President

Dr. Jan Serrantino is the former Director of the Disability Services Center at the University of California, Irvine and worked specifically with students in the Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Medicine. Currently, Jan works as a full-time consultant for health science programs drawing on her extensive experience. She is frequently called upon to consult with Disability Services providers on complex cases.

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Jan is the President for The Coalition for Access in Health Science and Medical Education and frequently provides training to health science faculty and administration on supporting students with disabilities. She presents at professional conferences on disability related topics such as confidentiality, autism spectrum disorders, academic and clinical accommodations and challenges faced by students in higher education.  She is co-author of two chapters in The Guide to Assisting Students with Disabilities: Equal Access in Health Science and Professional Education (Springer Publishing) and a contributor to the AAMC Webinar Series and the UCSF Disability Training Series.

Meeks & Company Consulting

Secretary

Dr. Murray served as the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Equal Opportunity Programs until 2016 and is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Scranton, where he majored in Biology, English, and Philosophy. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1995 and completed an internship at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and a residency in Psychiatry at the Payne Whitney Clinic of the New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH).

Weill Cornell Medical College

Treasurer

Christine Low, is the Director of Disability Services for the Icahn School of Medicine directing disability initiatives, policy development and program oversight.  She serves as the direct provider determining needed accommodations for students with disabilities in the School of Medicine and for the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and serves on both the Diversity in Biomedical Research Council and the ADA Accessibility Steering Committee.  She has worked in the field of disability services since 2008 in developmental behavioral pediatrics as a social worker and academic advocacy consultant.  Christine also has an extensive background in child protection working with traumatized youth.  She is a faculty member in Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Adjunct Faculty for the Bank Street College of Education Graduate School and Columbia University, School of Social Work.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Board Member at Large

Dr. William Eidtson is Instructor in Medical Education and Director of Academic Skills and Student Accessibility Services at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. He teaches learning strategies in Medical Foundations, advises UME and GME learners in academic skills development, and supports students, faculty, and staff with all disability and accessibility related
concerns. His current research explores the connections between modifiable behaviors and academic performance, and the intersections of learning support and universal design. Bill holds a doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University as well as degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and New College of Florida.

Medical Education and Director of Academic Skills and Student Accessibility Services at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College.

Board Member at Large

Neera is a passionate advocate for inclusion in health science education based in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland, Faculty of Education and Social Work, where her dissertation explores how four U.S. medical schools enact inclusion for students with disabilities. She co-authored the recent report, Accessibility, inclusion, and action in medical education: Lived experiences of learners and physicians with disabilities (2018, AAMC). She co-edited and co-authored the text, The guide to assisting students with disabilities: Equal access in health science and professional education (2015, Springer Publishing Company). Prior to commencing doctoral study, she spent nearly 10 years leading disability services for health science students at U.S. universities: Columbia University in the City of New York and the University of California, San Francisco. In New Zealand, Neera managed a free legal service run by and for disabled people, Auckland Disability Law. Neera started her career in vocational rehabilitation at New England Rehabilitation Hospital and later at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Medical Center. She is currently a board member at large for the Coalition for Disability Access in Health Science and Medical Education.

University of Auckland Faculty of Education and Social Work

Chief of Staff

Allison serves as the Interim Director of Student Academic Support Services, as well as the
Medical Student Accessibility Liaison, for the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. She has been with UCF since 2014, serving in a dual role of Learning Specialist and Disability Provider. Allison provides direct oversight of all accommodations at the College of Medicine. She began her career in disability services in 2011 as a K-12 teacher in the state of Florida. She received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Central Florida in the field of Education. Allison first joined the Coalition in 2015. She has served as a general member, Planning Committee member, Executive Board member, and Co-Chaired the Coalition for Disability Access in Health Science Education’s 2019 Symposium. She has presented on various disability related topics at past Coalition Symposiums as well as The Association on Higher Education and Disability, AHEAD conferences.

Interim Director of Student Academic Support Services

Board Member at Large

Kristina is a faculty member in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department at New York Medical College who has expertise in teaching nursing, pre-medicine, dental, and medical school basic science courses. Since arriving at NYMC in 2014, she received two NYMC SOM Student Senate Awards for enhancement of student life, won four mentoring/teaching awards, and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.  In her role as the Assistant Dean of Academic Support Programs, she leads a team that focuses on all aspects of academic support, including accommodations. Kristina is a Co-PI on two IRB-approved research projects with Lisa Meeks, and a co-author in Disability as Diversity: A Guidebook for Inclusion in Medicine, Nursing, and the Health Professions and the 2nd edition of The Guide to Assisting Students with Disabilities. Kristina co-authored a review on peer tutoring programs in basic science medical school courses, and is preparing several peer tutoring program research manuscripts.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department at New York Medical College