LEND Trainees and Faculty Connect at EHDI Conference in Dallas, TX

March 16, 2009

AUCD Trainees at the 2009 EHDI Conference

LEND Trainees, Faculty, MCHB and NCBDDD Representatives, and AUCD staff gathered in March at the 2009 National Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Conference.  Representatives from 5 of the programs funded by the AUCD-MCHB Pediatric Audiology Training Award were in attendance.

The night before the conference, a trainee reception was held to introduce trainees to the many opportunities available in the network of programs and also allow time for meeting other trainees and networking.  Dr. Anne Marie Tharpe from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center presented, "The Alphabet Soup of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention."  Dr. Karl White provided an overview of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM). Several other presenters informed the students about specific issues related to early hearing detection and intervention.

AUCD Executive Director Dr. George Jesien discussed some of the many opportunities available to LEND Trainees through AUCD such as fellowships and electronic resources.  Many trainees expressed interest in becoming more involved in network activities including the AUCD Trainee Listserve, Facebook Page, and Journal Club. 

During the last day of the conference, LEND Trainees and Faculty gathered to give trainees the opportunity to reflect on their experiences at EHDI, what they found useful, and what they would benefit from in the future.  Trainees were energized by networking with other trainees and faculty and learning about the LEND Network and the infant audiology programs around the country. Because of their attendance at EHDI 2009, there were many trainees who stated they would seek out more leadership opportunities in their programs and throughout the network. 

Be sure to check the AUCD Trainee Webpage and upcoming issue of LENDLinks for articles written by trainees about their experience!

The programs in attendance were:

• JFK Partners at the University of Colorado-Denver, Aurora, CO
• Center for Development and Learning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
• The UCLID Center at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Mid-Tennessee Interdisciplinary Instruction in Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, TN
• Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (URLEND) at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
• Cincinnati Children's' Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics LEND Program at the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
• Nisonger Center at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin,  Madison, WI