Thanks to the MDisability summer internship, now in its sixth year, four more college students have crystallized a future in disability healthcare research and career paths that could lead to professions that serve the unique needs of patients with disabilities.
Moreover, these four students have created strong networks of influential mentors at the University of Michigan and have even begun to accomplish concrete work that expands accessibility to people with disabilities.
Since its inception, the nine-week MDisability internship has introduced a total of 20 students and recent graduates about basic research skills and how to work with researchers and clinicians specializing in disability health. It also helps them gain exposure to disability-related health policy; learn clinical care best practices to improve health outcomes and access to care for this patient population; and engage in community and medical education-based disability projects. Learn about the program's previous interns here.
This year’s interns include Michael Andres, Tess Carichner, Muhammad Othman and Alexandra “Zandy” Wong. All four interns presented their completed projects to Family Medicine research faculty at a hybrid meeting at the end of July.
ALSO READ: We are thrilled to introduce MDisability's 2024 interns!
Watch the interns' presentations here.
Andres presented on, “Prescription to Play: An aspiring medical student’s experience with the impact of Adaptive Sports.” Andres spoke about his participation in various adaptive sports activities at U-M, including the inaugural Miller Open Adaptive Track and Field event, which brought para-athletes from across the country to Ann Arbor to compete in the sports competition.
He also collaborated with mentor Oluwaferanmi Okanlami, MD, MS,, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and director of Adaptive Sports & Fitness at U-M, participating in the university’s Prescription to Play program. Specifically, he took part in wheelchair tennis and basketball practices; attended adaptive sports presentations; and Adaptive Sports & Fitness’s monthly visits to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital where children meet student athletes and have some fun experiencing adaptive sports gear.
Andres remarked that the internship experience made it clearer to him that as a future physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, he can pursue helping those with disabilities within sports medicine.
“This internship has provided me with incredible new perspectives on disability and adaptive sports” he said. “I really enjoyed getting to know and learn from each of the interns and faculty members. I appreciate my mentor Dr. Okanlami's effort and guidance to ensure I had a rewarding and educational experience.”
Carichner, who obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with minors in Global Health, English, and Disability Studies at U-M, gave a presentation titled, “Deaf and Diverse: Investigating Intersectionality in Data Collection Regarding DHH Trauma Survivors.” In her study, Carichner investigated what demographic data and experiences are commonly collected among participants who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) as it relates to domestic violence incidences. She also utilized an intersectionality checklist to evaluate inclusion of individuals and identify gaps in demographic data collection in relation to this research area.
Carichner said that as an aspiring family medicine nurse practitioner who seeks to serve interabled families, the internship expanded her understanding of adaptive sports, Deaf mental health, domestic violence against disabled people, gynecological care for people with disabilities, home care, and studying disability-related data. She believes it will aid her in caring for people with disabilities across the lifespan.
“MDisability opened so many doors in terms of interests, resources, and mentors,” she said. “I am hopeful about my capabilities to continue learning about disability health and eventually serve this population.
“Additionally, meeting a network of people with similar passions and interests helped me to refine what I want to do going forward,” she added. “I would like to work with interabled families, creating a healthy, informed, and supportive system of lifelong care that promotes opportunities to reach full potential.”
Muhammad Othman, a graduate student in biomedical engineering at Wayne State University in Detroit, worked with Family Medicine Assistant Professor Justine Wu, as well as Jane Huggins, Ph.D., associate research scientist in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Biomedical Engineering at U-M, on his project, “Priorities and Experiences of People with Disabilities Regarding Autonomous Vehicles.” He also collaborated with Jodi Kreschmer, a research area specialist in PM&R, on his project studying the concerns that people with disabilities have in using autonomous vehicles.
Othman called the internship “eye-opening.”
“When I came here, I learned a lot about the experiences of people with other disabilities. It opened my eyes on how we can make things more accessible for people with disabilities,” he said. “I plan to continue with my current path in Biomedical Engineering and apply to med school, pursuing the field of genetics to help my sister. The MDisability Internship did, however, open my eyes to other potential fields that can help people with disabilities."
Wong, a recent Johns Hopkins University graduate with a degree in public health, presented, “Rapid Review of General Health Information Accessibility Needs for Patients with Sensory Disabilities.” She commented that working with mentors, including MDisability Director Michael M. McKee, MD, and conducting a rapid review of the research literature allowed her to gain a comprehensive sense of the specific accessibility needs for patients with sensory disabilities.
For a second project, Wong also focused on creating a website that features accessible information about pregnancy and childbirth, for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing patients. The website can be viewed here: deafhealthresources.com
She said that her mentorship with McKee, who, like her, has hearing loss, helped her to understand that she could bring something unique to the clinic when helping patients with disabilities.
“This internship has encouraged me to pursue a career in medicine as it has taught me that other physicians with disabilities have carved out meaningful careers to help patients with disabilities through clinical care and research with the proper resources, and that my disability could be an asset in my future research projects,” Wong said.
MDisability Manager Dawn Michael noted that, as with past internship cohorts, this year’s interns came in with impressive skills and credentials.
“We had a great summer, and the interns worked really hard,” she said. “All our interns are extraordinary, and Michael, Tess, Muhammad and Zandy were no exception. While it’s our goal to make this internship a comprehensive experience for them, they also brought a lot of skills, lived experiences, and accessibility insight to the experience. Several faculty members also remarked that not only was it a pleasure to work with the interns but that they also learned from them.
“The 2024 summer interns were already leaders in accessibility and disability inclusion,” Michael added. “We’re excited to see, as with our previous intern cohorts, how they will take the internship experience forward to inform and contribute to advancing improvements for people with disabilities in their continuing educations, at their institutions, with their peer groups, in their communities, and in their professional careers as aspiring health care providers and researchers.”
For more information about the MDisability summer internship program, please contact Dawn Michael at [email protected] or Dr. Michael M. McKee at [email protected].
