Dear students and alumni,
My name is Michelle Ballan, and I am the director of the Stony Brook Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Center.
The federal Health Resources and Services Administration funds the LEND Center. It provides interdisciplinary training designed to improve the lives and care of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and neurodevelopmental disabilities (ASD/ND). This is accomplished by preparing trainees (including clinicians, residents, fellows, professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, families, and self-advocates) from a range of disciplines to be leaders in their fields. LEND focuses training on the clinical, advocacy, research, and policy skills necessary to effect positive change on all levels, from the individual to systems.
The core of LEND involves the training of what are called Long-Term Trainees (LTTs): Fellows who receive funding through the LEND grant will be immersed in the unique training opportunity of the LEND program. The funding is $7,500 for 10 trainees and $1,000 for up to five (5) additional trainees. I would like to invite you to register for a brief (45-minute) informational session for potential applicants with an LTT alumnus and me.
These sessions will take place in April. To register, please click here.
Applications to be a LEND LTT are due May 31, 2026, by midnight. If you are interested, I strongly encourage you to click here to submit your application for consideration to become a Stony Brook LEND Trainee.
Best,
Michelle S. Ballan, PhD
Professor and Associate Dean for Research, School of Social Welfare
Professor, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine
Director, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) Program Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Advanced Computational Science