Prospective Trainees

Trainee Recruitment and Selection: Trainees/fellows are supervised by LEND Faculty in cooperation with home departments at UNC-Chapel Hill and our partnering universities (Duke, NCCU, UNC-Greensboro). Application requirements include a letter of interest stating career goals and objectives, interest in ASD/DD, and leadership experiences; curriculum vitae; letters of recommendation; and an interview. All trainees are selected by their Discipline Heads and the Director of Training based on relevant interests and experiences, career goals, and leadership potential, with final approval by the NC-LEND Director.

Types of NC-LEND Trainees: Long-term trainees reflect the MCH core disciplines, plus four we have established at NC-LEND (Advocacy, Self-Advocacy, Genetic Counseling, and Psychiatry). All of the long-term trainees serve for a 12-month period, coinciding with UNC’s academic calendar. We also offer Postdoctoral Fellowships in Psychology and Medicine/Neurology/Pediatrics. We have a longstanding relationship with the nationally accredited Physical Therapy Program at Duke University Medical Center and have a Physical Therapy Fellow from Duke as well as a second Physical Therapy trainee at UNC-CH. A number of parent trainees are invited each year, including two long-term and three medium-term trainees. NC-LEND will provide training for approximately 15 to 20 medium-term trainees (40-299 hours) each year, tailored to meet individual needs. Medium-term trainees participate in selected aspects of the core curriculum during their tenure; short-term trainees (< 40 hours) participate for limited amounts of time. Interdisciplinary training plans are individually developed to address specific needs for each level of trainee.

For more information about the NC-LEND, please contact the NC-LEND Training Director, Jean Mankowski, PhD, at jean.mankowski@cidd.unc.edu.