Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leaders Award

Valois J. Vera, aka “Crip Lyrical”, is a Disabled Revolutionary, Author, Poet/Spoken Word Artist, and Activist based out of Denton, TX. Well noted for his work in disability culture and liberation, Valois is a public speaker and has served as guest lecturer at a variety of colleges and universities including the University of North Texas, Fordham University, Azusa Pacific University, and the University of California-Berkeley. His journalism work can be found in New Mobility Magazine, Latino Rebels, and Rooted in Rights, and their poetry has been published by Spoonie Press, Mollyhouse, and the anthology American Graveyard: Calls to End Gun Violence, Volume I (Read or Green Books). Their debut collection Crip Lyrics: the Unapologetic Poetry of Disability (POOR Press) is an illustrated collection of liberation verses guided by lived experiences and self-reflection. His second collection, I, The Revolution serves as both a manifesto that uplifts and amplifies community and as an indictment against systems of oppression. He is the Founder of Thunder and Lightning Poetry Collective and is the recipient of the 2023 Art Spark Texas Lynn Marie Johnson Media Arts Award.

Zainub Dhanani is the Founder, Executive Director Emeritus, and Board Chairwoman of Medical Students with Disability and Chronic Illness (MDSCI). She is a medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine and will graduate in 2025, after which she intends to pursue a career in Diagnostic Radiology. Zainub completed her Master’s of Science in Health Policy and holds an Honors Certificate in Health Professions Education and Scholarship, both from Stanford University School of Medicine. She is the founder of the Annual Stanford Conference on Disability in Healthcare and Medicine and has been an invited speaker at disability conferences and seminars nationally and internationally. She has keen interest in the equitable design of health systems and in wellness and belonging amongst healthcare professionals and trainees. Her research focuses on the disability inclusion in medical education, healthcare experiences and access for people with disabilities, the use of digital and telehealth interventions in improving access to care for vulnerable populations, and health equity in radiology education and imaging practices. Zainub was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2022, was a 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) SciTech and Human Rights FutureGen Scholar and was a 2020 Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians (BNGAP) Academic Medicine Writing Fellow. Outside of academia, Zainub is an avid baker and reader, and enjoys spending time in nature.

Nora Newcob is the Executive Director of MSDCI. She is a medical student at the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine, Class of 2025, in a track focusing on leadership, healthcare systems and values-based patient-centered care. Her scholarly work, within MSDCI and beyond, focuses on the inclusion of students with disability and chronic illness in undergraduate medical education and development of disability-focused curricular interventions in medical education. As a former American Medical Women’s Association Anne C. Carter Global Health Fellow, Nora has a strong interest in global health and has presented internationally on disability-related topics. She is a member of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM), Task Force on Physical Activity for Persons with Disabilities, and the ISPRM-World Health Organization Liaison Committee.  Outside of medicine and advocacy, Nora is an avid podcast enthusiast and loves to travel. She intends to pursue a career in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Ifeoma Ikedionwu is an Associate Director of MSDCI. She attends the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and is a member of the class of 2025. Ifeoma is interested in equity and advocacy across multiple disciplines, including disability, sexual medicine, psychiatry, ethics, and education. She has been able to delve into these varied interests through being the former co-leader of Pritzker’s disability organization, an American Psychiatry Association Helping Hand Grant co-recipient, a Hyde Park Institute Scholar in Ethics and Medicine. She also developed a first year co-curricular through the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Student Service Leadership Grant. During her free time, she likes doing jigsaw puzzles and playing with her red-eared slider turtle named Henry. Ifeoma plans on applying into psychiatry or a primary care focused specialty.