LEND and NERGN DNA Today Podcast/Spotify 

Betsy Humphreys, Karen Volle, and NH-ME LEND trainee Karina Mancini were interviewed for the "DNA Today" podcast by host Kira Dineen. The interview explores how LEND and NERGN (New England Regional Genetics Network) support training of future interdisciplinary leaders.

AIR-P Update January 2023

AIR-P held its fourth Research Day, at the AUCD 2022 conference, November 13-16th! For the first time, our sessions were threaded throughout the conference and fostered meaningful connections with fellow attendees. Highlights from our sessions include:

Playtime is Serious Business

Everyone knows that the holiday season is one of the most popular times of year to buy toys. IOD blogger Kathy Bates wondered about the role of assistive technology in making toys easier and more fun to play with for children with disabilities. Discover what she learned in her latest blog post "Playtime is Serious Business."

Frankenberg Visiting Professorship for Early Development and Behavior Challenges in Primary Care

Dr. Pamela High, director of Rhode Island LEND and Brown University�s Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics fellowship program, was honored to be invited as the 10th visiting professor for the annual Frankenberg Visiting Professorship & Lectureship at the Children�s Hospital of Colorado.

JEDI-Minded for Disability

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)-Minded for Disability is a collaborative project with the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (home of LEND-Pitt), medical students, and community stakeholders which aims to close the gap in undergraduate medical education regarding disability care. While there have been meaningful changes in health professional curricula to address certain healthcare disparities and improve cultural competency, people with disabilities are a population often not considered part of these initiatives.

Closing Plenary on Trauma & IDD

Jason Fogler & Amy Szarkowski (LEND program at Boston Children's Hospital) gave the closing plenary at the Annual Conference of the Massachusetts Psychological Association. Their talk was entitled, "Supporting Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Addressing Trauma and Honoring Lived Experiences."

Biennial Community Partnership Celebration

Every two years, Community Crossroads hosts a premiere Biennial Community Partnership Celebration, and this year, it was held on October 13 at the Atkinson Country Club & Resort. Student Kate Lonergan of UNH College of Health and Human Services was in attendance and won the Outstanding DSP Award, as was UNH-4U student Andrew. Two NH Leadership Series grads also took home awards: Regan Lamphier ('17) won the Kathleen Murphy Community Partnership Award and James Watson ('14) won the Outstanding Achievement Compass Award.

Presenting Research and Partnerships in Innovative Ways

Va-LEND Assistant Director Jackie Robinson Brock leads the Early Childhood Partnerships initiative. This project is a innovative virtual collaboration among three Universities, and their Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) and University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) programs. The project created a mechanism for sharing knowledge and expertise for interdisciplinary leaders in the early childhood field for young children (0-8 years of age) with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

An Examined Life: Disability Policy, Autism Research, and Me

Gyasi Burks-Abbott, Autism Advocate, Author, and Inaugural Lived Experience Faculty of the LEND Program at Boston Children's Hospital, presented the Keynote on the last day of the Neurodiversity Summit at Stanford University this fall. He most recently presented a version of this talk to students and faculty at Tufts University in December. Congratulations, Gyasi!

2022 CORE Trainee Research Award

The 2022 AUCD CORE Trainee Research Award was presented to Brittney Goscick, during the AUCD 2022 Awards Ceremony on November 15, 2022.