Program Highlights icon

Iowa Health Care Inclusion Leadership Award

The Iowa LEND Program received the 2023 University of Iowa Health Care Inclusion Leadership Award (Group) at the 2023 Culturally Responsive Health Care in Iowa Conference in June. The award is presented to “an individual and/or group who have exhibited an outstanding commitment to diversity, inclusion, and/or equity through their leadership contributions.”

Research Opportunities

Each LEND trainee develops a research project during the training year. At the end of the year, they create and present their projects at the annual research poster session. To check out the projects and posters presented at the 2022 Research Poster Session, click on the image below.

Parents As Mentors

A key feature of the ILEND program is the Parents as Mentors (PAM) experience, which matches each trainee with a family who has a child with special needs. In the PAM program, parents become the teachers and provide insight into family life and family perspectives as they spend time with the trainees in their homes and communities. 

Disability Policy Seminar

Iowa LEND trainees have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., to attend the AUCD Disability Policy Seminar. The Disability Policy Seminar provides a chance to meet with legislators on Capitol Hill, and to advance the grassroots movement for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Trainees join AUCD, the Arc, AAIDD, NACDD, SABE, and UCP to learn about and advocate for access to health care and community living supports, and bedrock civil rights protections. 

Partnership with Puerto Rico's UCEDD

The partnership between Iowa Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (ILEND) and the University of Puerto Rico’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (PRUCEDD) began in 2015. In Puerto Rico, there is currently a lack of access to providers trained in using applied behavior analysis (ABA) to address challenging behavior in individuals with developmental disabilities. The ILEND/PRUCEDD partnership was created to address this need, and its goals include:

  • Develop leaders in Puerto Rico to build capacity for assessment and treatment of challenging behavior.
  • Assist the Puerto Rican UCEDD (PRUCEDD) in the creation of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) course sequence on the University of Puerto Rico’s Medical Sciences campus.
  • Increase Iowa LEND trainees’ cultural awareness, and understanding of the strengths and challenges of providing services to individuals with disabilities in Puerto Rico.

Trainees from Puerto Rico in psychology, speech language pathology and education have participated in the intensive, year-long remote LEND training; and Iowa trainees of various disciplines have visited Puerto Rico. All participants in this project have found it an enriching experience. The Iowa LEND and PRUCEDD teams remain committed to supporting the development of new leaders and to learning from each other.