MDisability Intern Alumni

School

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Experience

Rising Undergraduate Senior

Biography

Suhas is a rising senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and a master’s degree in public health. His own experiences living with a stutter have inspired him to work on eliminating health care disparities and enhancing the quality of treatment for people with disabilities around the world. Suhas is a peer advocate for the disabled at the Center for Independent Living in Birmingham, Ala. In this role, he helps people with disabilities learn the skills they need to live independently. He has also collaborated with the University of Colorado's Disability Equality Center to help create a manual for ADA hospital coordinators. Suhas remains active in the disability community in his hometown of Hyderabad, India. He has volunteered with the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID) and is currently collaborating with the NIEPID to plan and conduct a research study into the barriers to high-quality healthcare for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in India. He aims to eventually have a global impact with his disability advocacy work.

School

Gallaudet University

Experience

Rising Undergraduate 4th-Year

Biography

Blessed is a rising fourth-year university honors student at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., studying biology and psychology on a pre-medical track.  He became interested in academic medicine while working as an intern at Seattle Children's Research Institute on a project about racial health disparities among people with diabetes triggered by cystic fibrosis.  Outside of academics, Blessed is a basketball player for Gallaudet and with the USA Deaf Basketball team. He won a bronze medal in the Pan-Am Championship in Argentina and will compete in the World Basketball Championship this June in Greece.

School

University of Michigan

Experience

2023 Undergraduate

Biography

Ariana is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, majoring in neuroscience. She plans to apply to medical school this summer after she graduates. She hopes to become a pediatric neurologist and epileptologist, with a particular desire to help children who have neurodevelopmental issues. Ariana's early exposure to neurodiversity and her work with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities sparked a lifelong commitment to advancing disability inclusion. This has motivated her to join groups with goals that are congruent to her own, such as the Special Olympics College and Best Buddies at the University of Michigan. She is especially interested in learning how to conduct disability health research through the MDisability program so she can serve as a better advocate for the inclusion of those with disabilities in an equitable healthcare process. 

MDISABILITY PROJECTS

Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury and Risk of Early and Late Onset Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementia

Evaluating the Efficacy of the Care at Home Program in Reducing Emergency Visits and Hospital Readmissions

PUBLICATIONS

BIOGRAPHY

Dana is an aspiring physician and current premedical post-baccalaureate student at the University of Michigan. Dana graduated from Williams College in 2019 with a degree in Biology and Computer Science. Upon graduation, Dana worked as a healthcare consultant at Berkeley Research Group in Boston. In this position, she performed data analytics, ran economic analyses, and estimated damages for high-stakes litigation involving companies in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Over the past year at U-M, Dana pursued research that addresses knowledge gaps and stigma towards patients with opioid use disorder and volunteer opportunities within disability health. Dana is passionate about applying her consulting experience and technical skills to research projects in disability health and ultimately a career in medicine.

QUOTE/COMMENT ABOUT INTERN EXPERIENCE

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE(S)

MDISABILITY PROJECTS

Prescription to Play: Connecting Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury to Adaptive Sports and Fitness Resources

PUBLICATIONS

BIOGRAPHY

Sydney graduated from Murray State University in the spring of 2023 with a B.S. in Exercise Science. She is applying to medical school and hopes to matriculate in the fall of 2024. Sydney first decided to pursue a medical career after enduring a spinal cord injury while playing soccer in her freshman year of college. In addition to her career pursuits, Sydney’s love for sports and competition has taken a different form through her passion for adaptive sports. She is a part of Louisville’s Adaptive Rowing Program, regularly participates in adaptive rock climbing and wheelchair basketball, and is working towards hand cycling the New York City marathon in 2023. 

QUOTE/COMMENT ABOUT INTERN EXPERIENCE

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE(S)

Instagram: @sydney_kessler_3
Twitter: @KesslerSydney3

MDISABILITY PROJECTS

A Deep Dive into Disability Health Education within Medical Curricula

PUBLICATIONS

Ratakonda, S., Argersinger, D. P., Auchus, G. C., McGowan, C., Ship, H., Wang, D. R., & McKee, M. M. A call for disability health curricula in medical schools. Trends in Molecular Medicine (2022).

Ratakonda, S., Panko, T. L., Albert, S., Smith, L. D., Cooley, M. M., Mitra, M., & McKee, M. M. Pregnancy Experiences of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mothers Who Do Not Sign. Birth (2024)

BIOGRAPHY

Sanjana recently graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in Biology. She was born in New Jersey but grew up in India for five years. Sanjana was active in her school's Emergency Medical Services during her time at Boston College and noticed a lack of education regarding the best practices for pre-hospital care of patients with disabilities. This sparked her interest in disability health and she became involved in the Deaf Health Talks team to help plan virtual educational seminars for individuals with disabilities. In high school, she learned American Sign Language alongside Deaf and Hard of Hearing students and hopes to improve her ASL. In her free time, Sanjana enjoys playing tennis, dancing, and good food. In the future, she hopes to pursue medicine and become an advocate for individuals with disabilities.

QUOTE/COMMENT ABOUT INTERN EXPERIENCE

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE(S)

MDisability Project

Hearing loss linked to a higher rate of incident cardiovascular disease in adults

Publications

Biography

Hiwot is a fourth-year medical student at the Tulane University School of Medicine and the founder of the Tulane Medical Students with Disability and Chronic Illness (Tulane MSDCI). She has a childhood-onset fluency disorder called stuttering. Self-advocacy has always been part of her life; however, it was not until she became an adult person who stutters that she had to learn how to effectively advocate for herself. Hiwot is now using her skills to improve the experiences of people with disabilities in medical school and the healthcare system. She is excited to learn from the amazing work the MDisability Team is doing and get involved in disability health research.

Quote/Comment About Intern Experience

Social Media Handle(s)

MDisability Project

The association between hearing loss and psychiatric and cognitive health: a longitudinal health study AND Twelve tips for becoming a disability conscious care provider.

Publications

The first of my two MDisability projects has been submitted to Health Affairs and is awaiting decision; the second will be submitted to the Journal Medical Teacher when submissions are opened.

Biography

Grayson is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, where he majored in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. Grayson is heavily involved with Michigan's Adaptive Sports and Fitness Program, and he's written extensively about the program in the Michigan Daily. Grayson currently works as a Clinical Subjects Coordinator in the Department of Family Medicine at UM. Grayson hopes to matriculate into medical school in the fall of 2023.

Quote/Comment About Intern Experience

"After completing the MDisability summer internship, I came away with a renewed sense of urgency about working to reduce the health disparities faced by individuals with disabilities. The internship offered me a chance to learn from and work alongside a number of influential advocates, researchers, and physicians, and I credit their guidance with helping me conclude that I want my life's work to follow in their footsteps."

Social Media Handle(s)

Twitter: @graysonbuning

MDisability Project

Mapping Adaptive Sports, Fitness, Recreation, & Leisure Opportunities: An Ann Arbor Pilot Project

Publications

Biography

Lydia is a medical student at Penn State College of Medicine and a graduate of Duke University. Lydia grew up volunteering with adaptive and therapeutic recreation programs. At Duke, Lydia conducted research on healthcare barriers experienced by persons with disabilities at federally qualified healthcare centers. As an MDisability intern, Lydia worked with Dr. Okanlami to construct an interactive map of adaptive sports and recreation opportunities in the greater Ann Arbor area. Additionally, Lydia explored disability curriculum in medical schools. She continues to work with Dr. Meeks to contextualize her observations. Lydia's passion for adaptive sports and medical education reform has continued at PSCOM. She recently started PA Revs All Starz Field Hockey, the second adaptive, disability-inclusive field hockey team in the US. She has helped increase disability curricular content in her medical school. Lydia is invigorated by opportunities to engage with and learn from like-minded, passionate individuals (like those at MDisability) and will be forever grateful for her time as an intern.

Quote/Comment About Intern Experience

"MDisability gave me the confidence and the tangible skills to create change in my local communities. These skills will stay with me for the rest of my life and have prepared me to effectively advocate in any situation."

Social Media Handle(s)

Twitter: @Lydia Smeltz

MDisability Project

Increasing Access to Adaptive Fitness and Inclusive Recreation Opportunities

Publications

Polatsch DB, Rabinovich RV, Casden MA, Beldner S, Rahman OF. Primary Resection of the Ulnar Slip of Flexor Digitorum Superficialis in the Persistently Triggering Patient After A1 Pulley Release. HAND. February 2022.

Patton DM, Martin CT, Casden MA, Jepsen KJ, Ashton-Miller JA, Wojtys EM, Schlecht SH. Femoral Enthesis Degeneration Following ACL Tears in Young Women: a factor to consider in ACL reconstruction. J Orthop Res. 2021; 40(6):1-12

Bigelow EM, Patton DM, Ward FS, Ciarelli A, Casden M, Clark A, Goulet RW, Morris MD, Schlecht SH, Mandair GS, Bredbenner TL, Kohn DH, Jepsen KJ. External Bone Size Is a Key Determinant of Strength-Decline Trajectories of Aging Male Radii. J Bone Miner Res. 2019; 34(5):825-837

Biography

Michael is a medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School who became interested in adaptive sports during the completion of his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. He is passionate about increasing access to adaptive sports and fitness opportunities for individuals with disabilities and actively conducts research to better understand current barriers to participating in adaptive sports. He aspires to pursue a career in medicine that will allow him to combine his interests in musculoskeletal and disability health.

Quote/Comment About Intern Experience

"The MDisability Summer Internship was an incredible experience that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in becoming a leader in disability health. I am proud to be a member of the internship’s growing alumni network and look forward to connecting with future interns!"

Social Media Handle(s)

Twitter: @CasdenMichael

MDisability Project

Increasing Access to Adaptive Fitness and Inclusive Recreation Opportunities

Publications

Biography

Sam became involved with adaptive sports after a cancer diagnosis in 2012 led to the amputation of his right leg.  He quickly fell in love with track and field and is now enjoying his 5th year on the US Paralympic Track & Field team as a high jumper.  Sam is also a member of the Notre Dame track & field team.  Sam has earned many accolades as a Paralympic athlete, including 3-time world champion, Rio 2016 Silver Medalist, and world record holder. Sam is thrilled to join the MDisability team in June, where he will assist in building and promoting fitness opportunities for the disabled community. 

Quote/Comment About Intern Experience

"The MDisability Internship provided an amazing opportunity to develop professional and academic skills, all while simultaneously developing projects that leave a lasting impact on our community."

Social Media Handle(s)

Instagram: @samgrewe
Twitter: @samgrewe

MDisability Project

Understanding the Barriers and Facilitators for Audiology Follow-up: Secondary Analysis of Early Auditory Referral in Primary Care (EAR-PC)

Publications

Erin Hickey, Bernice Man, Kaila V.T. Helm, Steven Lockhart, Jennifer Duffecy, Megan Morris. "Preferred Communication Strategies for People with Communication Disabilities in Health Care Encounters." Journal of General Internal Medicine, November 2023|DOI: 10.1007/s11606-023-08526-4

Kaila V.T. Helm, Tiffany L. Panko, Melanie Herschel, Lauren D. Smith, Monika Mitra, Michael M. McKee. “Maternal Health Experiences of Black Deaf and Hard of Hearing Women in the United States.” Women’s Health Issue Journal., August 2023|DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2023.07.005

John C. O’Donnell, Erin M. Purvis, Kaila V.T. Helm, Dayo O, Adewole, Qunzhou Zhang, Anh D. Le, D. Kacy Cullen. "An Implantable Human Stem Cell-Derived Tissue-Engineered Rostral Migratory Stream for Directed Neuronal Replacement." Nature Comm Biol., 15 July 2021| https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02392-8

Kate V. Panzer, Justin C. Burrell, Kaila V.T. Helm, Erin M. Purvis, Qunzhou Zhang, Anh D. Le, John C. O’Donnell, D. Kacy Cullen. “Tissue Engineered Bands of Büngner for Accelerated Motor and Sensory Axonal Outgrowth.” Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., 20 November 2020| https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.580654

Biography

Kaila is an aspiring physician and hearing ally from Newburgh, NY. A 2020 graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, Kaila studied the Biological Basis of Behavior with a language certification in American Sign Language/Deaf Studies. After the internship, Kaila worked as a Clinical Subjects Coordinator for the University of Michigan's Family Medicine Department for two years, mainly supporting projects focused on Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) patients. As a multigenerational African-American, Black woman, Ms. Helm is passionate about better understanding the role of intersectionality and how having multiple marginalized identities impacts one's access to healthcare. Through her research at U-M, she aimed to explore ideas related to disability health research while advocating for patients with disabilities. She hopes to continue pursuing research on the intersections of healthcare, disability rights, race, and language exchange in the future. Kaila will attend the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai starting Fall 2022 to pursue an MD/MPH as a Global Health Scholar.

Quote/Comment About Intern Experience

"I really appreciated the one-on-one mentorship I received as an intern. My faculty mentor, Dr. McKee, was perceptive to my interests and helped me develop projects most aligned with my passions. For example, I supported the monthly Deaf Health Talks and began working on an additional project relating to Black DHH maternal health"

Social Media Handle(s)

Instagram: @kailahelm
Twitter: @kailahelm

MDisability Project

Lived Experiences of #DocsWithDisabilities: A Podcast Analysis

Publications

Sheets Z. But You Look Fine: Limitations of the Letter of Accommodation. In: McMaster C, Whitburn B, eds. Disabled Students’ Manifesto. Peter Lange Group; 2019.

Petersen K, Sheets Z, Singh S, Jawadi Z, Michael D, Meeks L. Inclusive Medicine and Medical Education: Increasing the Number of Clinicians With Disabilities. In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health. Oxford University Press; 2022. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190632366.013.290

Biography

Zoie is now a fourth year medical student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She plans to apply to a Med/Peds residency, with a goal of providing primary care for disabled patients across the lifespan. She also completed a Masters of Public Health, with a focus on the barriers faced by those with disabilities when they need access to primary care. Additionally, her research focuses on creating curriculum and simulated patient models that can help break down stigma and improve physician attitudes toward people with disabilities. As a member of the Meeks Lab, she also works on issues pertaining to medical education and inclusion of disabled learners — which is key component of creating a more accessible field for patients and providers alike. She is thrilled to be a part of the MDisability program, and can’t wait to see the ways this program will continue to equip her to become a #DocWithDisabilities herself! 

Quote/Comment About Intern Experience

One of the most exciting aspects of this program was being fueled by the experiences, passion, and goals of fellow interns. Sometimes doing this work, especially as a disabled learner, can feel isolating and a bit scary. But, when you’re surrounded by like minds who care as deeply as you about countering ableism in medicine, you feel both supported and encouraged to keep pushing forward. 

Social Media Handle(s)

Twitter: @ZoieSheets

MDisability Project

Publications

Biography

Quote/Comment About Intern Experience

"This internship was the first chance I had to work with disabled mentors in public health. It was so meaningful to me to learn about public health research from people I could relate to and from people who understood the issues personally." 

Social Media Handle(s)

Twitter: @carolinecerill1 

MDisability Project

Deaf Health Clinic manuscript, DocsWithDisabilities podcast, Adaptive Sports volunteer

Publications

MDisability-related:

Panzer K, Park J, Pertz L, McKee MM. Teaming Together to Care for Our Deaf Patients: Insights from the Deaf Health Clinic. JADARA. 2020;53(2):60-77. Retrieved from https://repository.wcsu.edu/ jadara/vol53/iss2/3

Panzer KV, Maraki I, Cross T, Meeks LM. Podcast possibilities: Asynchronous mentoring for learners with disabilities. Medical Education. 2020;00:1-2.

Bernard A, Weiss S, Rahman M, Ulin SS, D’Souza C, Salgat A, Panzer K, Stein JD, Meade MA, McKee MM, Ehrlich JR. The Impact of COVID-19 and Pandemic Mitigation Measures on Persons with Sensory Impairment. American Journal of Ophthalmology. 2021; doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2021.06.019

DeJonckheere M, McKee MM, Guetterman TC, Schleicher LS, Mulhem E, Panzer K, Bradley K, Plegue MA, Rapai ME, Green LA, Zazove P. Implementation of a Hearing Loss Screening Intervention in Primary Care. Annals of Family Medicine. 2021;19.

Other publications:

Gottlieb, REW, Panzer, KV, Wang, M, Leis, Aleda, AM, Whitney, DG. Longitudinal Patterns of Postfracture Outpatient Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Use and Its Association with 3-Year Mortality Among Adults with Cerebral Palsy. Physical Therapy. 2023 Jul 13;103(8):pzad090. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzad090

Panzer KV, Burrell JC, Helm KVT, Purvis EM, Zhang Q, Le AD, O’Donnell JC, Cullen DK. Tissue Engineered Bands of Bungner for Accelerated Motor and Sensory Axonal Outgrowth. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 2020;8:580654. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.580654

O’Donnell JC, Katiyar KS, Panzer KV, Cullen DK. A tissue-engineered rostral migratory stream for directed neuronal replacement. Neural Regeneration Research. 2018 Aug;13(8):1327-1331. 

Struzyna LA, Browne KD, Brodnik ZD, Burrell JC, Harris JP, Chen HI, Wolf JA, Panzer KV, Lim J, Duda JE, Espana RA, Cullen DK. Tissue engineered nigrostriatal pathway for treatment of Parkinson’s disease. J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2018;12:1702-1716. https://doi.org/10.1002/term.2698

Biography

Kate graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 2018, where she studied bioengineering, learned American Sign Language (ASL), and conducted tissue engineering research for neuroregeneration. Upon graduating, she completed a one-year research program in Ghana with a nonprofit called Cocoa360. In 2019, she relocated to Ann Arbor, MI, for the inaugural MDisability summer internship program. She continued to work as a clinical research assistant with MDisability faculty until starting medical school at the University of Michigan in 2020. As a medical student, she serves as co-founder of Medical Students for Disability Health & Advocacy and student lead of the inaugural ASL Elective for Medical Students.

Quote/Comment About Intern Experience

"The MDisability Internship was a launching pad for me to explore various aspects of disability health and wellness. The strong connections I made with faculty, staff, and students are a major reason why I decided to stay at UM for medical school. I'm thankful for my MDisability colleagues who motivate me to become a better learner, researcher, and advocate.

Social Media Handle(s)

Twitter: @Kate_Panzer

MDisability Project

Comparing the Accessibility of Common Clinical Cognitive Screening Tools (Dr. Mckee), Literature Review for GME Disability Policies in the U.S. (Dr. Meeks)

Publications

Biography

Anah was raised by a single disabled parent, which gave her the passion to pursue disability health, advocacy, and inclusion in her career. After completing the MDisability Internship in 2019, she continued working with Dr. Mckee as a Research Assistant on a project investigating Age-Related Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline. She has worked with neurodivergent communities, the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing community, and communities with physical disabilities in her early professional career. Anah is currently a medical student at Wayne State University School of Medicine, where she serves as the Research Coordinator for a new student-led group, Disability Health and Advocacy Initiative (DHAI) in 2023. She continues to pursue new avenues to engage with disability health as a medical student in the city of Detroit.  

Quote/Comment About Intern Experience

The MDisability internship was the first time I saw a team of physicians actively taking steps to reduce the health disparities and general inequities disabled communities experience daily. I truly value the mentorship the leaders of this program offered me during and after my time with them. 

Social Media Handle(s)