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MDisability and Center for Disability Health & Wellness Summer Internship Program

Are you passionate about improving health outcomes and making healthcare more inclusive for people with disabilities?

Apply now to join the MDisability and Center for Disability Health & Wellness Summer Internship Program 2026 to enhance your understanding of health and wellness for people with disabilities. Explore the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in healthcare settings. Learn how to conduct impactful research to understand and improve health and health outcomes for individuals with disabilities in different health care settings. This includes enhancing primary and specialty care access and quality of care for these individuals.

For More Information

Contact the Program Coordinator

Program Overview

The MDisability and Center for Disability Health & Wellness Summer Internship Program 2026 is dedicated to advancing the inclusion of people with disabilities across healthcare research, medical education, clinical practice, and community initiatives. This nine-week internship is designed to provide opportunities for students and recent graduates with a commitment to disability health and equity for people with disabilities:

Build foundational research skills
Collaborate with leading disability health researchers and clinicians
Gain insight into disability-related health policy and the impact of disability and intersectionality
Learn best practices to improve healthcare access and outcomes
Shadow clinicians who work with individuals with disabilities
Participate in community engagement and medical education projects focused on disability inclusion

The internship was developed to increase the representation of researchers and clinicians interested in disability health and to address long-standing health inequities.

How to Apply

Complete the online application form and submit it with your CV/resume, a personal statement (up to 2,500 words) explaining your interest in addressing health outcomes, healthcare access, or equity for people with disabilities, and a letter of recommendation.

You will be required to upload your CV/resume and personal statement, and to request that the person supporting your application upload a letter of recommendation.
Your application will be considered complete only when all documents are uploaded.
Applications must be received on February 2, 2026, by midnight Eastern Time.
Please direct any questions or accommodation requests to Internship Program Coordinator Dawn Michael at [email protected]

Submit an Application

Submit the online application form to apply to the program.

Expanded Training Opportunities

The new 2026 Summer Internship program offers more opportunities as part of an expanded, nationally recognized MDisability Summer program. This expansion is made possible through collaboration with the U-M Center for Disability Health and Wellness (CDHW). Funding from MDisability is made possible through the generous support of the Philip Zazove, MD Disability Health Endowment Fund and the Robert J. Fisher, MD Family Medicine Fund, as well as the U-M Medical School's Department of Family Medicine. Funding from CDHW is supported by grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) including the Advancing Health Equity Among Adults with Disabilities from Diverse Communities (AHEAD-DC) Rehabilitation and Research training Center (NIDILRR grant #90RTHF0005).

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Currently enrolled in an undergraduate program (Junior or higher class standing, with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher); post-baccalaureate or early graduate students; or individuals in a gap year.
Must be available full-time during the internship period from June 15 – August 14, 2026.
Must have the ability to commit to a 40-hour workweek and participate for the entire nine-week period.
Have United States Citizenship (or hold permanent residency status) or international students currently enrolled in a U.S. college/university and hold a student non-immigrant visa.
Applicants with disabilities and those from traditionally underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The 2026 summer internship will run from Monday, June 15 to Friday, August 14, 2026.
The internship program will be a hybrid format, with in person opportunities prioritized. There will be a mixture of virtual and in person meetings, along with training with faculty and staff and in-person clinic and community experiences, as available.
A $4,000 stipend will be provided. Additional support and/or funding is available for individuals who need disability-related accommodations to participate.

Complete Program for Education and Evaluation in Responsible Research and Scholarship (PEERRS) training. This training must be completed before the start of the internship.
Regular attendance at a weekly Journal Club, educational or faculty series with various Family Medicine faculty members or supported by the Department of Family Medicine, the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, IHPI or MICHR.
Completion of a project in one or more research or program domains (clinical, research, education, or community), to be developed with faculty mentors and conducted during the nine-week internship. Projects may lead to a publication, poster presentation or community education material or programming. For project examples, view previous intern project presentations and internship work: 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Complete a group project with other summer interns that addresses a community or disability health need.
Prepare and present internship projects to research and clinical faculty and staff at the end of the internship.
Attend and participate in Family Medicine and pertinent Michigan Medicine regularly scheduled meetings including Family Medicine research, MDisability, and the Center for Disability Health and Wellness.

Shadow clinicians from different specialties. This will include Family Medicine/MDisability faculty at local Michigan Medicine Family Medicine clinic locations, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, OB/GYN, Low Vision Clinic and more.
Participate in external, disability-focused, community organization events.
Develop and present programming to the disability community.

About MDisability

The MDisability Program is among the very few programs in this country that introduces students to a unique blend of disability health research education, hands-on activities with faculty, and critical insight on what it means to care for people with disabilities.

It’s rewarding for me to mentor students who want to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. We’ve created critical momentum in changing how future medical professionals will care for people with disabilities.

— Michael M. McKee, MD, MP

MDisability Director

MDisability is a collaborative family medicine program focused on improving the primary care of people with disabilities through medical education, research, clinical care and community partnerships. A critical need exists to address disparities and under-representation through synchronized initiatives across primary care, medical education and research.

MDisability is committed to providing opportunities for training, research and education, which contributes to culturally compassionate, person-centered primary care and increased representation of people with disabilities. Established in 2019, MDisability is tackling issues such as health care barriers, suboptimal quality of care, and ableist attitudes in primary care in collaboration with affiliated clinicians, educators and researchers.

About CDHW

“We know that – too often – healthcare systems do not provide people with disabilities access to safe, high-quality healthcare.

CDHW understands that both provider and system-level factors drive this disparity and is excited to be partnering to offer this summer internship as it addresses both.

Interns have the unique opportunity to both enhance their own knowledge and skills and consider how to influence systemic change.”

— Michelle A. Meade, PhD

CDHW Director

The U-M Center for Disability Health & Wellness (CDHW) works in partnership with the disability community to Innovate, Educate, Amplify, and Implement research, education, and clinical advocacy to enhance the health and wellness of people with disabilities by considering intersectional identities and connecting people, ideas and opportunities across the University of Michigan, the State of Michigan and beyond.

CDHW began in 2013 and received recognition by the Michigan Medicine Executive Committee in 2019. Supported by multiple center grants from the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research, CDHW is nationally recognized for our innovation and leadership in advancing health and health equity for people living with disabilities.

Shaping Future Leaders

Broad Program Exposure

"The MDisability summer internship is truly unique in the exposure that it allows interns to gain in research, clinical and community-based experiences. Not only did I get the opportunity to take part in exciting research advancing health equity for persons with disabilities, I was also able to envision the kind of impact I would like to have as a future clinician.”

- Suhas Kellampalli, 2023 Intern

Passion for Inclusive Care

“It was amazing to connect with and work alongside individuals who share a passion for advancing the lives of people with disabilities. Through being exposed to various areas of disability research, healthcare settings, and Adaptive Sports and Fitness Program, all of these strengthened my desire to continue disability-related work in my future career as a physician.”

- Sydney Kessler, 2022 Intern