Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Programs are graduate-level interdisciplinary leadership training programs federally funded through the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB).

The purpose of The University of Arizona LEND (AZLEND) training program is to produce leaders and innovators in the field of autism and other neurodevelopmental and related disabilities who are solidly grounded in their own disciplines and able to work collaboratively with colleagues in interdisciplinary settings, and to prepare fellows to anticipate, manage, and take advantage of changes in knowledge and health care delivery systems. AZLEND accomplishes this by preparing fellows from diverse professional disciplines to assume leadership roles in their respective fields and by ensuring high levels of interdisciplinary clinical competence.

AZLEND provides education and training to long-term fellows in the following areas: clinical knowledge (clinical expertise, and interdisciplinary process), leadership, collaboration and research. Fellows are involved in supervised clinical experiences with a wide variety of disorders and receive individual mentoring that yields an individualized approach. AZLEND training emphasizes interdisciplinary interaction, intensive leadership training and public health approaches.