DocTalks: Dr. Pamela Liao and Melissa Helwig on Addressing Accessibility in Medical Education

This special National AccessAbility Week episode of DocTalks features Dr. Pamela Liao, Disability Health Lead at TMU’s School of Medicine, and Melissa Helwig, Head Medical Librarian. Together, we explore how medical education can become more inclusive for learners with disabilities—from dismantling outdated technical standards to embedding accessibility into curriculum design and library resources. With stories of lived experience and national leadership in disability justice, this conversation highlights how inclusion strengthens care, curriculum, and community. Dr. Pamela Liao is the disability health lead in the TMU School of Medicine and Special Advisor to the Dean. She's also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, and is a steadfast advocate for equity, diversity and inclusivity in the medical profession. Melissa Helwig is TMU Library's inaugural head medical librarian. She brings 18 years of experience in health science librarianship at both Dalhousie University and at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Melissa's day-to-day work is often focused on curriculum support, and she's interested in helping people use the library to engage in their continuing education journey. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3wx2hnwf