Helping People with Disabilities Navigate a Tough Transition
M.D./M.P.H. student Cameron Hope Tovin was inspired to pursue medicine by her brother, Zachary, who has high-functioning autism.
Cameron Hope Tovin, a first-year M.D./M.P.H. student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, might not recall the exact moment she decided to become a physician. But she’ll never forget where her motivation originated: her older brother, Zachary, “the best brother I could ever ask for,” she said.
Zachary Tovin, 27, has high-functioning autism. Thanks to early intervention, a devoted family and a supportive community, he is flourishing. Zachary attends culinary school, works part-time, enjoys cooking for his family and looks forward to independent living. Along the way, he inspired his sister to commit to a career helping individuals like him.
But at first, she wasn’t sure what sort of career it would be.
Improving the Lives of People with Disabilities
Growing up in Fort Lauderdale and the child of two physical therapists, Tovin was surrounded by the disability community. She volunteered for the Special Olympics and her mother ran a Special Olympics team. She explored disability law but decided that it wasn’t for her.
“I wanted a career advocating for people with disabilities,” she said.
But she wanted to be involved personally and work with families. In high school she joined the health science club.
“When I learned about research,” she explained, “I felt excited about the possibility of contributing to new information and data that can help improve the lives of those with disabilities.”
As a University of Miami undergraduate majoring in neuroscience and medical anthropology, Tovin explored her options by learning about medical specialties. She had some outstanding mentors and role models. When Tovin was about to embark on a semester in Rome, her psychology professor, Debra Lieberman, Ph.D., suggested she find a museum job there.
“It was a paleoarchaeology museum internship, which furthered my anatomical understanding of the human body and matched my research interests within medical anthropology,” she said.
Volunteering at the Mailman Center for Childhood Development at the Miller School, Tovin met two inspirational individuals who helped her connect with people with disabilities: Shelly Baer, director of leadership training initiatives at the Mailman Center, and Jairo Arana, clinical program coordinator at the University of Miami.
Tovin still volunteers as a LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) trainee at the Mailman Center, where she teaches high schoolers about disability advocacy and leadership. She also volunteers at the University of Miami’s PATH (Progression Across Transition in Healthcare) Clinic, which provides coordinated care for patients with developmental disabilities transitioning from pediatric to adult care. And she recently began helping medical residents learn how to interact with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Transition Medicine for People with Disabilities
Learning about transition medicine piqued Tovin’s interest in public health. There are a lot of programs for young people with developmental disabilities and autism, she said. But when they become adults, there are fewer resources available.
“They’re falling off the services cliff,” she said. “It’s the same with pediatrics. For people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, the transition is more difficult because not all adult primary caretakers fully understand the unique health conditions or how to interact with them.”
Tovin watched her brother struggle with this transition.
“It was difficult for him after he aged out as a pediatric patient,” she said. “Primary care physicians need to understand the unique health needs and risk factors that typical individuals don’t face.”
With her brother’s challenging transition in mind, Tovin hopes to enter an internal medicine/pediatrics residency program after graduation. Meanwhile, her M.P.H. capstone project will focus on the transition period for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
“The medical curriculum in general should be geared toward public health,” said Tovin. “The patient in front of you is part of a larger population. This person has a background. There are social determinants of health.”
In the future, she sees herself involved in teaching, practicing and research.
“With everything going on in the world,” said Tovin, “protecting people with disabilities is really important.”
Tags: autism spectrum disorder, disabilities, M.D./M.P.H., M.D./M.P.H. Program, medical education, public health