University of Rochester LEND

12/12/2025

This is Erin Donahoe, an Occupational Therapist trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Erin’s answers:

What is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I like bouldering (rock climbing without a rope), but I’m afraid of heights.

If you could use magic to do one mundane task for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Bonus question: What would you name the spell?)
To mount tubeless tires on my bike! It’s a bit of a bear. Perhaps set-o bead-o?

What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life?
“Well, we tried”

What does true leadership mean to you?
You have to show up for others if you expect them to show up for you.

What is your aim for this year?
I’m looking forward to the opportunity to interact with so many different trainees from different disciplines. Interprofessional collaboration is the backbone of the health and human service professions, and it’s an incredible opportunity to have the designated time and space to engage in these conversations with others of different backgrounds.

12/05/2025

This is Kristin Boerman, a Physical Therapy trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Kristin’s answers:

What book or series did you wish you could live in?
Bridgerton.

What word would you want added to the dictionary, and what is the definition?
Destinesia: When you get to where you want to go but forget why you were going there..

Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room? Why?
Funniest, we are lucky enough to have the world in our finger tips but you cannot teach a happy, humorous personality.

What is the weirdest fact you know?
Ketchup was once sold as medicine for people suffering from indigestion in the 1830's.

What do you wish you knew more about in the Disabilities world?
First hand experiences of those who have disabilities in a world that is not set up for them. Hearing others' experiences gives me a new perspective on things I take for granted in everyday life.

11/27/2025

11/21/2025

We’d like to introduce you to Jenna Welch, a Speech-Language Pathology 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 is something that people would never guess just by looking at you?
I LOVE going to see local live music! I may not be a great dancer, but you can definitely catch me on the dance floor!

What would you sing at Karaoke night?
Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson - it's always a crowd pleaser!

Would you rather meet your ancestors or descendants? Why?
I would rather meet my descendants. I would love to see what the world will look like in the future as a result of the positive changes we are moving toward.

What is your aim for this year?
This year, my aim is to make meaningful connections and continue to develop my leadership and advocacy skills.

What does true leadership mean to you?
True leadership means creating a safe, inclusive space where others feel encouraged, empowered, and uplifted. It’s about leading with empathy and intention – ensuring equity, amplifying diverse voices, and making sure all perspectives are heard and valued.

11/15/2025

Today, UR LEND fellows had the opportunity to talk with Assemblymember Sarah Clark, Assemblymember Jennifer Lunsford, and Assemblyman Josh Jensen. Our fellows had a unique opportunity to hear from these assemblymembers about their background in politics and ask questions about issues impacting us all today. We also heard about appropriate ways to reach out to our elected officials. Thank you for helping us learn how to effectively advocate to our local elected officials.

11/14/2025

This is Arinze Amanekwe, an Advocacy trainee. At the beginning of the year, we asked our trainees questions to get to know them better. Here are some of Arinze’s answers:

What would you sing at Karaoke night?
As a worship leader myself, singing has been a part of my identity. But for a Karaoke night, I would do Lean on me by Bill Withers.

What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life?
“Faith, Focus, and a Few Surprises.”

What advice would you give your 12-year old self?
Have A LOT of fun but also be fearless to challenges and do hard things.

What does true leadership mean to you?
True leadership is service — creating space where others feel seen, valued, and empowered to grow.

What do you wish you knew more about in the Disabilities world?
I wish I knew more about hidden disabilities and tendencies that would not make students across different parts of the world not flourish like their peers.

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...