Disability in Undergraduate Medical Education in the United States: A Scoping Review

A new scoping review published in Academic Medicine has revealed that students with disabilities remain underrepresented in undergraduate medical education in the United States. Researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences conducted a comprehensive study, analyzing 81 publications and identifying key themes and portrayals of disability. The study found that disability is often depicted as a diversity issue, a deficiency, or a legal construct, highlighting the need for future researchers to consider intersectional frameworks and how disability is conceptualized.

Key Takeaways:

• The study identified 81 publications, with 78 being journal articles, that met the inclusion criteria for the scoping review.
• At least one author disclosed their identity as disabled in 23 publications.
• The main goals identified in the publication purpose statements were describing (n = 50), calling for action (n = 25), evaluating (n = 24), arguing (n = 14), and creating (n = 14).
• Disability was portrayed as diversity, deficiency, inherently connected with accommodation and technical standards, and a place of habitual omissions.
• No studies explicitly focused on UME and disabled students of color, disability and gender diversity, or disabled LGBQ+ students.
• The study highlighted the need for future researchers to consider intersectional frameworks and how disability is conceptualized.

Statistics:

• 10,491 publications were identified in the initial search.
• 81 publications were included in the scoping review, with 78 being journal articles.
• 23 publications had at least one author disclose their identity as disabled.
• 50 publications had a purpose statement focused on describing disability.
• 25 publications had a purpose statement focused on calling for action.
• 24 publications had a purpose statement focused on evaluating disability.

Sources:

• "Disability In Undergraduate Medical Education In the United States: a Scoping Review" (Academic Medicine, 2025).
• Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (Bethesda, MD, United States).
• Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA).
• Kirsten R. Brown, Joseph A. Costello, Dionna Bidny, Aaron Konopasky, and Abigail Konopasky.