Following their MI-LEND training year, former trainees are surveyed 2 and 5 years later. The survey asks about their current work, including:

*As of 3/2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kathryne "Kat" Knepp is an audiologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Kat received a Doctorate in Clinical Audiology from Western Michigan University in 2024 and a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Central Michigan University in 2020. From May of 2023 through April of 2024 Kat accepted an externship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) and Johns Hopkins where they primarily worked with children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Additionally, Kat is a LEND fellow of MI-LEND (2023) and KKI-LEND (2024). LEND has had a lasting impact on Kat's clinical practice and private life, and had lead them to several opportunities to advocate for legislature at a state and federal level. While at KKI, Kat joined a team of representatives to voice support for the renewal of the Autism CARES Act as well as support the Ally's Act (Senate Bill 1135). She met with staff from Senators Chris Van Hollen's and Kweise Mfume's offices. 

Kat said: "The Autism CARES Act funds many things including both LEND programs that I hold dear to my heart. Both MI-LEND and KKI-LEND have given me ample amounts of training and offered me experiences that I never thought possible. The Ally's Act is a bill which, if passed, would require private health insurances to cover implantable hearing devices, maintenance/upgrades of those devices, and any medical/audiological care that is required from these devices. Including the treatment to learn to listen with these devices (aural rehabilitation). What an amazing experience! I'm so truly proud I was able to be a representative of KKI and of LEND." 

Way to go Kat!

 

 

 

Dr. Gubernick was part of the first cohort of MI-LEND long-term trainees. Since then, she has become the Managing Audiologist with Providence Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a result of her MI-LEND training, Madelyn has stated that "Within my practice, many of the patients that I see have neurodevelopmental disabilities and hearing loss. After my MI-LEND experience, I feel as though I have the background knowledge and tools to help improve continuity of care between clinicians. Additionally, I feel as though my LEND experience has allowed me to focus on treating and managing hearing loss as a way of ensuring inclusion for these individuals within society and the community."

Ms. Junior has been advocating for policy changes related to improving accessibility in public spaces for many years. As a woman with disabilities herself, Ms. Junior has a thorough understanding of how access to accessible and reliable transportation can have a significant impact on the health, independence, and overall quality of life of individuals with disabilities. Ms. Junior has been speaking at conferences (AUCD Annual Meeting, Third IEEE International Conference on Connected and Autonomous Driving - MetroCAD 2020) and working within the City of Detroit to establish viable, available resources for individuals with disabilities and their families. Jaime also served as Community Coordinator for the City of Detroit Office of Disability Affairs, an office she successfully advocated for the creation of. She is currently the Advocacy and Community Education Coordinator for the Disability Network of Wayne County.

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Former MI-LEND trainees continue to contribute to research and best practices in many different fields. The list below highlights some of this work but is not exhaustive.

 

• Sullivan, B., Carroll, E., & Soares, N. (2023). The ethical perspectives of using animals in pediatric health. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 53(12): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cppeds.2023.101489 
• Bray, M., Turner, J., Jones, S., Miah, T., & Milberger, S. (2023). Developing workforce skills and capacity in telehealth: What LEND trainees need to know. Maternal and Child Health Journal.
• Marsack-Topolewski C.,Milberger, S., Janks, E., Anderson, N., Bray, M. & Samuel, P.S.. (2023). Evaluation of peer-mediated systems navigation for ageing families of individuals with developmental disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 67(5), 462-474. http://doi.org/10.1111/jir.13024
• Smith, M.J. (Contributions from former MI-LEND Trainee K. Sherwood). (2022). 2022 Report: Virtual Job Interview Training in Special Education. 
• Munzer, T., Miller, A., Yeo, S., Wang, Y., McCaffery, H., Kaciroti, N., & Radesky, J. (2021). Parent Verbalizations and Toddler Responses With Touchscreen Tablet Nursery Rhyme Apps. Pediatrics, 148(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-049964
• Smith, M. J., Sherwood, K., Blajeski, S., Ross, B., Smith, J. D., Jordan, N., Dawalt, L., Bishop, L., & Atkins, M. S. (2021). Job Interview and Vocational Outcomes Among Transition-Age Youth Receiving Special Education Pre-Employment Transition Services. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 59 (5), 405-421.
• Bray, M., Turner, J., Jones S., Miah, T., & Milberger, S. (2021). Developing workforce skills and capacity in telehealth: what LEND trainees need to know. Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Journal. Submitted for publication.
• Smith, M. J., Sherwood, K., Ross, B., Smith, J.D., Dewalt, L., Bishop, L., Humm, L., Elkins, J., & Steacy, C. (2021). Virtual interview training for autistic transition age youth: A randomized controlled feasibility and effectiveness trial. Autism, 25(6), 1536-1552.
• Pesch, M., Julian, M., & Munzer, T. (2020). Reflections on Children with Developmental and Behavioral Challenges Who Are Thriving While Sheltering in Place. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 37(1). 62-70. doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000236
• Sherwood, K., Smith, M.J., Johnson, J., Ross, B., Trautwein, A., Landau, M., & Hume, K. (In preparation). Implementation strategies in transition services: Practical lessons from virtual and classroom delivery of virtual interview training for transition-age youth.
• Smith, M. J., Pinto, R. M., Dawalt, L., Smith, J. D., Sherwood, K., Miles, R., Taylor, J., Hume, K., Dawkins, T., Baker-Ericzen, M., Frazier, T., Humm, L., & Steacy, C. (2020). Using community-engaged methods to adapt virtual reality job interview training for transition-age youth on the autism spectrum. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorder, 71, 101498.
• Smith, M. J., Smith, J. D., Jordan, N., Sherwood, K., McRobert, E., Ross, B., Oulvey, E. A., Atkins, M. S. (2020). Virtual reality job interview training in transition services: Results of a single-arm non-controlled effectiveness-implementation Hybrid Trial. Journal of Special Education Technology, 36(1), 317.
• Munzer, T., Miller, A., Wang, Y., Kaciroti, N., & Radesky, J. (2020). Tablets, toddlers, and tantrums: The immediate effects of tablet device play. Acta Paediatrica. 110(1). 255-256. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.15509
• Hasson, R., Wu, I., & Fine, J. (2019). Clinical utility of the WASI-II and its association with acculturation levels among Arab American adolescent males. Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 8(4), 295-306. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.2018.1442219