Friends and Colleagues,

When you read the opinion piece in the current edition of JAMA Neurology by Dr. Kate Martin, our associate dean of graduate medical education, you are not reading about the structure, function and diseases of the nervous system, you are reading about a call to arms without bloodshed or violence, about how Dr. Martin believes our society must make the decision to afford the same dignity and respect to the intellectually and physically disabled -- people like her brother, Michael -- as it does to those without disabilities. After several years of privately serving alongside her mother as Michael’s advocate on matters ranging from difficulties with healthcare access to challenges with transportation connections (Michael died suddenly last year after a short illness), Dr. Martin’s public advocacy of a socially disadvantaged group is now being spread through a prestigious medical journal and through a “Healthcare Redesign” class she’s created and will teach to UNLV honor students this fall. To learn more about what Dr. Martin is up to, read on.