OVERCOMING MEDICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING BARRIERS IN THE BRONX

BY VINCENT SIASOCO, MD, MBA AND JOANNE SIEGEL, LCSW

Over 15 years ago, in a study sponsored by Special Olympics, it was noted that "56% of medical school students in the United States reported that graduates were "not competent" to treat people with intellectual disabilities."1 Fast forward to today, the state of education and training for medical students on how to care for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) has made some progress, but still has a way to go to implement curriculum in all medical schools.