Lead. Participate. Advocate. Apply to NH-ME LEND at UMaine

Your leadership is needed by children and youth with developmental disabilities and their families.

The New Hampshire-Maine Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program (NH-ME LEND) is a collaboration among the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability, and the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies.

The mission of NH-ME LEND is to prepare leaders to enter the field of maternal and child health in order to improve the lives of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families, with particular attention to the needs of children with autism spectrum disorder. LEND trainees from a wide variety of professional disciplines (e.g., developmental pediatrics, early childhood education, social work, psychology, occupational therapy, health management and policy, and speech language pathology, etc.) engage in graduate-level training related to interdisciplinary, culturally competent systems of care for children and youth with developmental disabilities and their families.

Trainee applications are now available for the 2017-2018 NH-ME LEND Program. Competitive scholarships are available for qualified applicants. Application deadline is April 1, 2017. For additional information before applying, please contact Susan Russell, M.S., NH-ME LEND Interdisciplinary Training Coordinator at the University of Maine: srussell@maine.edu or call 207.581.1084.

Maine trainees in the NH-ME LEND Program register at the University of Maine and participate in the weekly LEND seminar through the use of eLearning and videoconferencing technology at the University of Maine and the University of New Hampshire. This rigorous 9-month curriculum follows the academic calendar and includes coursework and hands-on experiences with faculty, families, community partners and legislators. Program activities include leadership development, clinical training, continuing education/technical assistance, research and cultural competency field work.

To apply to the NH-ME LEND Trainee Program, please complete the online application or you may print the NH-ME LEND Trainee application (PDF) here.

For more information about the NH-ME LEND Trainee Program, please download the New Hampshire-Maine LEND brochure (PDF) and the New Hampshire-Maine LEND FAQs (PDF).