We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Frederick J. Krause Scholarship on Health and Disability. Every year this award recognizes students with disabilities who are working to advance the broad field of disability and health.
Meet our 2025 Scholars
Dishita Agarwal (she/her) is a sophomore at Duke University studying Neuroscience, Public Policy, and Computer Science, and a 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholar. After surviving a rare cardiac condition and ten surgeries, she’s seen firsthand how health is shaped not just in hospitals but also in the boardrooms, courtrooms, and markets that govern care. At Duke, Dishita serves as Co-VP of Business Behind Health, where she’s shaping The New Health Order, a 2026 conference exploring how finance, tech, and policy converge to define healthcare’s future. As a Student Government Senator, she redesigned campus paratransit for 15,000+ students, secured Duke’s first medical-sensitivity training for campus leaders, and led reforms expanding services for students with disabilities. Beyond Duke, she has advised Google on AI sustainability strategy, co-authored research published in JAMA, conducted pediatric care research with Harvard Medical School, and presented at Johns Hopkins and the HHS National Youth Town Hall. She serves as the only youth advisor in a national network of 95+ physicians and scientists, and has partnered with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen policy for students with complex health needs. After graduation, Dishita plans to work at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and systems design—whether through strategy consulting, healthcare-focused investing, or building her own company—to reimagine healthcare into something more humane, equitable, and sustainable.
Dana Fink(she/her) is earning her Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management at George Washington University, while working at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She directs programs that bridge behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disability, brain injury, aging, housing, education, justice, and child welfare systems to reduce fragmentation in services for people who are served by multiple systems. After graduation, Dana plans to return to nonprofit leadership, advancing cross-systems collaboration, expanding collective access, and ensuring people with disabilities shape organizational decisions.
Rae W. Hartman Haight(he/him) is currently a doctoral scholar in Towson University’s PhD program in Autism Studies. With an MA in psychology and an MFA in creative writing, he brings both scholarly and lived experience to research on supporting autistic individuals experiencing suicidality. In addition to serving on multiple national advisory groups, he facilitates autistic peer support groups and trains crisis responders. With his PhD, Rae plans to establish an autistic-led crisis support program, Autistic Lifeline, provide training and consulting, and advance community-based participatory research to improve crisis communication supports for autistic individuals worldwide.
Thank you to the many talented scholars who applied this past year. We welcome former applicants to re-apply. Interested graduate and undergraduate students can sign up for our general newsletter for updates on the 2026 Disability and Health Scholarship program. Next year’s scholarship application window will open in December.