Autistic Doctors International Mary Doherty

EPISODE 91
Autistic Doctors International:
A Discussion with Dr. Mary Doherty,
Founder, Autistic Physician, and Neurodiversity Advocate

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Show Notes

Dr. Mary Doherty founded Autistic Doctors international to unify autistic voices who work in medical and health care to “have a seat at the table” in establishing policies and practices sensitive to the needs of neurodivergent individuals. She believes that the lived experience of autistic professionals is essential to shift medical and healthcare practices to be more effective and neuroaffirming. Barry and Dave discuss these issues with Mary.

Know more about Autistic Doctors International

Autistic Doctors International Website
Read the Article: Autistic SPACE, by Mary Doherty

Featuring

Autistic Doctors International Mary Doherty

DR. MARY DOHERTY

Dr. Mary Doherty is an autistic consultant anesthetist based in Ireland, and a parent of 2 neurodivergent young people. She is founder of Autistic Doctors International, a peer support & advocacy group which is working to raise awareness of neurodiversity in medicine.

Follow Dr. Doherty on Linked In
Follow Autistic Doctors International

…and Continue the Discussion

Do you have a book or podcast club? If so, you may use this discussion guide to facilitate a conversation about this episode.

1)  How did Mary’s personal history influence her decision to establish Autistic Doctors  International? Specifically, how did her late autism diagnosis and her choice to pursue a career in medicine converge to fulfill the need to have autistic voices address shortcomings in medical care?

2) What are some of the needs and shortcomings in medical care that Mary and her organization hope to address. Do you observe these in your personal experience as a parent or autistic or neurodivergent individual?

3) Mary describes the Autistic Space Framework (and a link to an article on the framework is below). What are the core elements of the framework? Does this resonate with your experiences and beliefs about needs in heathcare for autistic and neurodivergent individuals?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Music

Matt Savage, courtesy of Savage Records

Matt Savage is an autistic jazz musician, composer, and bandleader. Matt has collaborated with jazz greats like Chick Corea, the Ellington All Stars, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, John Pizzarelli, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi. Donny McCaslin, and more. He has recorded more than a dozen records and graciously contributes the music for Uniquely Human.

Production and Sound Design

ELEVATEDSTUDIO

Uniquely Human: The Podcast is produced, engineered, and edited by Elevated Studio in Denver, Colorado. Owned and operated by co-host Dave Finch, Elevated Studio produces digital media assets and content strategies for the electronics, entertainment, and lifestyle industries.