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Through a collaborative partnership between Thrive Adaptive and LuskinOIC, a lived experience patient workshop was recently delivered at Western University of Health Sciences to advance disability-competent care among future clinicians. Led by Joe Holt, executive director of Thrive Adaptive and disability community engagement manager at LuskinOIC, the initiative reflects a shared commitment to integrating community-informed education into clinical training. The session brought together 10 individuals with cerebral palsy and neuromusculoskeletal conditions alongside nearly 30 medical students from Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as faculty and specialist facilitators. Through structured mock clinical encounters, students engaged in hands-on learning focused on communication drills, patient-centered interviewing, and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) techniques delivered directly with and alongside patients.
The workshop created an immersive environment where lived experience shaped clinical education, allowing students to better understand the goals, challenges, and perspectives of patients with disabilities. Thrive Adaptive’s community network and LuskinOIC’s continued support worked in tandem to design and facilitate the experience, reinforcing best practices in interdisciplinary care and adaptive clinical approaches. This collaboration highlights how aligned missions across community-based organizations and healthcare institutions can drive meaningful change in medical education and patient outcomes. The three-part curriculum developed by WesternU COMP Dean of Students Dr. Michelle Park, faculty advisors, and Thrive Adaptive was funded by the American Association of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry NICHE Med program. Special thanks were extended to the lived experience participants, faculty, specialist facilitators, and students whose engagement and leadership made this impactful day of learning possible.
