Mid-Atlantic Regional LEND Advocacy Day

On Monday November 19th the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program hosted a workshop on legislative advocacy for the Mid-Atlantic Regional LEND Group and the Pennsylvania Leadership Learning Collaborative.

Joined by LEND fellows and faculty from programs at the University of Virginia, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and the Kennedy Krieger Institute based in Maryland, over 60 people participated. Speakers included Manny Jimenez, M.D., a third year fellow in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at CHOP and current LEND fellow, who presented an introduction to legislative advocacy based on his experiences as a Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation Public Policy fellow in the office of US Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Kristin Ahrens, Director of Policy for the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University discussed effective communication and Key Note speaker Kim Musheno, Director of Legislative Affairs for the Association of University Centers on Disability, prvided a post-Election Day overview of key issues that will drive the legislative landscape following the inauguration of the president and members of the 113th Congress in January and the expected impact of these factors on children with disabilities and the health care professionals who work with them.

Break out messaging clinics conducted by seasoned Capitol Hill mentors focused on building competencies for effective communication with legislators and legislative staff. Mentors included Chris Beck and Nikki Graham, Government Affairs Project Coordinators from CHOP's Office of Government Affairs, Community Relations and Advocacy.

Kristen Ahrens Mentoring Her Group

Keynote Kim Musheno Mentoring LEND Fellows