This year, 28 fellows have earned full MNLEND certificates, along with seven intermediate trainees who joined the program for a more limited, focused experience. They come from University of Minnesota academic disciplines, including Public Health Administration, Law, Social Work, Psychology, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pediatric Dentistry, and many more; or are community members in disability-related professions, self-advocates, or family advocates.

A MN LEND fellow searches neuroimaging databases for patterns that could lead to more personalized and effective strategies for regulating emotions, or developing social cognition, among other skills.

Oklahoma LEND graduate, Ellyn Hefner, class of 2014, is elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Prior to being accepted into the OK LEND program, Ellyn was a strong advocate for her son to ensure he would have the same opportunities as his siblings. She graduated from the Oklahoma Partners in Policymaking class sponsored by the Developmental Disability Council of Oklahoma.

University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) physical therapy students and Munroe Meyer Institute (MMI) LEND trainees partnered with Special Olympics Nebraska for their LEND Community Learning and Leadership project. They were involved with helping Special Olympics Nebraska (SONE) provide a variety of services to the community, their largest being a 6-week Young Athletes Camp hosted at a local elementary school.

A MN LEND faculty member's massive open online course (MOOC) is a Coursera hit. Wendy Looman's course is about families with young children, and how environmental factors such as housing and nutritious food, influence their outcomes.

It was below zero on Saturday, Feb. 4, but no one was cold at the University of New England in Portland, Maine where 59 people played games, engaged in creative crafts, and fully participated in new sports activities as part of the Maine Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Family Game and Sports Day! The events were planned as part of the LEND program to promote family-centered inclusion in the community for people with disabilities.

MN LEND fellow Caroline Roberts is studying self-injury among adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Despite their busy schedules, psychiatrists and behavioral therapists are eager to participate in the research.

AUCD is offering scholarships to support LEND audiology trainees in attending the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Annual Conference on March 5-7, 2023. All current LEND audiology trainees, including those in their externship year, are eligible to apply.

Mr. Scott Dent, a 2nd year genetics counseling masters student and South Carolina LEND trainee has been recognized for excellence in his field.. The Jane Engelberg Memorial Fellowship Student Research Award is intended to support research in the profession that addresses advances in genetic technology, along with the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of genetics in medicine.

A new article was published by Dr. Sharon Milberger and MI-LEND Program colleagues from both Wayne State University and Michigan State University. The article, entitled "Using a LIFE Framework to Develop MCH Leaders", examines the impact that the MI-LEND 'LIFE' framework has on the development of essential competencies identified within the leadership program.