MDisability, a Department of Family Medicine disability health program, is welcoming three new summer interns – its seventh cohort! Interns include Rahee Amin, Jill Maudlin and Maria Velat. They will begin the internship in June and end in August with presentations to Family Medicine research faculty on disability-related work they’ve completed during the internship. 

The interns will learn to conduct research and participate in hands-on disability health projects with faculty, not only in Family Medicine but across the university. They will also build their own academic and professional networks of pioneering disability health leaders at U-M and learn how to work as advocates for patients with disabilities. 

Since its inception in 2019, the internship has trained 20 students, many of whom have gone on to inspire others in the medical community to consider the needs of all patients, no matter their disability status.  

Here’s more information about our inspiring new summer interns: 

Rahee Amin 

Rahee graduated from Wofford College in South Carolina in the spring of 2024 with a B.S. in Biology, a minor in Sociology/Anthropology, and a concentration in Medicine and Liberal Arts. Rahee was also inducted as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Rahee’s passion for medicine grew from firsthand experiences with hearing loss, which exposed Rahee to the health inequities faced by disabled populations. It also inspired in Rahee a commitment to disability advocacy and healthcare inclusivity.  

As the founder of the Upstate Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) Mentoring Program in South Carolina, Rahee works to connect DHH children with d/Deaf role models and provide community-based family education. The program won first place in a grant pitch competition among 16 community programs partnered or founded at Wofford College. The program also received the Community Sustainability Inspiration Award.  

Rahee’s interest in disability-focused research grew as Rahee served an internship with Strong Children’s Research Center at the University of Rochester, where Rahee conducted a study on hearing loss and lead poisoning. This resulted in an increase in audiology screenings for at-risk pediatric patients. Rahee currently works as a traveling audiology screener for Beginnings SC, a nonprofit that empowers families of DHH children five years or younger in age. Rahee has screened about 400 children so far!  

Rahee is also applying to medical school and hopes to matriculate at a medical school during the Fall of 2026. Rahee is excited to grow as an advocate through the MDisability internship and hopes to continue advancing equitable healthcare through research, community outreach, and inclusive medical practices to improve health outcomes for disabled communities. 

Jillian (Jill) Maudlin 

Jill Maudlin is a 2025 graduate of the University of Notre Dame where she studied Neuroscience and Public Service. Her experience living as a part-time wheelchair user due to an acquired disability led her to better understand the health disparities that disabled people face, and she strives to research and bridge those disparities for her community.  

Jill will be matriculating at medical school in the fall of 2025 and is interested in emergency medicine and obstetrics, with a focus on disability health research.  

In her spare time, Jill is involved with disability advocacy, as well as Irish traditional music, swing dance, beading, and building community everywhere she goes. She is very excited to formally work towards health equity for patients with disabilities! 

Maria Velat 

Maria Velat is a rising senior at the University of Michigan, pursuing a bachelor’s of Movement Science while competing as a student-athlete on the adaptive track and field team. She is also a member of the wheelchair tennis team at U-M.  

Maria is passionate about access to adaptive sports and its intersection with healthcare. She hopes to become either a neurological physical therapist or pursue a PhD, working in disability-related research.  

Her interest in disability health began when she experienced a spinal cord injury at 15 years old. Prior to her injury, Maria was a highly competitive athlete. At the time, there was no infrastructure for students to compete in adaptive sports. After learning about the lack of access and infrastructure for adaptive sports in Michigan, Maria started the petition for ‘I Am An Athlete Too.’  

This movement aimed to create a category for adaptive athletes in Michigan high schools. Following that goal, the movement has become a 501(c)(3) non-profit.  

As CEO and co-founder of ‘I Am An Athlete Too,’ Maria organizes clinics around Michigan to introduce and build adaptive track and field skills to K-12 students. Thanks to her efforts, there is now an adaptive athlete in every high school division in Michigan. Maria continues to be passionate about adaptive sports through her own athletic endeavors and activism. She has competed in the Track and Field Paralympic Trials and the first-ever NCAA Wheelchair Track National Championships. 

Maria’s ultimate goal is to fully integrate adaptive sports into healthcare and education to give people with disabilities fair and equitable access to exercise and competition.