On October 22, The Arc of Massachusetts and Operation House Call (OHC) celebrated 15 years of partnership at the historic Gore Place Carriage House in Waltham. The evening honored Susanna Peyton, an OHC champion, and families, teachers, and co-teachers who shaped OHC into a nationally recognized model for inclusive medical education and healthcare equity.
Operation House Call began in 1991 at Boston University School of Medicine, where Dr. David Coulter and Dr. Benjamin Siegel responded to parents’ concerns that future physicians lacked understanding of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Their innovative solution placed families at the center of medical education, inviting students into their homes to learn directly from lived experience. The power of family as the educator became, and remains, OHC’s foundation.
When OHC found its true home at The Arc of Massachusetts in 2011, the program’s reach grew to Tufts University School of Medicine and Simmons University began a small program. Over the next decade, under the leadership of Maura Sullivan, now CEO of The Arc, the program expanded OHC partnerships to include UMass Chan Graduate School of Nursing, UMass Chan Medical School, Harvard Medical School, a new pilot with Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and several other pilot programs. Simmons is now a large program that is integral to their Nursing and Allied Health programs. OHC now trains more than 1,300 students annually – for an incredible total of over 8,000 students reached. In recent years, the program’s family network has more than doubled and become more diverse, extending OHC’s reach into communities across the state.
In her previous role as Director of Government Affairs, Maura spearheaded the advocacy campaign to pass Operation House Call legislation. The bill was codified into Massachusetts law in 2023. We were honored to be joined by Representative John Lawn, who was integral in passing the legislation as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. The bill provides a path to certification of schools through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. It also allowed The Arc to build an infrastructure and a strong, growing team.
During the celebration, Susanna Peyton, a tireless champion and longtime supporter, was honored for her pivotal role in the development of the program and especially her tireless work to solidify OHC at Yale School of Nursing. A commemorative plaque recognizing Susanna and her husband, John Campbell, will be installed at The Arc’s Waltham headquarters. Dr. Benjamin Siegel, who originally co-founded the program at Boston University School of Medicine in 1991, was recognized for his commitment to advancing health equity.
The event featured a dynamic panel moderated by Maura, with Val Ortiz Jimenez, a Harvard School of Dental Medicine student; Isaiah Lombardo, a self-advocate and OHC co-teacher; Mojdeh Mostafavi, MD, an internist, pediatrician, and OHC alumna; and Ashley Waring, OHC Family Engagement Director and Parent Instructor. Together, they reflected on how learning directly from those with lived experience transforms healthcare practice and the lives of future clinicians.
OHC has received national recognition through publications in JAMA, the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and Medscape. Maura has brought OHC to national conferences and summits such as the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine; The Arc US; and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
As OHC looks ahead, the program will continue to expand our oral healthcare trainings, nursing school education, and other health disciplines. OHC will pioneer new national opportunities as a model of medical and disability community partnership. Its vision remains clear: a future where every person with IDD and autism receives equitable, inclusive healthcare.
“Families are our teachers,” says Maura. “Their stories and experiences have the power to change how healthcare is delivered, not just in Massachusetts, but across the nation.”
