Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion and Equity (SMADIE)

Formerly Stanford Medicine Abilities Coalition (SMAC)

The Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion and Equity (SMADIE) is composed of people who have disabilities and their allies. Membership is open to everyone at Stanford Medicine, including Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care, University HealthCare Alliance (UHA), Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, Packard Children’s Health Alliance (PCHA), and Stanford Children’s Health.

Our Mission

SMADIE advocates for resources, education, training, policies, accessibility, and services at Stanford Medicine and beyond, not guided solely by law and an accommodations-based approach, but by dismantling systemic discrimination through universal design. SMADIE encourages synergy and collaboration within and beyond the Stanford community in service of Justice.

Specific Mission Functions

  1. Educate for sustainable change for patients with disabilities by developing accessible and practical resources to advance healthcare, medical education, and training.

  2. Accelerate the discovery of transformational human-centered research to advance inclusive institutional practices and significantly impact the lives of people with and without disabilites. 

  3. Design and support value-based  health equity initiatives that combat health inequities and improve access to personalized and seamless care and services for patients with disabilities.

  4. Support and expand a mutual mentorship program with individuals from all levels of healthcare training committed to fostering initiatives that enrich life-long excellence.

  5. Invest and center community to advance disability equity and visibility in medicine through educational, community-building, peer support, and networking initiatives and dialogues.

  6. Leverage human-and digitally-driven institutional, governmental, and community partnerships to advocate for long-term sustainable disability-inclusive structures.