Jennifer Zarcone, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies, has received a five-year, $2.2 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funded through the Autism CARES Act. HRSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders (LEND) Training Program will provide training in neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy and related conditions to graduate and post-graduate students as well as community professionals.
Zarcone, co-director of the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC), will serve as the grant's principal investigator. Rose Iovannone, PhD, a research professor, will serve as co-principal investigator.
The grant brings together faculty members from the Department of Child and Family Studies and other USF programs and departments, including applied behavior analysis, social work, pediatrics, psychology, and communication sciences and disorders. The team also includes faculty from the College of Education’s Exceptional Student Education program and the College of Public Health.
The program aims to build capacity and strengthen professional competencies across disciplines, equipping current and future professionals to better support individuals with disabilities and their families.
“This project comes at an important time in our field, when students and professionals need training to improve the health of infants, children, youth and adults who have, or are at risk of developing, autism and other developmental disabilities,” said Zarcone.
Graduate students selected for the one-year training program will complete approximately 300 hours of training, including coursework, clinical training, weekly seminars and a leadership project.
The LEND program at USF will provide trainees with a balanced academic, clinical and community-based curriculum that shapes leaders who are competent in research, policy development, advocacy, community collaboration and communication, using an approach focused on building stronger partnerships between professionals and the communities in which they work. Through academic, clinical and community-based activities, trainees will also demonstrate the capacity to evaluate and diagnose autism and other developmental disabilities, and to plan and provide comprehensive, evidence-based interventions that are the gold standard in health care.
Participants will have the opportunity to attend the annual Association of University Centers on Disabilities Conference to strengthen their presentation skills and engage with other trainees and professionals in the disability field.
Zarcone says the combination of specialized training, project work and presentation opportunities will help prepare students for their chosen professions as well as expand the skills of current professionals in this area.
” By providing exemplary preparation for trainees from a wide range of professional disciplines, our program will produce effective leaders who will ensure the delivery of interdisciplinary, family-centered community-based services across the life span, thereby improving health care delivery systems for individuals with autism/developmental disabilities.”
In addition, the program will offer a short-term training option for participants seeking additional professional development. Opportunities will include technical assistance through clinics, a series of webinars focused on core features of disabilities and direct work with families connected to Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters and the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at USF.
The initiative will foster collaboration among faculty members, graduate students, self-advocates and parents of individuals with disabilities. Its activities will serve communities throughout the greater Tampa Bay area.
The application period for the first cohort is expected to open in early November 2026, with the cohort scheduled to begin in January 2027. Graduate students interested in applying for the program or seeking additional information are encouraged to email Laura Rodriguez Lopez.