Home / News / Welcoming the 2024 UW LEND Trainee Cohort

Photo: Group photo of the LEND Trainee Class of 2024-2025.This fall, we are thrilled to welcome 40 new long-term trainees to the UW LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) program. The 2024 cohort reflects a diversity of backgrounds, expertise, and life experiences, bringing valuable perspectives to our program. From graduate students to post-graduate residents and fellows, mid-career professionals, family members, and self-advocates, this year’s trainees come together with a shared commitment to improving the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Our trainee cohort spans a range of disciplines, including psychology, developmental pediatric medicine, social work, speech-language pathology, genetics, occupational therapy, physical therapy, family and self-advocate leadership, and more. This fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and shared learning from the unique perspectives of their respective fields. Many of our clinical trainees are not only dedicated professionals but also have their own lived experiences with intellectual and developmental disabilities, adding to the richness of our learning community.

Over the next nine months, UW LEND trainees will be immersed in hands-on learning. They will participate in interdisciplinary clinics, engage with the community, and complete leadership projects, all with the guidance of faculty mentors, preparing them to become our next generation of leaders in the disability field.

We are proud to welcome this talented and diverse group to the UW LEND community, and we look forward to seeing the impact they will make on Washington State and beyond.

For more information about the UW LEND cohort, visit our LEND page.

Screenshot of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website on a laptop.Photo of Brett Niessen - head shot