Graduate students are invited to apply for the Iowa Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (ILEND) program for the next academic year (2020-2021).  ILEND is an interdisciplinary leadership training program for graduate students with a commitment to providing culturally competent, family-centered, coordinated systems of health care and related services for children with special health care needs and their families.  The information below will help you decide if this opportunity is right for you.  You can also find out more about ILEND here.

In order to apply for the program, you must meet these requirements: (1) trainees must be a graduate student enrolled full time in an academic program and (2) trainees receiving stipend support from grant funds (approx. $6,500 for the year) must be a United States citizen, or, must have been admitted to the United States with a permanent resident visa.  Also, it is important to consider that the LEND program requires a minimum commitment of 300 hours during the academic year.  These hours include seminars which are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1:00 pm at the Center for Disabilities and Development.  LEND trainees also participate in a variety of projects and activities outside of the classroom to learn about cultural issues, family issues, and advocacy/policy.  The activities and projects are set up so that you can complete them at times convenient to your schedule.

If you are interested, please return your completed application to  Will Story (william-story@uiowa.edu) and the ILEND Training Coordinator, Kelly Von Lehmden (kelly-vonlehmden@uiowa.edu) by April 3, 2020. Once your application is received,  finalists will be contacted to schedule an interview.  Do not hesitate to contact Dr. Story or Kelly if you have any questions.

ILEND Application Form FY21

About ILEND

The ILEND Program is an interdisciplinary leadership training program for graduate students in the fields of Medicine, Psychology, Speech-Language Pathology, Nursing, Social Work, Audiology, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Public Health, Healthcare Administration and other related disciplines.  The ILEND program is funded under the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (CARES) Act, administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) which is a part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).  HRSA is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable.

The purpose of the LEND training program is to improve the health of infants, children, and adolescents with disabilities. LEND accomplishes this by preparing trainees from diverse professional disciplines to assume leadership roles in their respective fields and by ensuring high levels of interdisciplinary clinical competence.

There are currently 52 LEND programs located at university medical centers around the country.  While each LEND program is unique, with its own focus and expertise, they all provide interdisciplinary training, have faculty and trainees in a wide range of disciplines, and some programs include parents or family members and self-advocates as paid program participants. All of the LEND programs also share the following objectives:

1. Advance the knowledge and skills of all child health professionals to improve health care delivery systems for children with developmental disabilities.
2. Provide high-quality interdisciplinary education that emphasizes the integration of services from state and local agencies and organizations, private providers, and communities.
3. Provide health professionals with skills that foster community-based partnerships.
4. Promote innovative practices to enhance cultural competency, family-centered care, and interdisciplinary partnerships.

ILEND Program Requirements

Participation in the ILEND program requires that trainees attend seminars on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm in Room 102 at the Center for Disabilities and Development.  In the fall, these seminars make up the graduate course 7U:190 Interdisciplinary Issues in Disabilities.  In the spring, the seminars are part of 7E:340:001 Advanced Topics in Teaching and Learning.  ILEND trainees can take these courses for one or two hours of graduate credit.

Seminars provide didactic information about interdisciplinary clinical work, leadership, cultural competence, family-centered care, advocacy/policy, systems improvement initiatives and coordinated systems of care.

In addition to participation in seminars, ILEND trainees are also required to work on projects, observe evaluations in the outpatient clinic at the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD), visit community clinics, participate in the Parents as Mentors program (PAM), attend cultural events in the community and participate in state systems improvement initiatives (see Leadership Education Program Requirements document).