SC LEND gives students advanced insights into developmental disabilities

Furman students interested in studying developmental disabilities benefit from an opportunity that few undergraduates in the United States have access to.

Erin Hahn, professor and chair of psychology

Since 2017, the university has participated in the South Carolina Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (SC LEND) program. Operated by a partnership between the Medical University of South Carolina, Prisma Health Children’s Hospital – Upstate and the Center for Disability Resources at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, SC LEND places participants in virtual classrooms, real-world clinical settings and networking meetings over the course of one year. Students can learn about developmental disabilities while also exploring a wide variety of career options, said Erin Hahn, professor and chair of psychology, who oversees SC LEND at Furman along with clinical psychologist Anne Kinsman from Prisma Health.

Nationally, the program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There are 60 LEND programs spread across every state, the District of Columbia and other U.S. jurisdictions.

Furman students were the first undergraduates in the country to be able to participate in this training, which is usually reserved for graduate students, said Hahn.

“It’s a really exciting program that encapsulates many of the key features of The Furman Advantage,” she said. “It emphasizes interdisciplinary communication and ethics and leadership and problem solving, all around developmental disabilities.”

In addition to auditing graduate-level online classes at MUSC, Furman students who are interested in careers related to developmental disabilities like autism complete an extensive leadership project and get professional development opportunities, said Hahn. Also, during regular statewide meetings with other SC LEND trainees, students meet colleagues and potential mentors from a wide range of professions.

“They represent a huge number of fields – physicians, physical therapists, attorneys, social workers, clinical psychologists,” Hahn said. “And our students are forming relationships with these people, who will then go on to mentor them and teach them about careers.”

Eme de Graaf ’22

The program also places students in Prisma Health facilities for clinical observations. “They’re actually in a bustling pediatric clinic getting hands-on experience,” Hahn said. “It’s so much more than an internship. They’re creating these relationships with clinicians and they’re getting mentored. They’re hearing from people in the field about what it’s like to go to grad school and how they should apply.”

Furman students usually complete the SC LEND program over a full year, including the summer months, instead of the customary nine-month program, to help accommodate their already demanding university course loads. Since 2017, 16 undergraduates have participated in the yearlong program. The program has been so popular that Hahn and Kinsman started LEND Lite, a semester-long version of the program for seniors. Four seniors participated in Fall 2022, and four more have signed up for Spring 2023, she said.

Eme de Graaf ’22, a biology major on the biomedical sciences track, participated in LEND Lite this fall.

Alana Epstein ’23

“One of the big takeaways was understanding the social aspects of disabilities and seeing how society has social limitations on people with disabilities,” said de Graaf, who plans to attend medical school after graduation. “We often look at them as only their diagnosis and treat them in that way without considering their overall quality of life and all the social factors that affect their health.”

Alana Epstein ’23, a double major in health sciences and psychology, gained unexpected benefits from networking with mentors in the field of pediatric psychology.

“Just being able to talk to everyone, hearing from all sorts of professionals about their experiences and some of the things that have helped them help their patients, was very cool,” said Epstein, who is preparing for a career in audiology. “I didn’t realize we were going to get that out of this program.”

Anna Kathleen Spitler ’23, double majoring in psychology and German studies, participated in the yearlong SC LEND program, working during the summer in Prisma’s department of developmental and behavioral pediatrics.

Anna Kathleen Spitler ’23

“This program really changed what I thought I wanted to do,” said Spitler, who plans to work toward a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. “Beforehand, I thought that I wanted to be working toward as much independence in my career as possible, but I so enjoyed the interdisciplinary nature of working with a hospital system, and that’s something I never would have expected from myself.”

Along with refining her career path, SC LEND has helped Spitler expand her horizons in other ways.

“The idea of being able to do something that’s usually for graduate students and professionals as an undergrad seemed like such an incredible opportunity to learn and grow and gain leverage for grad school applications,” she said. “The opportunity has been invaluable. I’m still gaining benefits from SC LEND, and I hope to continue to next semester as well.”