The Boggs Center Celebrates Graduation of 2023-2024 NJLEND Fellows

Thursday, May 23, 2024

On May 3rd, 2024, The Boggs Center celebrated the graduation of the 2023-2024 NJLEND Fellows at the New Jersey Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NJLEND) program’s 8th annual Maternal and Child Health Leadership Symposium. Held in New Brunswick, the symposium was attended by those from the Rutgers community, Children’s Specialized Hospital, SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, and other state and community organizations.

The event featured a keynote address, “We Can End Child Poverty. Why Don’t We?” by Peter Chen, JD, Senior Policy Analyst, New Jersey Policy Perspective. During the NJLEND Leadership Projects Poster Session, graduating NJLEND Fellows presented findings and implications of their year-long projects intended to benefit the larger maternal and child health community. Fellows also shared their personal definitions of leadership, the culmination of the year-long Defining Leadership: Charting Your Trajectory Learning Exercise.

Congratulations to the 2023-2024 NJLEND Fellows and Boggs Center Interdisciplinary Trainees: Eli Danto, BA; Jasleen Ahuja, MD; Priyanka Agarwal, BDS, MDS; Janzel Garzon Gonzalez, DMD; Monique J. Powell, BSc; LaVonia Abavana; Safiyyah Amina Muhammad; Chloe Koeppen, MS, GC; Jasmine Lafferty, MS, GC; Kimberly A. Schlosser, MS, GC; Madelyn Rose Cannone, MSN, CPNP-AC; Wendy Medunick, MS, RDN; Tania Gafanha, OTD; Melanie Wright, BS, OTD; Alexandra Peterson, PsyM, MAP; Jeannine Elizabeth Ederer, PsyM; Naomi Cruz, BA; Bassirou Sheykhou Drame, MSW; Cheryl Fields, DO, MBA.

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.