MCHB Expands National Footprint of LEND Training Programs
July 12, 2016
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The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced funding awards for a record 52 Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs. These programs, which are located at universities and hospitals across the country, prepare trainees from a wide variety of professional disciplines to assume leadership roles in the delivery of services to children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities in clinical practice, research, and public policy.
LEND is one of several initiatives funded by federal Autism CARES legislation; this month's announcement reflects an increased investment, which now totals more than $29 million per year. As a result, there are now LEND programs located in 44 US states (up from 37), with an additional six states and three territories reached through program partnerships. Each LEND is responsible for training a minimum of nine long-term (i.e. 300 or more hours) trainees per year across at least seven health or allied health disciplines; those requirements increase for programs with higher funding levels. This new cycle of LEND grants began on July 1, 2016 and will continue through June 30, 2021.
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is proud to support the national network of LEND programs through its Interdisciplinary Technical Assistance Center on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (ITAC), funded by a cooperative agreement with MCHB. AUCD and ITAC support programs in a variety of ways, including but not limited to: facilitating discussions and sharing information on relevant topics, supporting quality improvement efforts, identifying and disseminating best practices, and leveraging the power of its network to benefit both individual programs and impact policy. AUCD is excited about the expansion of the LEND network and looks forward to working with both new and incumbent programs to continue moving the needle for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, their families, and their communities.
The universities / hospitals that successfully applied for funding to support a LEND program are:
- AL: University of Alabama at Birmingham
- AK: University of Alaska Anchorage
- AZ: University of Arizona
- AR: University of Arkansas System
- CA: Children's Hospital Los Angeles
- CA: University of California, Davis *
- CA: University of California, Los Angeles *
- CO: University of Colorado Denver
- CT: University of Connecticut *
- DE: University of Delaware *
- FL: University of Miami
- GA: Georgia State University
- HI: University of Hawaii Systems
- IL: University of Illinois at Chicago
- IN: Indiana University
- IA: University of Iowa
- KS: University of Kansas Medical Center
- LA: Louisiana State University System *
- ME: University of New England *
- MD: Kennedy Krieger Children's Hospital
- MA: Children's Hospital Boston
- MA: University of Massachusetts Medical School
- MI: Wayne State University *
- MN: University of Minnesota
- MO: University of Missouri System
- NE: University of Nebraska Medical Center
- NV: University of Nevada, Reno
- NH: Dartmouth College
- NJ: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey *
- NM: University of New Mexico
- NY: Yeshiva University
- NY: Westchester Institute for Human Development
- NY: University of Rochester
- NC: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- OH: The Ohio State University
- OH: University of Cincinnati
- OK: University of Oklahoma
- OR: Oregon Health and Science University
- PA: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- PA: University of Pittsburgh
- RI: Rhode Island Hospital *
- SC: Medical University of South Carolina
- SD: University of South Dakota
- TN: Vanderbilt University
- TN: University of Tennessee
- TX: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- UT: University of Utah
- VT: University of Vermont
- VA: Virginia Commonwealth University
- WA: University of Washington
- WV: West Virginia University
- WI: University of Wisconsin System
* Denotes new programs for the 2016-2021 funding cycle
