LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) is an interdisciplinary leadership training program, funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the federal government at 52 sites around the country.
The goal of LEND is to train future leaders in a variety of disciplines to improve the health of children who have or are at risk of developing neurodevelopmental disabilities or other similar conditions, such as autism and intellectual disabilities.
LEND trainees come from a variety of backgrounds and vocations including, but not limited to, audiology, family members (parent or sibling of a person with a disability), genetic counseling, health advocacy, health administration, medicine, nursing, law, nutrition, occupational therapy, psychology, public health, self-advocacy, social work, special education, and speech-language pathology.
The Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD), in conjunction with our partners at The Westchester Institute for Human Development University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (WIHD UCEDD) and New York Medical College, offers a LEND program each year for up to two St. Croix trainee applicants. Please review at https://www.wihd.org/training/lend/.