Frequently asked questions about the LEND Program | UC Davis MIND Institute

Who can join LEND?

The LEND program accepts emerging leaders who want to learn more about autism and other developmental disabilities including family-centered care, assessment, treatment, policy, and advocacy from the following groups:

• Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and/or professionals.
• Advocates with autism or other disabilities and their family members.
• People who work in community care or education with people with autism and developmental disabilities and their families.
• Note: You do not need a higher education degree (beyond high school) to participate in the LEND program..
• You must be at least 22-years of age

How much does it cost to be in the LEND program?

There is no cost to be in the LEND program and some trainees may even be able to receive a stipend. See here for LEND Training Level Chart that specifies who can qualify for a stipend.

What makes a strong applicant?

Strong LEND applicants would be people who want to be leaders in their communities- people who would be able to widely share the knowledge and implement what they learn from LEND to support people with developmental disabilities. Other qualities we look for in a LEND applicant include clearly knowing your training goals (as they relate to developmental disabilities) and being strong community builders, collaborators, and communicators. We also look for applicants who have culturally and linguistically diverse experiences and/or are interested in serving those from historically under-represented populations.

Does the LEND Program require in-person participation?

Most LEND activities are offered in a hybrid (in person and online) format. However, depending on the trainee positions, we may require in-person participation.

• Trainees required to be in-person:
  • Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow
  • LEND Speech Language Clinical Fellow
  • Psychology-Research / LEND Postdoctoral Fellow
• Trainees encouraged to be in-person:
  • Long-term trainees
  • Advanced Medium/Medium-term trainees

Important: All trainees must be in person for Orientation Day 1, the Tuesday after Labor Day.

Other Notes

Community Building: all trainees are encouraged to be in-person as much as possible to promote community building with their fellow trainees. One of the many benefits of LEND is the opportunity for networking in this field full of incredible people.

Clinical and Community Site Placement: Although some Clinical and Community Site placements have online access, placement options may be more limited for trainees who can only attend remotely.

When is the LEND program?

The LEND Program starts the day after Labor Day (early September) and continues through May.

• Applications typically open in early February and close mid-March
• Applicants are typically notified of their acceptance into the program in May.
• Onboarding (tasks required to be processed into the UC Davis Health) starts in June.
• We follow the UC Davis holiday schedule.

Can international students, non-citizens, TN visa, or green card holders participate in LEND?

Currently, we cannot accept international people to participate in LEND. Due to HRSA federal funding, we are restricted in accepting trainees who have permanent resident or US citizenship.

What does a typical schedule look like?

The short answer: There is no single schedule for everyone because one of the great things about LEND is the flexibility of the program and many learning opportunities.

The long answer: At the beginning of the LEND program, trainees work with a mentor to create a customized schedule that will align activities that best fit with their goals and time restrictions. Here is a Sample Schedule of typical activities that our trainees participate in.

Note: The LEND program offers flexibility to adapt to your personal schedule needs. However, be aware that the more schedule restrictions and limitations you have, the more challenging it will be to fully participate and fit in all the LEND activities that you would like to engage in.

Can graduate students receive course credit for the LEND Program?

Currently, we do not offer course credits for our LEND program.

What does the application process look like?

See below for the steps of the applications process:

• Application
  • Applicants with a complete application will be contacted whether they will be invited for an interview.
  • Applications must have all required fields filled in and all applicable attachments included or emailed to hs-lend@ucdavis.edu by the due date.
  • For Medium-term and Long-term trainee positions, the deadline for a complete application is typically mid-March and Speech Language Clinical Fellowship is due late May.
• Interview
  • If you are applying as a Medium-term trainee, you may be invited to a group interview (with other applicants) including two interviewers
  • If you are applying as a Long-term trainee, you may be invited to an individual interview (with you as the only applicant) and one or two interviewers
• Acceptance Status
  • You will hear back whether you are accepted to the program (or not) in May
• Onboarding
  • Onboarding for the program starts in June (more details will come after your acceptance)

What attachments are required for the application?

All LEND applicants must include:

• Letter of Interest
• Resume or CV
• Two Letters of Recommendation
• Communication Sample
  • The exception is if you are an individual without a bachelor’s degree or higher (including self-advocates)- then you are not required to submit a communication sample.

More info: please see question, “What should I include in my Letter of Interest?” or the LEND application for more information about the attachments.

Note: If you are an applicant who is enrolled in another program at the MIND that requires you to be a part of the LEND program, then you only need to submit an application and resume/CV.