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On May 5, 2017, nine interprofessional trainees were honored as they completed the nine-month inaugural Maine Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program at the Â鶹´«Ã½.

The ceremony included presentations and posters that showcased the clinical expertise, elective projects, policy initiatives, family centered practice and community outreach accomplished by Maine LEND Trainees. The presentations offered a dramatic conclusion for four site visitors from the Maternal Child and Health Bureau of the Health Resources & Service Administration (HRSA) as well as the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD).

LEND Director Eileen Ricci, PT, D.P.T., M.S., P.C.S., LEND Training Director Kathryn Loukas, OTD, M.S., OTR/L, FAOTA and Alison Barker, LEND Administrative Assistant planned and led the event in which trainees received certificates of completion and flowers to symbolize their growth.

The Maine LEND team included many Â鶹´«Ã½and Maine Medical Center professionals as faculty as well as speech and language services from Northeast Hearing and Speech. The celebration included family faculty, program directors, trainee Mentors, and leadership from the Â鶹´«Ã½Westbrook College of Health Professions.

The nine trainees are charged to make a difference in the lives of people and families affected by neurodevelopmental disabilities. The sentiment in the celebration along with the innovative work of the first cohort of LEND Trainees indicate that leadership is already moving forward.

Maine LEND will be selecting its next cohort of interprofessional trainees over the next month with the new curriculum beginning in September 2017.

To learn more about the Maine LEND program, visit

To apply, visit