The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire, in partnership with the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies at the University of Maine, has received a five-year renewal for its Leadership in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Service.
With this grant renewal, the NH LEND program will officially change its name to the NH-ME LEND Program. In 2011, the collaboration between the Geisel School of Medicine and the IOD expanded to include the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies/UCEDD at the University of Maine. The change in name reflects the strength of the collaboration between the two states.
“Our collaboration with the University of Maine over the past 5 years has been a productive one resulting in new relationships between our LEND program, trainees, faculty members and community-based partners and clinics in both states. We look forward to our continued work in this new grant cycle.”
The purpose of the NH-ME LEND Program is to increase the numbers of leaders in the MCH workforce, increase the leadership capacity of the workforce, and address health disparities in NH and ME through high quality interdisciplinary training. The 22 members of the NH-ME LEND faculty are national leaders in: medical genetics of neurodevelopmental disability and autism spectrum disorders, child environmental health, and health care services research; disparities of health, health care, and health outcomes for people with disabilities; family centered culturally competent care, medical home research and implementation, and health care transition for youth with special health care needs; family-centered transition planning for students with ASD; effective and meaningful inclusion of students with ASD/NDD in the general education classroom; maternal and child public health policy; assessment of caregiver-child interactions, promotion of child care quality, assessment of early communicative development for use in screening for NDD, and advocacy to turn scientifically-based and respectful policy recommendations into law, regulation, and practice.
Since 2011, NH-ME LEND has engaged 108 long-term trainees from more than thirteen disciplines in interdisciplinary training. NH-ME LEND trainees have gone on to regional or national leadership positions in higher education, public health, Title V programs, public policy, developmental disabilities government agencies, and direct clinical care services. Learn more at mchlend.unh.edu.
