I am a fourth-year student in the Miami University Clinical Psychology PhD program. I am interested in working with children and families as both a clinician and advocate to help improve their quality of life and bolster systemic and community supports. I am excited to engage with self-advocates, families, and fellow trainees and professionals across disciplines as part of the LEND program in order to strengthen my knowledge and leadership skills within the field. Some of my favorite pastimes include getting dinner with friends, watching sitcoms, reading, and puzzling.

My name is Maria Luisa and I am a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics first year Fellow at Cincinnati Children’s. I was born and raised in Colombia (South America) and moved to NYC to complete my Pediatric residency. I have a 10 year old brother diagnosed with autism who lives in Colombia and I want to learn everything I can to be better advocate for him and my patients. I am interested improving my knowledge of resources and to listen different perspectives about disabilities, so I can further use this understanding to help patients and their families through their journeys.

My name is Kaitlyn and I am a physical therapist! I broke my leg 3 times while playing soccer and lived in the PT clinic – a blessing in disguise, as I fell in love with the profession. My dream to become a sports PT beautifully evolved into a dream to become a pediatric PT after being involved in Be.Well’s adapted sports programs. The programs merged my love for sports seamlessly with my desire to create a more inclusive world for children with disabilities. I am most looking forward to increasing my leadership and advocacy skills to best serve this profession!

Griffin Engle is a graduate student in the Doctor of Audiology program at Purdue University and a 4th-yearAudiology Intern at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Griffin received his Bachelor of Science in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from Purdue University in December of 2017. Between his undergraduate and graduate studies, Griffin worked as a Registered Behavior Technician at Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers in Lafayette, IN. He has volunteered with special needs organizations across the nation through across-country bicycling trip sponsored by The Ability Experience. Griffin hopes to utilize the LEND experience to improve his patient care when providing audiological services to individuals with co-existing disabilities.

Brandi is a licensed social worker currently completing a post-graduate fellowship at CCHMC. Brandi received a BA in Psychology, with a certification in Diversity Studies, and her Masters of Social Work from the University of Cincinnati. She believes in taking an intersectional approach to patient care and has special interests in equity and inclusion in healthcare. Through LEND and the experiences within the multidisciplinary teams, Brandi hopes to gain a more robust understanding of the individual and familial experience from those living with neurodevelopmental disabilities and how best to effectively advocate for their needs and rights within the healthcare system.

Lisa is a fourth-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Cincinnati. She grew up near Sandusky, Ohio and obtained her Bachelor’s of Science degree from The Ohio State University. Lisa is passionate about connecting families of children with developmental disabilities to services and resources and supporting their child in the acquisition of skills necessary to be successful throughout life. Lisa’s research interests lie in executive functioning deficiencies in children with acquired and developmental disabilities and, more recently, in understanding autistic individuals’ experiences with social connectedness. Through LEND, Lisa is excited to learn how to better advocate for her patients and their families.

I am a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology Program at Miami University. Prior to this, I earned a Master’s in Education and taught elementary school for several years. Professionally, I am interested in policy and prevention work that promotes equity and well-being for all children and families and in providing assessment for children and families impacted by developmental disabilities. Through LEND, I am excited to learn strategies to advocate for children/families impacted by disabilities and gain experience on an interdisciplinary team. When not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife and our two cats, reading, baking, and being outdoors.

My name is Suma Kolla. I am an incoming developmental behavioral pediatrics fellow at Cincinnati Children’s hospital. My brother has autism spectrum disorder, and I have always wanted to make a difference in this population to help these children become strong, successful adults. I also have interests in educating general pediatricians on early diagnosis, and providing supports in areas that may not have many resources. By participating in LEND I hope to gain more information on community resources and how to become a better advocate for children with developmental disabilities.

My name is Waleia Larkin, and I am a founder and governing board member of AUTISM and WE. I am a proud parent of a child with Autism. I have a background in Healthcare as a Certified Medical Assistant. I also have a background that includes  insurance verification and financial advocate.  . I also have a BS in communication and serve as a rape and domestic violence advocate for Women Helping Women.

My goal is to empower parents and caregivers to advocate for those with Autism and other Developmental Disabilities. Through education, sharing of ideas, and providing a listening ear, I hope to provide a support system that will foster a nurturing environment that will expand our communities capacity to grow and become more inclusive.

My name is Nellie Mancl and I am a genetic counseling graduate student at CCHMC/University of Cincinnati. I’m originally from Seattle, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Washington. As a LEND trainee, I am really looking forward to connecting with other students, professionals, and community members to understand how to provide better care to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Hi, my name is Maddie Neubecker! I am a student at the University of Cincinnati studying to receive my Master of Social Work degree. I have a passion for working with children, and their families, in all settings. I also have a passion for the field of mental health and am currently working as a Qualified Mental Health Specialist at Child Focus. I love to make music, try new foods, and go to spin class in my free time! Through the LEND program, I hope to gain a better understanding of how to empower individuals with disabilities, as well their families, through advocacy and leadership.

My name is Sam and I am from Jacksonville, Florida. I am an occupational therapist that loves working in pediatrics. I previously worked at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville before moving to Cincinnati. I have found that I love working with children with cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities. In participating in LEND I hope to gain a better understanding for those with developmental disabilities, build my leadership skills, and work in the community to advocate for children with special healthcare needs. In my free time, I enjoy hiking with my 2dogs (Loki and Kittu), reading, and trying out new gluten free recipes!

“Tulika Prasad is mom to an autistic teen. She has done her Masters in Information Management and Bachelors in Physics. She used to work as a software engineer but is now an autism advocate and a blogger (www.braindroplets.com). She has been associated with RAAC, Autism Speaks and Autism Society of Greater Cincinnati for the past couple of years.”

Happiness always!
Tulika Prasad

I grew up in Raleigh, NC and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021. My time at Carolina allowed me to find that I deeply valued all of the connections I made through my volunteering experiences as well as my genetics research–laying the groundwork for my path to genetic counseling. Now as a second-year genetic counseling graduate student, I am thrilled to be a LEND trainee! I am eager to continue to learn from the patient perspective and through collaboration with other disciplines how to better support and advocate for my patients!

I am the grandmother of a wonderful granddaughter who lives with different abilities. I have a BSN and have worked predominantly in the areas of Community & Med/Surg nursing and community health promotion. I have a PhD in Health Education with a concentration in health disparities and religion and health. I believe that it is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that this population has equal access and opportunity to enjoy the fullness of life and health; and by doing so, are able to leave their social, emotional, and spiritual footprint on humanity. My area of interest is health and advocacy.

I recently completed my Pediatric residency in NYC. I was raised in the Dominican Republic (DR) mixed with a French influence and come from a family of physicians. Being the first Pediatrician in the family I am very proud to be a fellow in the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Division at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital! Coming from the DR, advocating for my patients has been a great passion of mine, specially for children with disabilities.  By participating in the LEND program I hope to gain all the possible tools and knowledge to advocate for my patients with developmental disabilities, as well as their families, as best as I possibly can!

My interest are children with autism, challenging behavior and children who are deaf/hard of hearing. In my free time I enjoy cooking and spending time with loved ones!