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Student briefs

Dual degree MSW/MPH student Krysta Gougler Reeves was invited by the LEND Directors at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD) to attend the Disability and Policy Seminar in Washington D.C., April 12-14. Reeves did her field placement at CIDD, and was also a Leadership in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders (LEND) Social Work trainee this year. The last day of the conference was reserved for seminar attendees to visit Capitol Hill to speak with their representatives. Reeves teamed up with several self-advocates from the Arc and met with staffers of Sen. Burr and Rep. Butterfield. “It was powerful to speak with our representatives alongside self-advocates who shared their stories,” says Reeves.

Doctoral candidate Candace Killian-Farrell was awarded a UNC Royster Society of Fellows Dissertation Fellowship for the next academic year.

Graduating MSW student Leslie Payne was one of the first trainees to complete CIDD’s new Certificate Program in Developmental Disabilities. Payne was a CIDD LEND fellow in 2014 working with Sherry Mergner. She is pursuing a clinical career in couples and family therapy specializing in families affected by developmental disabilities. Payne will be joining the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development upon graduation.