Body
A delegation of four Shirley Ryan AbilityLab doctors recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate on behalf of the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) — the professional organization in which they each hold leadership positions.
The four doctors included Shirley Ryan AbilityLab CEO Pablo Celnik, MD (who also serves as secretary-treasurer of AAP); Daniel Goodman, MD, attending physician (and member of the AAP Public Policy Committee); Prakash Jayabalan, MD, PhD, physician-scientist director, Nancy W. Knowles Strength + Endurance Lab (the American Medical Association representative of AAP); and Leslie Rydberg, MD, attending physician, Henry and Monika Betts Medical Student Education Chair, and Assistant Residency Program Director (and AAP’s education chair).
Drs. Celnik, Goodman, Jayabalan and Rydberg made the most of their time on Capitol Hill, visiting the offices of three Chicago-area U.S. representatives — Sean Casten, Danny Davis and Jan Schakowsky — and both of Illinois’ senators, Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin.
They discussed with the lawmakers several issues of high importance:
- Addressing the nation’s physician shortage by increasing Graduate Medical Education spots and training more doctors.
- Giving patients access to care through the continued allowance of telehealth.
- Supporting rehabilitation research in general, and specifically for patients with long COVID.
- Focusing on how climate change impacts people with disabilities.
The visit offered a wonderful opportunity to build awareness about the medical specialty of physiatry, which focuses on treating patients with impairments that affect the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, muscles and more.
“All the elected officials and staff with whom we met were very supportive and willing to listen, and showed genuine interest in understanding the needs of the physiatry community,” said Dr. Rydberg. “These discussions are so important because physiatrists play such a critical role in helping people with different impairments improve their function and quality of life. By putting in place policies that support us, it benefits our patients as well.”
