Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences and University of Iowa Health Care have partnered to welcome the first student from a Doctor of Occupational Therapy program to the Iowa Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program.
The alliance allows one DMU O.T.D. student per year to gain leadership skills, ensure interdisciplinary clinical competence and learn how best to advocate for people with disabilities.
The ILEND program trains leaders in various fields to become advocates for patients and families with disabilities. Each trainee completes 300 hours of didactic instruction and experiential activities, clinic observations, practicums, a research project and more.
“We are excited to have this opportunity available for our students and to bring the O.T. voice to the table,” says Diana Feldhacker, Ph.D., O.T.D., OTR/L, BCPR, director of DMU’s O.T.D. program. “Having a student involved in this kind of training provides an experience they wouldn’t necessarily get in the classroom. It also brings value to our program because the student can share what they have learned in training with their classmates here at DMU.”
Morgan Leach, a second-year student in DMU’s O.T.D. program, has been named the first DMU trainee to participate in this 10-month interdisciplinary leadership training starting in August 2024. A native of Ankeny, Iowa, Leach was first introduced to ILEND as an undergraduate at the University of Iowa, where she studied health studies. She will join trainees from other professional programs, self-advocates and family advocates.
“We learn the basic definitions of each profession and what they do in our studies, but we don’t have many opportunities to work closely together,” Leach says. “I am really looking forward to this in-person experience as I will have the opportunity to collaborate with and observe each profession in action.”
“Morgan is definitely a standout student,” says Jordan Bell, M.O.T., OTR/L, BCP, O.T.D. instructor at DMU and ILEND core faculty member. “She is an active participant in classes and labs and shows a strong interest in becoming an O.T. She will serve well in the field long after her time here.”
The ILEND program also requires participation in policy activities, especially disability policy. Trainees speak with state and federal legislators to learn how laws and policies are made and how they impact the daily lives of those with disabilities.
“Lack of disability training among health care professionals leads to the lack of access to services for people with disabilities,” says Dianne McBrien, M.D., ILEND program director.
Key highlights of the ILEND program include the Parents as Mentors program and collaborating with self-advocates. Both provide opportunities for trainees like Leach to work with and learn directly from families and individuals with firsthand experience in caring for a person with a disability or having a disability.
“Having the chance to get to know parents and self-advocates and hear directly about their positive and negative experiences in health care and desires for disability services will be one of the most valuable experiences for me,” Leach says. “The family-centered approach is so important in providing the best care for patients.”
The ILEND program is part of a national network of 60 LEND programs. It is federally funded under the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act and is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The program’s goal is to offer interdisciplinary training to grow leadership in family-oriented care, focusing especially on those with disabilities.
