The Connecticut Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (CT LEND) program is an interdisciplinary leadership training program aimed at improving the health of infants, children, and adolescents who have or are at risk for developing neurodevelopmental and other related disabilities, with an emphasis on autism spectrum disorders. The LEND program provides training to community members, professionals, family members of individuals with disabilities as well as students seeking interdisciplinary training experiences. Trainees engaged in the training program must complete coursework, research studies, advocacy projects, and community practicum assignments with infants, children, and youth with developmental disabilities and their families. The LEND program is funded by the the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Health Resources and Services Administration Grant No: T73MC30115).
The CT LEND Pediatric Audiology Supplement focuses on audiology education for graduate students as well as working with community partners at the local and state levels. The aim is to improve the identification and management for individuals at risk for hearing loss, especially those with neurodevelopmental and other related disabilities, including autism, and their families. UCONN is one of 12 programs nationwide that received funding to increase the number of short- and long-term pediatric audiology trainees and to expand didactic content and augment clinical experiences in infant/pediatric audiology.
For information on the UCONN LEND program, you can visit: https://uconnucedd.org/leadership-education/
| LEND Trainees |
| 2025: Samantha Christmas, Emily Orzechowski, and Evelyn Pearson
2024: Lauren Bauer, Zane Carey, and Emma Forbes
2023: Stella Bragoni, Ryan Miela, Eliza Mulkern, McLaine Rutan, and Jaylynne Thomas
2022: Margaret Brown, Kayla Hart, Kimberley Hook, and Alexis Olson
2021: Haley Danowski, Tayla Duntz, Alexis Simons, Kassander Thompson, and Victoria Zysk
2020: Melissa Karp and Kevin Sardy
2019: Maura Beggin, Ariana Glyde, Nicole Gottschalk, Adam Zhitomi
2018: Pamela Achuka, Michael Figueiredo, Erica Scarpati, Natalie Silvia
2017: Julia Garrick and Shannon Wannagot
2016: Olivia Dewald and Casey Turovac |