Current Fellows

Tiwaladeoluwa Adekunle received a BA at the University of Kentucky and completed her MA in Communication Studies and PhD in Health Communication at Purdue University. As an interdisciplinary researcher, her work integrates insights from Communication Studies, Public Health and Disability Studies to  i) assess healthcare disparities across the reproductive health continuum and chronic disease management and ii) harness community voices and tools to advance equitable outcomes. As a NIDILRR community living and participation fellow, she works with Access Living, a leading disability rights and advocacy organization, utilizing a community based participatory research approach to advance the organization's disability advocacy initiatives. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Social Science and Medicine, Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, and Community Health Equity Research and Policy.

Kathy Sliwinski received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan, a Master’s in Bioethics from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Her program of research is at the intersection of health services, health policy, and health disparities, primarily focused on improving care delivery and clinical outcomes for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). Her goal as a scholar is to leverage rigorous quantitative methods and large datasets to provide health care systems with actionable, evidence-based interventions to reduce language-based disparities.

Mitra Rouhani received her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy (PT) from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services and her Master’s degree in PT from Semnan University of Medical Sciences. With extensive clinical experience in neurological rehabilitation, she has developed expertise in managing complex cases and providing patient-centered care.

Mitra completed her PhD in Exercise and Rehabilitation Science at Marquette University, where her research focused on chronic disease management for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Currently, as a postdoctoral fellow in Health Services and Outcomes Research, she integrates qualitative and quantitative methodologies to investigate the barriers and facilitators to employment for individuals with progressive neurological conditions, including MS and Parkinson’s disease. Her work is dedicated to implementing evidence-based strategies that enhance health outcomes and strengthen healthcare support systems for these populations.

Heerak Choi earned a master’s degree in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision from Michigan State University. She is a certified rehabilitation counselor. She joined the Center for Education and Health Services at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University as a postdoctoral fellow in Fall 2024. Her research interests include psychosocial functioning of youth with disabilities and measurement validation. Her dissertation aimed to understand the impact of self-stigma and basic psychological needs on career outcomes among transition-age youth with disabilities using a structural equation modeling approach.  

Amy McArthur received her AB in Public Policy at the University of Chicago and MS in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University. She has worked as an occupational therapist in various adult hospital settings. Building on her clinical experiences as an occupational therapist, she received her PhD in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago and completed a clinical ethics fellowship at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago. Her research interests center on experiences of disability within cancer survivorship and improving access to disability services and supports, including rehabilitation, for cancer survivors.

Bishan “Melody” Yang earned a bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Therapy from Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine in China and a master’s degree in Rehabilitation focusing on Occupational Therapy from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Science and a Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Melody’s overarching research interests center on promoting healthy aging as well as community living and participation for people with disabilities. As someone who does not identify as disabled, she values the voices and needs of disability communities. Her expertise lies in mixed methods research, qualitative research, and community-based participatory research. Outside of work, Melody enjoys music, movies, cooking, spending time with friends, and the companionship of her cat, Diamond.