Three fundamental principles characterize the fellowship’s curriculum:

Leadership

To prepare health professionals to assume leadership positions across the nation, addressing the complex needs of infants, children and young adults with developmental and behavioral disabilities and their families.

Scholarship

To assure the continued development and competence of the faculty and fellows while rapidly disseminating new knowledge to professionals currently active in the fields of neurodevelopmental disabilities and developmental behavioral pediatrics.

Partnership

To collaborate with Maternal Child Health Bureau, state Title V agencies, families, consumers and other national, regional and community resources, providing both continuing education and technical assistance.

Fellows should expect to spend approximately half of their fellowship time in clinical activities and the other half in research over the three-year training period.

An essential component and primary foundation for the clinical and service orientation of the first year of training is the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) Program through the Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington. Fellows will participate in weekly formal / structured and facilitated discussions on core developmental behavioral pediatrics topics to further develop excellence in clinical care and teaching. Upon completion of the UW LEND training program, trainees successfully achieve the following leadership competencies:

• Knowledge and skill in all aspects of neurodevelopmental and related disabilities (NDRDs) including: prevention and health promotion, early detection, evaluation, treatment strategies, care coordination, evidence-based practice, medical home, and adolescent health transition issues.
• Knowledge and skill to practice and advocate the interdisciplinary model of service and research in health and related service including cross-cutting leadership skills such as ethics, policy analysis, advocacy, and constituency building.

Educational experiences and research methods are introduced in the first year as well.

Research is a required component of the fellowship. A key focus during the second and third years of training will be to assist the fellow in developing a scholarly focus. There is a high degree of flexibility in the topic choice, from clinical outcomes studies to quality of life/care and basic research activities. Fellows develop a clinical research project under the direction of the program director and scholarship oversight committee. This process typically involves developing a funding proposal, implementing the research design, publicly presenting the project, and preparing a manuscript for publication purposes.

All fellows are expected to assume leadership roles in quality improvement projects and / or the development of clinical guidelines.

While not required for the fellowship, there are opportunities for fellows to pursue additional degrees and training within the University of Washington (e.g., School of Public Health). Formal course work in epidemiology, biostatistics, and research methodology at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine can complement the overall training experience in such areas.