University of Rochester LEND

11/07/2025

Meet Jenna Crowell, an Audiology trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Jenna’s answers:

What book or series did you wish you could live in?
Percy Jackson and the Olympians

What advice would you give your 12-year old self?
Stick with reading books, reading never gets old!!

What is the weirdest fact you know?
France's longest international border is with Brazil

What do you wish you knew more about in the Disabilities world?
Simply learning about different disabilities, there are disabilities I do not have knowledge of.

What aspect of your discipline do you enjoy most?
Activation of a hearing and/or cochlear implant – the looks on patient’s faces are so amazing. It reminds me why communication and our field is so important!

10/30/2025

Dr. Lauren Davey is a Senior Audiologist at UR Medicine Audiology where she also serves as the Education Program Director for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. She received her B.S. in Communicative Disorders and Sciences at SUNY Geneseo and her Au.D. at State University of New York at Buffalo. She is American Speech-Language-Hearing Association certified. Dr. Davey completed the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship at the University of Rochester Medical Center in 2017-2018.

Dr. Davey’s clinical practice includes conducting comprehensive hearing evaluations for a diverse population of individuals across the lifespan, completing hearing aid evaluation, orientation, fitting, and troubleshooting with 5 major hearing aid manufacturers, providing outpatient newborn hearing screenings and making appropriate referrals, and conducting and interpreting central auditory processing evaluations.

10/29/2025

There is still time to register for the Skirboll Autism and Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Conference. This free 3-day interactive conference offers information sessions presented by national experts on various topics related to autism spectrum disorder. It is developed in collaboration with individuals with disabilities, families, agency representatives, and community members.

This conference has been certified for up to 6 continuing education credits for CME, CNE, NYS Social Work, NYS Psychology, NYS Marriage and Family Therapy, and NYS Mental Health Counselors. These credits are completely free to all attendees and are available for both internal (UR) employees and external providers. CME and CNE credits are available to all providers nationwide.

Register today by:

https://urmc.zoom.us/webinar/register/4517528623945/WN_uUdkt0RYST2C1NMvhIUYzg #/registration

10/23/2025

Mary Lugo (she/her/hers) is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and director of the Speech-Language Clinic at Nazareth University. She earned her master's in speech-language pathology at Nazareth University. She is a nationally credentialed speech-language pathologist by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is also certified as a bilingual speech-language pathologist with the New York State Department of Education.

Mary’s clinical areas of interest include early intervention; school-aged service delivery; bilingual development; and culturally responsive practices. Her current coursework centers around clinical methods, culturally responsive practices in speech-language pathology, and professional practice. Outside of the classroom, she continues to work privately with Spanish-speaking families in the Rochester area as they navigate early intervention.

Mary's research interests include supporting early clinicians in their work with young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and playful practices in higher education. Her work has been presented at national and international conferences.

Mary recently joined LEND and has been the Speech-Language Pathology Discipline Coordinator since January 2025.

10/20/2025

On Friday, October 17th UR LEND had the pleasure of listening to an advocacy panel hosted by UR LEND self-advocacy discipline coordinator Jeiri Flores. Speakers on the panel, pictured here with Julius Brown and Jeiri were, Henry Padron, Courtney Klee, Jolana Hollister, and Lu Highsmith. The advocates spoke individually about what led them to their passion for advocacy and how they advocate in their own ways in our local community.

10/08/2025

Hello all. URMC is looking to expand their pediatric outpatient Occupational Therapy practice and will be hiring a full-time pediatric therapist who specializes in Pediatrics, with particular interests in sensory processing difficulties and developmental delays. Please check out the link for more details about this opportunity.

As a community, the University of Rochester is defined by a deep commitment to Meliora - Ever Better. Embedded in that ideal are the values we share: equity, leadership, integrity, openness, respect, and accountability. Together, we will set the highest standards for how we treat each other to ensur...

09/08/2025

You know they say it takes a village to raise a child. That cannot be anymore true then for parents of special needs children.

Nazareth University will be hosting a viewing of the documentary 'Unseen' on September 17th, 2025 at 5:00 pm. The viewing will be followed by a panel discussion with community members and students at the Shults Community Center on Nazareth University Campus.

UR LEND Alumni '17, Lisa Latten, M.Ed. will be a guest on the panel. Lisa is the parent of a young adult with developmental disabilities and currently works in the same field.

The goal of the screening and discussion is to raise awareness for community, providers, and students around caregiving and to continue to work toward more family-centered and asset-based services and systems.

05/22/2025

On Friday May 9th, UR LEND graduates gathered in person with LEND faculty, family, and local politicians to celebrate their accomplishments. Congratulations and good luck as you take what you have learned and use it to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities.

05/05/2025

Last week, the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) held its Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington . The event featured presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities for autism researchers. Current UR LEND fellows Christina Layton, Alesia Richardson, and Danielle Gary had the amazing opportunity to present at the conference. Congratulations!

05/01/2025

This is Camryn Branciforte, Social Work trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Camryn’s answers:

If you could eat only 1 meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Nachos

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I coach two sports! Soccer and lacrosse.

What is the weirdest fact you know?
I know all the universal produce codes.

What would you sing at Karaoke night?
Our Song by Taylor Swift

What do you wish you knew more about in the Disabilities world?
I wish I knew more about the process of determining diagnosis to supporting families access funding/other resources.

04/24/2025

Meet Sarah Dorsey, Physical Therapy trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Sarah’s answers:

If you could eat only 1 meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Steak, potatoes, and broccoli

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I have traveled by car to 47 of the 50 states

What is the weirdest fact you know?
A human ear is as unique as a fingerprint- and can be used to identify an individual (and even tell the difference between twins)

What is your aim for this year?
To find a healthy balance with everything I do

What do you wish you knew more about in the Disabilities world?
I wish I knew more about community resources and programs

04/21/2025

On Friday, April 18th, 2025, UR LEND fellows traveled to Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan State Historic Site. While there, our fellows listened to a panel discussion with Spencer Lyons (Onondaga Hawk Clan, Chief), Andrea Cooke (Onondaga Deer Clan, Clan Mother), Barbara Jimerson (Onondaga Deer Clan, Faith Keeper), Simone Gonyea (Onondaga Snipe Clan, UR Project Coordinator), and Christina Mulé (Pediatric Psychologist, Associate Professor of Pediatrics). Panel members shared about Onondaga culture, Indigenous perspectives on disability, and strategies to enhance partnership to improve healthcare accessiblity. Fellows used their hands to make corn husk dolls and received a traditional Indigenous lunch prepared by Deloris Thompson (Onondaga Hawk Clan, Faith Keeper) on departure.