Archived News
Spring 2020
The Boggs Center Celebrates Graduation of New Jersey Partners in Policymaking Class of 2019-2020
On May 30, 2020, The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities hosted a virtual graduation ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of the New Jersey Partners in Policymaking Class of 2019-2020.

New Jersey Partners in Policymaking is a leadership development and advocacy education program for adults with developmental disabilities and family members available through The Boggs Center with funding from the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities. This year's graduates included 7 self-advocates, 15 parents, 2 siblings, and 1 student trainee prepared to work toward meaningful change in our state.
Using online technology, Colleen McLaughlin, The Boggs Center's Associate Director and Partners Project Director, welcomed graduates and invited guests, and provided an introduction to the New Jersey Partners in Policymaking program. Mercedes Witowsky, Executive Director of the NJ Council of Developmental Disabilities (NJCDD) and Paul Blaustein, NJCDD chair, brought remarks about the impact of the Partners program and the important role graduates play in advocacy. Deborah M. Spitalnik, PhD, Executive Director of The Boggs Center, delivered messages of inspiration, hope, and a charge to action as part of the event. Through panel presentations, this year's graduates shared what they learned in the program and their plans for advocacy after graduation. Each graduate was celebrated through display of their photo and advocacy action priority area.
To learn more about this year's graduates, their experiences over the past 8 months, and the impact of the Partners program, view the Graduation Panel Presentation Recording featuring the New Jersey Partners in Policymaking Class of 2019-2020.
Congratulations to the New Jersey Partners in Policymaking Class of 2019-2020:
Melanie Ayers |
Sharon Artz |
Marlene Brockington |
Phyllis Brown McNair |
Joseph Calabrese |
Yen Chau |
Keith Diaz |
Yewande Efodili |
Christopher Haase |
Laura Haney |
Brie Lantini |
Karen Mancinelli |
Kelly McGrath |
Elizabeth North |
Carol Petties |
Nancy Pietrobon |
Gervonn Rice |
Lori Rickles |
Donna Riopel |
Jeffrey Schumacher |
Julia Simko |
Renee Townsend |
Rashika Verma |
Neng Wang |
Zahmiah Wilkerson |
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Boggs Center Faculty Members Author Article Published in Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
Boggs Center faculty members, in collaboration with colleagues from Children’s Specialized Hospital, authored an article about their collaborative research which was published in the May 2020 edition of Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. Caroline Coffield, PhD, The Boggs Center’s Director of Pre-service Training and Manuel Jimenez, MD, MS, Director of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at The Boggs Center, were two co-authors of the article, “Parental Concerns of Underserved Young Children at Risk for Autism.” The research described in this manuscript examined the language that families from underserved backgrounds use to describe their concerns about their young child’s development and behavior. Findings from this research provide insight about the kind of language families might use to express concern about their children’s development to professionals. To learn more, the article can be accessed electronically using the following link: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/756674
The Boggs Center Celebrates the
Graduation of the 2019-2020 NJLEND Fellows at the 4th Annual Maternal and Child
Health Leadership Symposium
On May 8th, 2020,
The Boggs Center celebrated the graduation of the 2019-2020 NJLEND Fellows at
the New Jersey Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NJLEND)
program’s 4th annual Maternal and Child Health Leadership Symposium. Held
virtually this year in response to COVID-19, the event featured a keynote
address, “A Leadership Journey: Working Towards Equity, Inclusion, and Cultural
and Linguistic Competence,” by Wendy Jones, MEd, MSW, Research Instructor,
Georgetown University Center for Child & Human Development, UCEDD, and was
attended by those from the Rutgers community, New Jersey’s Department of
Children and Families and Department of Health, SPAN Parent Advocacy Network,
and other state and community organizations. The 12 graduating NJLEND Fellows
presented their definitions of leadership.
NJLEND Fellows presented
their Leadership Project Posters at a separate virtual session on Friday, May 1,
sharing the culmination of their year-long projects with each other and the
NJLEND Faculty. To learn more about the 2019-2020 NJLEND Fellows, as well as
their faculty Mentors, visit the NJLEND Fellow Leadership Project
Poster page on The Boggs Center website.
Congratulations to the
2019-2020 NJLEND Fellows and Boggs Center Interdisciplinary Trainees: Aimee
Ascolese, MSW, Carol Dinnocenzio, BSN, RN, APN, Kasey Dudley, Anne Lyle, APN,
CPNP-AC, Jessica Middleberg, PsyD, Madison Perry, PsyD, Rachel Shafrir, BA,
Jacqueline Shinall, MS, Deirdre Sumski, MGC, Lily Yip, Angie Hernandez, BA,
Kelly McGrath, BSW, Morgan Neumann, and Patricia Shelton, BS.
Part of a national network,
The Boggs Center’s NJLEND program provides graduate-level interdisciplinary
training aimed at preparing the next generation of health and allied health
leaders to address the needs of children and young adults with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD), related developmental disabilities, and other maternal and child
health populations. Funding for LEND programs is authorized by the Autism CARES
Act and is administered through the federal Health Resources and Services
Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
New Jersey Partners in
Policymaking Now Accepting Applications

New Jersey Partners in
Policymaking is a leadership development and advocacy education program for
adults with developmental disabilities (over age 21) and family members of young
children and transition age youth available through collaboration between The
New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities, The Boggs Center on
Developmental Disabilities, and Disability Rights New Jersey. The goal of this
program is to prepare the next generation of disability advocates to work toward
meaningful change in our state.
The 2020-2021 Partners in
Policymaking sessions are currently scheduled to take place using a hybrid model
that combines virtual learning through the use of online technology and
in-person training sessions, beginning in September 2020 and continuing through
April 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic brings uncertainty with how long
social-distancing measures will need to be in place. While we hope to be able to
meet in person in January, the situation will be monitored and accommodations to
continue with virtual learning will be made as needed.
New Jersey Partners in
Policymaking is committed to building a diverse group of participants that is
reflective of the needs, geography, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds of New
Jersey. The Partners program is now accepting applications from people with
developmental disabilities and family members for the class of 2020-2021.
Visit the NJ Partners in
Policymaking page on The Boggs Center's web site to learn more about the
program, download the application, and apply.
Applications must be
received by June 30, 2020. Applicants will be notified of
acceptance by July 30, 2020.
Lily Yip, 2019-2020 NJLEND
Family Fellow Featured in AUCD Emerging Leaders Map
Lily Yip, 2019-2020 NJLEND
Family Fellow, 2019 New Jersey Partners in Policymaking graduate, and mother of
two adult children with autism and developmental disabilities, is featured in
the Association of University Centers on Disabilities’ (AUCD) Emerging Leaders
Map. The map showcases the contributions of diverse trainees and early career
leaders in the AUCD Network. This year’s map highlights the work emerging
leaders have done to enhance access for people with disabilities and facilitate
dialogue and collaboration between centers. View Lily’s profile on the Emerging Leaders map to learn more
about how she is working to improve access for individuals with disabilities
through participating in The Boggs Center’s leadership education programs.
Information and Resources
Related to COVID-19
Across the world,
we are experiencing an unprecedented set of challenges as we all work together
to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing and other protective
measures. Having reliable, up to date information and resources to help us
better understand COVID-19, necessary health and hygiene precautions, and
strategies to maintain emotional well-being is important to us all.
The Boggs Center, as New
Jersey’s federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities (UCEDD) and New Jersey’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental
and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, has compiled a selection of resources
from New Jersey and across the country that may be useful to the disability
community across the state.
View links to COVID-19
resources
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