By Arriane Kernes
Each year, Kennedy Krieger Institute’s professional training programs welcome about 1,000 individuals to develop expertise in specialized areas focused on neurological and developmental disabilities. The Institute offers a total of 31 different training experiences, including the Nursing Training Program, the Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Fellowship and the Social Work Department’s MACRO Therapeutic Foster Care Internship. These training experiences can range in duration from just a few days to more than four years.
The contents of each program’s rigorous and enriching curriculum vary, but what remains constant among all of them is the impression Kennedy Krieger leaves on its trainees as a place worthy of sticking around at. While these programs prepare trainees for boundless career prospects upon completion, it is not uncommon for trainees to transition into permanent roles at the Institute directly out of their training, or to eventually come back as faculty members at some point in the future.
“It is important to note that many people who have trained at Kennedy Krieger have stayed on as faculty,” says Dr. Jacqueline Harris, director of the Epigenetics Clinic at Kennedy Krieger, who first came to the Institute as a trainee in the Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NDD) Residency Program. “That speaks to the Institute’s unique place in the country—and the world—as far as the care of these individuals.”
The lasting impression Kennedy Krieger leaves on its trainees can likely be attributed to various factors, one of the most prominent being the esteemed environment fostered by colleagues, new and longtime alike.
The faculty really invested in me and believed in me.” – Dr. Christina Love
Assistant Professor of Neurology and Developmental Medicine Dr. Amena Smith Fine recalls a fond experience with the recently retired former director of the Phelps Center for Cerebral Palsy, Dr. Alexander Hoon, from her time as an NDD trainee. “I was really impressed because even though I was brand new and nobody knew me, he was keenly interested in what my story was. He pulled out a colored index card and a pen and said, ‘Tell me about yourself.’ He had a whole pack of these cards from people he had introduced himself to.”
This level of respect is shown by patient families as well. “About a year ago, I was in my office, and the phone rang and I answered it, and the mother of one of my former patients said, ‘You met with me shortly after [my daughter] was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum as a toddler,’” recalls Assistant Vice President of Clinical Services Dr. Melanie Pinkett-Davis, who has played a valuable role at the Institute in both trainee and faculty positions since 1999. The parent continued: “‘She just graduated from high school, and I was going through her old documents, and I found the folder with all the papers and guidance that you gave me. And I just want to thank you because of how meaningful, impactful and empowering that experience was.’”
It seems that if all of what Kennedy Krieger has to offer could be summed up in one word, that word would be “opportunity.” To encourage faculty members’ and trainees’ continual development as professionals and ensure that patients always receive the best care possible, the Institute is committed to providing faculty members and trainees with limitless opportunities. The Institute is also a recipient of a federal Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) training grant, which has elevated the quality of training offered even further.
“Sometimes, when we’ve been at Kennedy Krieger for so long, I think we may take it a little bit for granted that we have access to so many amazing training opportunities, didactic opportunities, workshops, continuing education and consultation opportunities—not just here, but also with our affiliation at Johns Hopkins,” reflects former neuropsychology trainee Dr. Christina Love, a neuropsychologist in the Institute’s Center for Neuropsychological and Psychological Assessment.
Dr. Love is also the founder of the Spanish Consultation Network, an interdisciplinary collaboration of clinical providers and trainees at Kennedy Krieger dedicated to serving Spanish-speaking patients and improving the effectiveness of their care. It is efforts like this that ensure the next generation of Kennedy Krieger trainees and faculty members can be the very best at what they do.
“I would never have thought that I would be where I am today, doing what I’m doing, if Kennedy Krieger hadn’t given me these opportunities,” Dr. Love adds. “The faculty really invested in me and believed in me.”