UB Pharmacy alum and disability advocate discusses importance of inclusive practices

Shah is a graduate of our PharmD Class of 2011. She is a passionate patient advocate and educator focused on advancing the rights and access for individuals with disabilities. At a young age Shah was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss, and due to her firsthand experience with stigma associated with disabilities, she is committed to spreading awareness and acceptance within workplaces and communities. 

She currently works as an inpatient psychiatry clinical pharmacist as well as pharmacist in charge at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago. At RUSH, she serves as a steering committee member of the Disabilities Employee Resource Group (DERG) and as a co-chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee of the Illinois Council of Health Systems Pharmacists (ICHP). Shah recognizes the significance of intersectionality in healthcare and has spearheaded several health system-wide initiatives aimed at fostering wellness and inclusion.

Shah joined us as part of our SPPS Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Speaker Series and presented on “Ableism to Advocacy: Making an Impact and Roundtable Discussion.” She discussed her work with Docs with Disabilities, an initiative to drive change in perceptions, disability policy and procedures in health professions. The initiative aims to build more inclusive educational environments for trainees with disabilities and increase representation of disabled clinicians and scientists in the biomedical workforce. 

Following her presentation, Shah was joined by faculty members from the Department of Pharmacy Practice for a roundtable discussion with students. Faculty members included: Nicole Albanese, PharmD, assistant dean, Student Success and Engagement, Kal Desai, PharmD, assistant dean, Inclusive Excellence, Anthony Pattin, PharmD, clinical associate professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, along with our SPPS embedded counselor Aaron Garmon, MS, counselor at UB Counseling Services.

Shah’s visit also included meetings with our student support services areas. She met with Ashley Brigham, MS, SPPS student success coach and our Office of Student Success and Engagement to discuss Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) technical standards. Her visit concluded with a tour of the Pharmacy Building guided by our SPPS student leaders.

Shah’s platform raises awareness and promotes disability-affirming care and she works tirelessly to make the pharmacy profession equitable, diverse and inclusive.