The Boggs Center Celebrates the Graduation of the 2021-2022 NJLEND Fellows at the 6th Annual Maternal and Child Health Leadership Symposium

Friday, May 27, 2022

On May 6th, 2022, The Boggs Center celebrated the graduation of the 2021-2022 NJLEND Fellows at the New Jersey Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NJLEND) program’s 6th annual Maternal and Child Health Leadership Symposium. Held virtually this year, the event featured a keynote address, “Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Tools for Leadership, Providing Support, and Relationships,” by Susan Stillman, EdD, Emerita Director of Education for Six Seconds, Emotional Intelligence Network and Lynne Tamor, PhD, a founding member of the Whole Schooling Consortium, an experienced family advocate, and an advocate for accessible information for both people with disabilities and their families. The symposium was attended by those from the Rutgers community, New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families and Department of Health, SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, and other state and community organizations and featured brief presentations by each graduating NJLEND Fellow sharing their personal definitions of leadership, the culmination of the year-long Defining Leadership: Charting Your Trajectory Learning Exercise.

NJLEND Fellows presented their Leadership Project Posters at a separate virtual session on Friday, April 29, sharing the culmination of their year-long projects with each other and the NJLEND Faculty.

Congratulations to the 2021-2022 NJLEND Fellows and Boggs Center Interdisciplinary Trainees: Raneta Anderson, MSW; Alexandra Bowen, MGC; Clare Bozso, DO; Cali Rae FitzGerald, MGC; Gabrielle Gunin, PsyD; Steve Gruzlovic, BA; Sophie Kang, PharmD; Audrey Mariani; Kerry McGrath, MSW; Julianne McGinnis, MGC; Melanie Niederhauser, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC, CCRC; Dominique Reminick, MA; and Heather Seid, MS, RDN.

Part of a national network, The Boggs Center’s NJLEND program provides graduate-level interdisciplinary training aimed at preparing the next generation of health leaders to address the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), related developmental disabilities, and other maternal and child health populations. Funding for LEND programs is authorized by the Autism CARES Act and is administered through the federal Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

To learn more about the NJLEND program, visit About NJLEND.