NH-ME LEND is proud to be celebrating 30 years of a rich and evolving history of preparing interdisciplinary leaders to enter the field of maternal and child health. The program recently received funding for another five-year cycle, 2021-2026. NH LEND was established in 1992 as a collaborative effort between Dartmouth College and the Institute on Disability. In 2011 the program expanded to include the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies/UCEDD at the University of Maine and the size of the program expanded to annual cohorts of over 20 trainees and 18 faculty from diverse disciplines. Videoconferencing technology provided the opportunity for Maine trainees to participate remotely in the weekly seminars and collaborate with dedicated stakeholders for clinical and leadership experiences.
Over 30 years, NH-ME LEND has trained over 350 graduate students, health professionals, family members, and self-advocates in interdisciplinary, culturally competent care for children and youth with developmental disabilities and their families. LEND graduates have gone on to work in schools, hospitals, clinics, community-based organizations, state and national policy, and higher education. “We are incredibly proud of the work our alumni are doing in NH, Maine, and beyond. We look forward to another five years of providing high-quality, innovative leadership training in developmental disabilities,” said Program Director Betsy Humphreys. In this grant cycle, the national LEND network expanded to include nearly every US state and territory as an awardee or in partnership with another LEND program.
