The Boggs Center Celebrates Graduation of 2024-2025 NJLEND Fellows

Monday, May 19, 2025

The Boggs Center celebrated the graduation of the 2024-2025 NJLEND Fellows during the New Jersey Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NJLEND) program’s 9th annual Maternal and Child Health Leadership Symposium held on May 2, 2025, in New Brunswick. Part of a national network of LEND programs authorized by the Autism CARES Act and administered through the federal Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, NJLEND 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.

The event featured a keynote address, “Rethinking Health Communication in Contemporary Society,” by William D. Kernan, EdD, MPA, MS, MCHES, Professor within both Rutgers School of Nursing and Rutgers School of Public Health. Graduating NJLEND Fellows presented findings and implications of their year-long Leadership Projects during a poster session, and also shared their personal definitions of leadership developed over the course a year-long “Defining Leadership: Charting Your Trajectory” learning exercise.

Congratulations to the 2024-2025 NJLEND Fellows and Boggs Center Interdisciplinary Trainees: Jane Elizabeth Matto, MSW; James Sulzer, MD; Alekhya Thota, BA DMD; Andrew Mikhail, DMD; Jalen Bonitto, BS, DMD; Caroline Kellett, APRN-MSN, FNP-C; Danna Dennis; Joann Nahmias, MA; Dominique Valery Alexander, MS; Cassie Victoria Porteus, MS; Jacob Davis, OTD; Karthika Hari, OTD; Gabriella Gligor, OTD; Isabel Pfeifer BS, BA; Maria Hannoush, BS; Jasmin Trenfield, MSW; Lex Lawrence, MSW; Kathleen Getaz, MSW; Lorianne-Marie Andrades, BS; Smrithi Venkatesh, MS; Naomi Cruz, BA

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