(calm music) - I'm Michael Kim.

I am the assistant dean for student affairs at the medical school, and I'm a physician.

And I practice internal medicine, pediatrics.

So I have history of depression.

The demands of medical school really made my depression flare up.

Happy to say that I was able to go to the mental health clinic here at the University of Minnesota and get counseling and medical treatment, which really helped me be successful.

Having experienced challenges with depression as a medical student has really helped me provide a better support for students here.

And so when I'm meeting with a student, I can really show that empathy of someone who's been through a similar course.

What's important to think about in disability is that psychological disabilities, like depression, anxiety, are really disabilities, that they should be accommodated and considered similarly to other disabilities.

Approximately 10% of our students have accommodations during medical school.

That is the highest number of students of any medical school in the country that I am aware of.

There are many reasons why we really want to encourage, promote, support, and get people with disabilities as physicians.

Primarily, because we know from studies that physicians with disabilities provide better care for patients with disabilities.

But not only that, there's evidence to suggest that if you're a physician and you have a colleague you work with who has a disability, you also provide better care to patients with disability.

And then, finally, we learn so much more when we have a diverse workforce.

I think about all the patients who come into a clinic and potentially see a physician who has a mobility disability or has a sensory disability.

These are amazing things for our patients to be able to see.

And to have that trust in our profession, that is so important in providing the best possible care.

(calm music) - [Announcer] This program was produced in collaboration with the Center for the Art of Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

And funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

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