Our recruitment deadline for consideration as a 2012-13 long term trainee has ended. If you have questions, or are interested in being included on future recruitment emails, please contact Rain Van Den Berg, rain@alaskachd.org.

Alaska LEND without Walls provides graduate-level interdisciplinary leadership training for Alaska residents who have a commitment to providing family-centered coordinated systems of health care and related services. The program aims to improve the health of infants, children, and adolescents who have, or are at risk for developing, autism and other developmental disabilities.

Interdisciplinary leadership training is the hallmark of LEND programs. Core faculty from special education, social work, psychology, nursing, family, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, medicine, and public health collaborate to offer interdisciplinary training and experiences.

Alaska LEND without Walls is housed within the University of Alaska Anchorage's Center for Human Development. LEND programs, funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, train future leaders in maternal and child health at the state and national level.

Alaska LEND without Walls requires a minimum commitment of 300 hours, which includes over 100 hours of clinical experience in an academic year. Trainees receive a stipend for participating in the LEND program  

The LEND program is offered using distance technology to trainees across the state, including Video Conferencing and some Web conferencing. Lend trainees also travel to Anchorage three times during the program year.

Eligibility criteria for Long Term Trainees:

1. You have completed a Baccalaureate degree and are enrolled in a graduate program in one of the following disciplines: nursing, public health, social work, psychology, special education, education, speech language pathology, occupational therapy, or medicine.
   -or-
   You have achieved an academic degree and training which constitutes basic professional level training for his/her field in one of the following disciplines: nursing, public health, social work, psychology, special education, education, speech language pathology, occupational therapy, or medicine.
   –or-
   You are a parent or family member of a child with a neurodevelopmental disability.
2. A minimum of 3.0 GPA
3. Long-term professional leadership goals focused in developmental disabilities and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder
   

Expectations

• Sept–May Academic Year commitment
• Attend LEND Orientation (2-day face-to-face in Anchorage in September)
• Participate in weekly seminars (offered via video/web conferencing at community sites outside the Anchorage bowl.)
• Attend two Leadership Workshops (2-days each, face-to-face in Anchorage; one during Fall semester and one during Spring semester)
• Complete all program requirements
• Monthly meeting with your faculty mentor
• Spend an average of 5–10 hours per week outside the Friday seminars on LEND activities such as family match, clinical/field experiences, and research.
  

Assignments

• Prepare for each seminar (reading, websites, research, presentations)
• Complete Leadership Skills self assessment and reflection
• Develop an individual leadership plan for the year in the program
• Use online Blackboard course and other online tools/resources
  

LEND Focus areas

Clinical

Approximately 100 hours will be clinical/field activities on screening, assessment, and follow-up services for children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Trainees will select additional community-based, clinical experiences with the faculty mentor.

Family-Professional Collaboration

Each trainee will be paired with a family who has a child with a disability. Trainees will spend time getting to know this family. Trainees work with their host family throughout the year, not to provide professional services, but to understand issues from the family’s or child’s perspective.

Leadership

Trainee will learn about leadership through weekly seminars and class activities throughout the year. In addition, there will be one face-to-face Leadership Workshop each semester.  Leadership includes both personal leadership skills and the larger systemic aspects of leadership. Each trainee and mentor will develop an Individualized Leadership Training Plan that defines activities related to leadership skills development.  Trainees will reflect and report on their professional learning about leadership during the year.

Public Policy

Each trainee will participate in a public policy activity such as Partners in Policy Making, Governor's Council on Disability and Special Education, Mental Health Trust Authority, and others.  Trainees will select a House or Senate bill and track the bill over the course of the second semester.

Research

Trainees will be required to complete a capstone leadership research project within an interdisciplinary team.  A research plan with an emphasis on disabilities will be developed at the beginning of the year. 
 

"The LEND program has pushed me in directions professionally that I never would have pursued without this experience.  I have gained a great deal of confidence and knowledge about the resources we have in Alaska and access to resources outside Alaska through the internet and through networking with other LEND programs and participants."

–2011/12 Speech Pathology LEND Trainee

"Though I was fairly knowledgeable in the field before LEND, I have found it to be rewarding on both a professional and personal level.  I believe it has enhanced my career options. It has connected me with an incredible national network of researchers and practitioners. And while I am no stranger to family issues, the LEND family experience has deepened my appreciation of the importance of family voice in policy-making. I would like to believe that it is making me a better policy maker and practitioner."

–2011/12 Social Work LEND Trainee