August 26, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University’s Nisonger Center has been awarded a five-year, $4.9 million grant to expand a long-term, graduate-level training program focused on improving the health of infants, children and adolescents with disabilities.
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to fund the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program.
“This is an important grant that will expand our interdisciplinary training program for graduate and post-graduate students who provide evidence-based diagnostic and clinical services to children with autism spectrum disorders and other related neurodevelopmental disabilities,” said Dr. Marc J. Tassé, a clinical psychologist and director of the Nisonger Center.
The LEND program provides graduate students and fellows from more than 12 disciplines opportunities to advance knowledge and skills, foster community-based partnerships, and promote innovative practices to enhance cultural competency, family-centered care and interdisciplinary partnerships.
Co-directors of the LEND program are Paula Rabidoux, director of training and community outreach and Karen L. Ratliff-Schaub, director of clinical services for the Nisonger Center.
The Nisonger Center is part of The Ohio State University Medical Center and was founded in 1966 to provide assistance to people with disabilities, families, service providers and organizations by promoting inclusion of people with disabilities in education, health, employment and community settings. For more information, visit Nisonger.osu.edu/LEND.
# # #