In late January, the NH-ME LEND Program hosted a two-state panel discussion and a keynote speaker as part of their virtual Spring Semester Kick Off Event, Organizing to Influence Your State's Policy. The session was designed to help prepare NH and ME trainees to participate in the annual Disability Policy Seminar in Washington, DC on March 28-30, 2022.

Elianna Miller, a LEND genetic counseling graduate student (class of 2022) was awarded the National Society of Genetic Counselors Assisted Reproductive Technologies special interest group award for her thesis work titled �Understanding Oocyte Donor Perceptions of Genetic Testing and Expanded Carrier Screening.�

Music therapist Yue Wu (MN LEND 2019-20) is working on a second production of her show, "Light in the Well," which weaves together symphony movements and the real-life stories of people with disabilities. The show debuted to audience acclaim in October at MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis.

We are excited to announce the 2021-2022 cohort of Trainee Liaisons! Please join us in welcoming these new leaders to our community. Trainee Liaisons (TLs) are nominated trainees at LEND/DBP training programs, UCEDDs, and IDDRCs who volunteer to engage in information sharing and dialogue on trainee-related matters between their Program/Center, trainees at other AUCD member sites, and the AUCD national office.

AUCD is offering scholarships to support LEND audiology trainees in attending the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Annual Conference on March 13-15, 2022. All current LEND audiology trainees, including those in their externship year, are eligible to apply.

Elizabeth Cleveland, PhD, CCC-SLP, Director of Training for the AR LEND, has been elected as the Arkansas Speech-Language-Hearing Association President-Elect for the 2022 calendar year. Dr. Cleveland was also recognized earlier this year as a Distinguished Early Career Professional through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Center.

We are excited to announce the AUCD Emerging Leaders Interns for the 2021-2022 training year! These trainees will serve as visible ambassadors to the broader AUCD network, interacting with AUCD staff at all levels and the AUCD Board of Directors' Emerging Leaders Representative.

In early September, a new cohort of trainees from New Hampshire and Maine traveled to the University of New Hampshire (UNH) for the Fall 2021 Kickoff. Faculty and trainees had the opportunity to meet in person, participate in team-building activities at The Browne Center for Innovative Learning (UNH's outdoor educational center), and gather the following day for the Leadership Boost, a core LEND activity

2020-21 Louisiana LEND scholar Natasha M. Lee-Johnson, MSW, MED has been selected for a competitive fellowship from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) as a Health Policy Research Scholar.

Daniela Berrios and Molly Smeal, two audiology professionals from the University of Miami Health System, received the Distinguished Early Career Professional (ECP) certificate from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The award was created by ASHA to recognize and identify ECPs in the fields of audiology and speech-language pathology who are making an impact in the areas of leadership, volunteering, or advocacy at the local, state, and/or national level.