New Grant to Improve Child Health

Successful collaborations between our Child & Adolescent Psychiatry program and the Department of Pediatrics have led to exciting news --

The Steele Children's Research Center at the University of Arizona College of Medicine has received a $3.6 million, five-year LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities) grant to train professionals to improve the health status of infants, children, and adolescents with - or at risk for - neurodevelopmental and related disabilities.

Funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the grant will be called "AZLEND." The AZLEND program will provide yearlong training to professionals in various disciplines.

Two of our faculty, Drs. Jaswinder Ghuman and Joanna Katsanis have been involved in developing this program and are funded by this grant to mentor trainees.

In addition, two of our departmental trainees were successfully admitted to the program and will be engaged in this valuable training: Sarah Hamill Skoch, MS, Clinical Psychology predoctoral student, who has recently completed her clinical predoctoral internship in the Child Psychiatry program and Emery Mahoney, MA, a School Psychology predoctoral student who has been working with us on her predoctoral externship.

Sydney Rice, MD, MS, associate professor of Pediatrics, will be the program director, and Eileen McGrath, PhD, assistant professor, will be the training director. "This is an opportunity to bring together the expertise of families and professionals across Arizona," said Dr. Rice. "The AZLEND program will train individuals with disabilities, professionals and family members to be leaders in advocacy, clinical care and research."

Congratulations to our faculty and trainees!

Release Date: 
09/12/2011 - 8:48am