025, Kiki was the Advocacy Director of HACHD. In this role, she co-founded the Disability Identity in Health Professions Mentorship Program at Harvard University, and helped secure $11,000 in funding from Harvard University’s Culture Lab Innovation Fund to pilot the program. She also served as the 2024-2025 Vice Director of Advocacy at the national organization Medical Students for Disability and Chronic Illness (MSDCI).
Advisor, Provider and Associate Well-Being
OhioHealth
Kara M. Coates earned her Bachelor of Science in Communications from Ohio University and her Master of Healthcare Administration from Franklin University. Kara has been a proud associate of OhioHealth for 19 years and has a vision to eliminate mental health stigma for all healthcare workers. With 35 years of experience, her background includes mental health support programming, critical incident response training, certification as a REACH suicide prevention gatekeeper trainer, internal communications, cause and experiential marketing, team building, and people and organizational management. In addition to her current role with OhioHealth, Kara is Chair for the OhioHealth Disabilities Awareness Wellness Network Business Resource Group, Co-Chair of the OhioHealth Arts Collaborative, President on the Gahanna-Jefferson School Board and serves on the Executive Committee for the Ohio School Board Association Central Region. Kara resides in Gahanna, Ohio, with her husband, their twins, 2025 graduates from The Ohio State University and Kent State, and her mischievous cat, Hope.
