The Special Olympics (SOI) aims to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.

SOI is committed to educating the healthcare workforce so that healthcare professionals are prepared to meet the unique health needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). To deliver on this mission, SOI is embarking on exciting work to expand its educational efforts in addressing training services for the healthcare workforce. Recognizing his dedication and expertise in improving the health of people with IDD, they invited Steven Erickson, PharmD, CDHW member and Co-Investigator on the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Equity in Health and Functioning for Adults With Physical, Cognitive, Sensory, and Developmental Disabilities from Marginalized Communities to join their Global Curriculum Advisory Panel. In this role, he will be joining a network of global leaders providing expertise for healthcare workforce education and training.

Steven Erickson, PharmD is an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and a clinical pharmacist at the Michigan Medicine General Medicine Resident Ambulatory Care clinic. For the past ten years, he has focused his attention on work to ensure the safe and effective use of medications taken by people who have disabilities, specifically those who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. This includes collaborating with clinical educators and researchers to develop interventions to improve the cultural competence of health care professionals working with people who have disabilities.