Episode 78: Dr. Joanna Bisgrove

Interviewee: Dr.  Joanna Turner Bisgrove

Interviewer: Dr. Peter Poullos 

Description:

Today, we are joined by Dr. Joanna Turner Bisgrove. Dr. Bisgrove is a family medicine physician, Assistant Professor in Family Medicine at Rush University Medical Center, and the inaugural chair for the American Medical Association's Disability Advisory Group. Dr. Bisgrove has been involved in healthcare policy for several years and is a staunch advocate for disability inclusion. In this episode, she shares her story as a person with a disability, discusses her leadership at Rush University and in national organizations such as the American Medical Association, and her approach to advocating for students and physicians with disabilities. 

Bio:

Dr. Joanna Turner Bisgrove is a family physician and assistant professor of family medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois.  Prior to joining Rush, she spent the first 14 years of her career near Madison, Wisconsin, and held many local and state leadership positions.  She was medical advisor to her local school district for eight years and co-chaired the Legislative Committee for the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians for eight years, frequently working with state and federal legislators and their staff to develop evidence-based public health policy. 

At the national level, Dr. Bisgrove is a delegate for the American Academy of Family Physicians to the American Medical Association’s (AMA) House of Delegates. She is the inaugural chair for the American Medical Association's Disability Advisory Group, recently formed at the behest of the House of Delegates, the AMA governing and policy making body. The Disability Advisory Group will be tasked with helping the AMA increase accessibility and inclusivity for physicians, medical students and residents with disabilities, both within the AMA itself and as an advocate for increased accessibility across medicine. Dr. Bisgrove is a lifelong advocate for disability inclusion and the elimination of barriers in everyday society to help make this possible.  Born with a hearing loss that has worsened over time, Dr. Bisgrove is acutely aware of the barriers that persons with disabilities face and determined to fight for policies that are inclusive for everyone.  

Dr. Bisgrove's other AMA roles include being a current member of the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health. She is also heavily involved in DEI initiatives as a whole. Upon her move home to Illinois in the summer of 2021, Dr. Bisgrove was appointed to the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Illinois State Medical Society and to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians.  At Rush, she is part of Rush’s Pursuing Equity Governance Group and its Social Care and Health Equity team.  She is also currently working towards her Masters in Public Health with a focus on achieving health for disadvantaged children and their families. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/DWDI_Podcast_Ep78

Produced by: Lisa Meeks and Pranati Movva

Audio editor: Jacob Feeman

Digital Media: Katie Sullivan

Keywords: disability, health equity, accessibility, family medicine, intersectionality, disability mentoring, medical education, hearing loss, accommodations