Arizona Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (ArizonaLEND)

Pediatrics
Arizona Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (ArizonaLEND)

The University of Arizona Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (ArizonaLEND) is a leadership training program that prepares the next generation of policy makers, faculty, clinicians, researchers, family members, and self-advocates to lead the maternal and child health workforce.

Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) programs are graduate-level interdisciplinary leadership training programs federally funded through the Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB). The purpose of the University of Arizona LEND (ArizonaLEND) training program is to produce leaders and innovators in the field of autism and other neurodevelopmental and related disabilities who are solidly grounded in their own disciplines and able to work collaboratively with colleagues in interdisciplinary settings, and to prepare trainees to anticipate, manage and take advantage of changes in knowledge and healthcare delivery systems. ArizonaLEND prepares trainees from diverse professional disciplines to assume leadership roles in their respective fields and by ensuring high levels of interdisciplinary clinical competence.

ArizonaLEND provides education and training to long-term trainees in clinical knowledge (clinical expertise and interdisciplinary process), leadership, collaboration and research. Trainees are involved in supervised clinical experiences with a wide variety of disorders and will receive individual mentoring that yields an individualized approach. ArizonaLEND training emphasizes interdisciplinary interaction, intensive leadership training and public health approaches. Long-term trainees will receive compensation through tuition and fees or a stipend.

Why would you want to invest time into an ArizonaLEND traineeship?

LEND graduates are well-respected and highly marketable throughout the country
LEND graduates are in leadership positions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes for Health (NIH), the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and other University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), Title V agencies and more
LEND graduates have also become LEND faculty

What is required of an ArizonaLEND trainee?

300+ hours of training divided into areas of leadership, research and clinical training
Weekly seminars held throughout the academic year
Intensive leadership training with a three-day workshop and orientation prior to the beginning of the fall semester
Clinical experiences during the training year with one-day experiences in border health, Indian health and interdisciplinary multi-specialty medical care

The program goals of the University of Arizona LEND (ArizonaLEND) are to:

Provide interdisciplinary leadership training in the care of persons with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities to a wide range of health and health-related professionals at the graduate and postgraduate level with emphasis on life course theory and on improving systems of care and access to quality interdisciplinary care
Strengthen the infrastructure and capacity for implementation of an ArizonaLEND
Plan, develop and implement a collaborative continuing education training program that emphasizes community-based partnerships of health resources, community leadership and the promotion of innovative practice models
Reinforce the infrastructure by increasing the percentage of professionals who are trained to assess, diagnose, treat and support infants, young children and adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder

Trainee Application

Applications are posted to the website and available to download beginning in January and are open for approximately two months. Applications will be reviewed after the submission deadline. Interviews occur in April and final selections are made in May.

Watch this space for information on applications for the 2027-2028 training year.

ArizonaLEND Program Impact Report

This program impact report reflects ArizonaLEND’s activities, outputs and contributions from 2011 through 2026, highlighting the program’s growth and its role in developing interdisciplinary leaders and advancing systems of care for individuals with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities.

The report highlights the program’s impact across several domains: Workforce Development, Interdisciplinary Education, Knowledge Dissemination, Community Engagement and Systems-Level Leadership.

Program Impact Report 2026

ArizonaLEND Community Needs Assessment Report

The Arizona LEND Program conducted a statewide community needs assessment to better understand the experiences of families of children with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities and the perspectives of service providers across Arizona. The purpose of this assessment was to identify gaps in access to care, workforce capacity, and training needs to inform program planning and workforce development initiatives.

A community needs assessment is a core component of ArizonaLEND’s mission, as it enables the integration of both family and provider perspectives when identifying priorities for training and systems improvement.

Community Needs Assessment Report 2026