The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) created the Disability Research Mentorship Program for Black Graduate Students in 2020 in recognition that academic/research job candidates are judged on their history of publications and presentations, yet, anti-Black racism impacts who gets research and other opportunities in grad school. For this reason, CQL’s research Mentorship Program aims to provide Black students with opportunities to build up their CVs by co-writing and publishing a journal article about disabled people with CQL’s Director of Research, Carli Friedman.
The 2024 Mentorship Program Student
After a rigorous selection process from a highly competitive applicant group, CQL is delighted to announce the selection of the fifth Mentorship Program cohort! The student selected for the 2024 Mentorship Program not only has an impressive background, but also a dedication to disability research in order to improve quality services. We are thrilled to work with someone with academic interests that nicely compliment with the work we do at CQL and look forward to promoting quality of life and community integration through this collaboration.
Diogo Fortes
Diogo Fortes is a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience at the University of Virginia and worked as a clinical neuroscience research assistant for three years at the Yale Child Study Center. As the younger sibling of an autistic adult with high support needs, he is particularly interested in studying and promoting the impact, coordination, and sustainability of Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) for adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD).
Through the Council on Quality and Leadership’s Disability Research Mentorship Program, Diogo hopes to engage with experts in disability and long-term care policy as he develops his interests in direct support workforce retention, health outcomes over the lifespan, and community participation. He also seeks to grow as a scholar and expand his experience with the academic publishing process.
CQL Announces 2024 Disability Research Mentorship Student