The Boggs Center Celebrates Graduation of 2025-2026 NJLEND Fellows

Friday, May 8, 2026

The Boggs Center celebrated the graduation of the 2025-2026 NJLEND Fellows during the New Jersey Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NJLEND) program’s 10th annual Maternal and Child Health Leadership Symposium held on May 1, 2026, 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, “Contemporary Challenges in Pediatric Care” by Shilpa Pai, MD, FAAP, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Co-Lead, Health Equity Thread, and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. 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 2025-2026 NJLEND Fellows:

Back row: Jennifer Tangires, BS, MS; Josephine Robinson; Alec Beck, MS; Allyssa Simone Ghans, LCSW; Edika Quevedo Dejesus, DMD; Chantal Hallie Taluba, BFA; AnnaMarie Couce, MS, RD, CLC; Yuna Hahn, CPNP; Jada Marie Kennedy, MSW. Middle row: Jessica Rizzo, MS; Carmen H. Lebron, MD; Anne E. Isedeh, MSN, CSN, BSN, APN, RN; Kylie Lamb, MSN, APN, CPNP-PC; Gurleen Kaur, MPH; Sarah M. Adler, BA; Yuen Yvonne Yu, B.S.Sc. Front row: Amanda L. Rosenfeld, MD; Stephanie Fiorey, OTD, MSEd; Eva Niemeijer, MA; Lindsey Soper, OTD; Richera Jones, AA

To learn more about the NJLEND program, visit About NJLEND