Description:

In this BIPOC II episode, Dr. Lisa Meeks is joined by Dr. Kruti Shah, a Clinical Operations Pharmacist at Rush University Medical Center. Being a woman of color and having a disability of hearing loss, Dr. Shah is a passionate advocate for Disability, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Rush. Dr. Shah and Dr. Meeks discuss how her upbringing shaped her evolving perceptions of her own disability, the ways in which her formative experiences have informed her work advocating for patients, and her hopes to empower future generations of disabled communities.

Bio: 

Kruti Parikh Shah, PharmD, is a Clinical Operations Pharmacist at RUSH University Medical Center. She serves as a steering committee member of the Disabilities Employee Resource Group (DERG) at RUSH and as a DEI committee member for the ICHP. Recognizing the significance of intersectionality in healthcare, Dr. Shah has spearheaded health system-wide initiatives aimed at fostering wellness and inclusion. During the pandemic when medical masks became a barrier to lipreading, she advocated for clear masks to improve access to communication for employees, patients and visitors.
 
Currently serving as a Public Voice Fellow with the OpEd Project, Dr. Shah utilizes her platform to raise awareness and promote disability-affirming care. She has published an article in Newsweek shedding light on the importance of inclusive practices and challenge societal misconceptions surrounding disabilities.

Dr. Shah is a passionate patient advocate and educator advancing the rights and access for individuals with disabilities. Through the Disability Lead fellowship, co-hosting the Docs with Disabilities podcast, and participating in the Disability in Medicine Mutual Mentorship Program, she works tirelessly to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. 

She is a graduate of the University of Toronto (Honors BSc) and the University at Buffalo (PharmD)

Interviewee: Dr. Kruti Shah (PharmD)

Interviewer: Dr. Lisa Meeks

Producer:  Nicole Kim 

Key words:  Hard of hearing, accommodations, BIPOC, Pharmacy, docswithdisabilities, BIPOC, Indian, pharmacistswithdisabilities, empathy, ableism, clear masks, India, captioning, amplified stethescopes.

Transcript