Exploring Different Brains

IEC founder Dr. Mai Pham discusses their work transforming healthcare for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities

Hoangmai (Mai) H. Pham, MD MPH, President and CEO of Institute for Exceptional Care (IEC), is a general internist and national health policy leader and mother to two beautiful young men, one of whom is autistic. Dr. Pham was previously Vice President, Provider Alignment Solutions at Anthem, Inc., responsible for value-based care initiatives at the country’s second largest health insurance company. Prior to Anthem, she served as Chief Innovation Officer at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, where she was a founding official, and the architect of Medicare’s foundational programs on accountable care organizations and primary care. She has published extensively in the medical literature on provider payment policy and its intersection with health disparities, care coordination, quality performance, provider behavior, and market trends. Dr. Pham serves on the boards of Atlantic Health Systems and the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, and the National Advisory Council for the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality. She also serves on Faculty at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Dr. Pham earned her A.B. from Harvard University, her M.D. from Temple University, and her M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University where she was also a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar.

For information about Institute for Exceptional Care, visit: https://www.ie-care.org/

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UM-NSU CARD's Dr. Michael Alessandri shares the importance of organization partnerships in supporting the autistic community.

Dr. Michael Alessandri is the Executive Director of the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD). He is also the Chairman of the Board at Els for Autism, and Board officer for Casa Familia, a housing project in Dade County. Dr. Alessandri has been a professor at UM since 1996 and has worked with individuals with autism and their families since 1981 in various capacities. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Rochester, and obtained his MS and Ph.D. in Psychology from Rutgers University. At the University of Miami, Dr. Alessandri, in addition to his other roles, also serves as the Department of Psychology’s Assistant Chairman for Community Outreach and Engagement. Dr. Alessandri has presented, consulted and published internationally on developing appropriate and effective educational programs for students with autism. In addition, he has received numerous research and service grants and several notable awards within the field including the Autism Society of America’s Wendy F. Miller Autism Professional of the Year Award and National Autism Program of the Year for UM-NSU CARD.

Dr. Alessandri has also received numerous other community service awards, including the March of Dimes Community Excellence in Health Care Award (2007), the Health Services Coalition Outstanding Community Leader Award (2009), and the Parent to Parent Excellence in Family Advocacy Award (2010). He was also named one of the Ronald McDonald House's 12 Good Men (2008) and the Dewar's 12 Man of Distinction (2007). In 2012, he was selected by the Children's Trust as the David Lawrence Champion for Children, one of South Florida’s highest honors for community service. In 2016, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce named him their Visionary Leader of the Year; and in 2017, he was recognized by the Dade County Bar Association with the Fostering Inclusion and Diversity Award. Recognizing his outstanding career achievements, his alma mater, The University of Rochester School of Arts and Sciences, named him the Distinguished Alumnus of 2022.

For information about UM-NSU CARD, visit: https://www.card.miami.edu/

For information about Dr. Alessandri, visit: https://people.miami.edu/profile/fb8af2465e6219dc0d6be35a692a7472

For more about Casa Familia: https://casafamiliainc.org/

For more about Els for Autism: https://www.elsforautism.org/

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UM-NSU CARD's Dr. Michael Alessandri discusses how the COVID19 pandemic forced autism providers to rethink how they deliver services.

Dr. Michael Alessandri is the Executive Director of the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD). He is also the Chairman of the Board at Els for Autism, and Board officer for Casa Familia, a housing project in Dade County. Dr. Alessandri has been a professor at UM since 1996 and has worked with individuals with autism and their families since 1981 in various capacities. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Rochester, and obtained his MS and Ph.D. in Psychology from Rutgers University. At the University of Miami, Dr. Alessandri, in addition to his other roles, also serves as the Department of Psychology’s Assistant Chairman for Community Outreach and Engagement. Dr. Alessandri has presented, consulted and published internationally on developing appropriate and effective educational programs for students with autism. In addition, he has received numerous research and service grants and several notable awards within the field including the Autism Society of America’s Wendy F. Miller Autism Professional of the Year Award and National Autism Program of the Year for UM-NSU CARD.

Dr. Alessandri has also received numerous other community service awards, including the March of Dimes Community Excellence in Health Care Award (2007), the Health Services Coalition Outstanding Community Leader Award (2009), and the Parent to Parent Excellence in Family Advocacy Award (2010). He was also named one of the Ronald McDonald House's 12 Good Men (2008) and the Dewar's 12 Man of Distinction (2007). In 2012, he was selected by the Children's Trust as the David Lawrence Champion for Children, one of South Florida’s highest honors for community service. In 2016, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce named him their Visionary Leader of the Year; and in 2017, he was recognized by the Dade County Bar Association with the Fostering Inclusion and Diversity Award. Recognizing his outstanding career achievements, his alma mater, The University of Rochester School of Arts and Sciences, named him the Distinguished Alumnus of 2022.

For information about UM-NSU CARD, visit: https://www.card.miami.edu/

For information about Dr. Alessandri, visit: https://people.miami.edu/profile/fb8af2465e6219dc0d6be35a692a7472

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Go Baby Go founder and Univ of Delaware professor Dr. Cole Galloway discusses his work helping children with mobility challenges.

Dr. James Cole Galloway is a Professor of Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware. He is also the Founder of the Go Baby Go program, which helps children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities move and explore the world. Go Baby Go's most popular project – ride-on cars – provides parents, clinicians, students and community volunteers with know-how to adapt ordinary toy cars into therapeutic vehicles for children with physical limitations. Cole also launched the Go Baby Go Cafe, a functioning business where traumatic brain injury survivors work and physical, cognitive, social and speech impairments are simultaneously addressed.

To contact Cole: [email protected]

For information about several existing Go Baby go programs: https://sites.udel.edu/gobabygo/contact/

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Els for Autism program director Dr. Erin Brooker Lozott shares their work supporting all ages of autistic individuals, and previews their upcoming conference.

Dr. Erin Brooker Lozott, BCBA-D, CCC-SLP is the Els for Autism Foundation Program Director. She has been working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related disabilities across ages and settings for over 25 years. Erin is a doctoral-level board-certified behavior analyst and a licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologist. Before joining the Els for Autism Foundation staff, Erin worked for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta-Marcus Autism Center as the Community Interventionist Manager, participating in research and educational outreach community-based projects. Erin has co-authored several publications on autism spectrum disorder topics, and she has presented and consulted extensively on a national and international level. She is an appointed member of both a scientific advisory committee and a clinical excellence committee for international autism organizations.

Els for Autism Foundation was established in 2009 by Liezl Els, Ernie Els, and Marvin R. Shanken. The Els’ son, Ben, is impacted by autism spectrum disorder, which affects 1 in 44 children in the U.S. The Foundation offers innovative, evidence-based programs for families and individuals across the life-span in six focus areas: Education, Research, Global Support, Recreation Services, Adult Services and Therapy Services. The Els for Autism Foundation serves families around the world, and also offers in-person programs and services at The Els Center of Excellence® in Jupiter, Florida. Els for Autism® envisions a world of limitless possibilities for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families.

For more about Els for Autism: https://www.elsforautism.org/

RE-CREATING RECREATION CONFERENCE – MARCH 23 & 24, 2023

This conference will focus on demonstrating how RECREATION can be used as a platform for other therapeutic interventions. Speakers will include leaders in recreation programs and services, dedicated to improving the lives of autistic individuals. This includes some familiar names to the Different Brains audience like Dr. Stephen Shore and Dani Bowman! Event followed by optional Roots & Ruts Off-Road 5K Run/Walk on March 25th

Venue: The Els Center of Excellence (R) Campus, 18370 Limestone Creek Road, Jupiter, Florida 33458

For more info about the upcoming Els for Autism conference, go to: https://bit.ly/Rec-Conference-2023

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Dementia self-advocate and author Michael Ellenbogan returns to discuss living with the disease, and his work raising awareness around the world.

Michael started having early signs at the age of 39, and spent over a decade to receive a diagnosis. Since then he has become a celebrated and tireless self-advocate seeking a cure, including having a letter for Alzheimer’s advocacy accepted into Congressional record.

For more about Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%E2%98%85michael%E2%98%85ellenbogen%E2%98%85/

And look for his book “From the Corner Office to Alzheimer’s” on Amazon here: https://goo.gl/XEY9x4

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In this second year-in-review episode, we are going to hear from neurodiversity change makers in medicine, education, therapy, and more we spoke with in 2022. Featured are:

DR. ANGELIQUE HARRIS - Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at Boston University School of Medicine / Associate Professor in General Internal Medicine, in the Department of Medicine / Executive Director of Faculty Development for Boston University Medical Campus.

For more about Dr. Harris’ work: https://www.bumc.bu.edu/medicine/profile/angelique-harris/

DR. PETER JENSEN - Board Chair and Founder of The REACH Institute / PREVIOUSAssociate Director of Child and Adolescent Research at the National Institute of Mental Health.

For more about REACH: https://thereachinstitute.org/

LAUREN CLARKE - joint MD/MA in Education student at Stanford University working towards improving the quality of medical education related to caring for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

For more about Lauren: linkedin.com/in/l-clarke

DRS. GEORGE AND OKSANA HAGERTY - Dr. George Hagerty if the president of Beacon College, and Dr. Oksana Hagerty is director of the college’s Center for Student Success.

To find out more about Beacon, visit: beaconcollege.edu

DR. JOSEPH LENTO - educator / neurodiversity advocate / Conservatory-trained professional Musician.

To find out more about Joseph Lento, visit him at http://www.brasscomets.org/

DR. JENNIE TROCCHIO - autism educator / speaker / Developmental Therapist / Vice President of Clinical Operations at Positive Development.

For more about Jennie’s work: positivedevelopment.com

DR. JANICE RYAN - Founder and Director of Attunement Solutions, LLC / Doctor of Occupational Therapy / Human Systems Dynamics Professional.

To learn more about Dr. Ryan’s work: https://attunementsolutions.com/

SAMANTHA SALVER - dyslexia self-advocate, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and the Program Coordinator for Joshua's Path and BOOST at Jewish Family Services of Broward.

For more about Joshua’s Path: https://www.jfsbroward.org/

DAVID GESLAK - Founder and President of Exercise Connection.

For more about Exercise Connection: https://exerciseconnection.com/

TOM OLIVER - autism self-advocate, TEDx Speaker, and Global leader on autistic individuals caught up in the justice system.

To find out more about Tom’s work, visit: https://tomoliver.biz/

JHILLIKA KUMAR - ADHD self-advocate, co-founder & CEO of Mentra, a Georgia Tech graduate, and honorary degree recipient, and previous Grace Hopper Keynote speaker for neurodiversity empowerment.

For more about Mentra:

https://www.mentra.me/

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In this first year-in-review episode, we are going to hear from a handful of the amazing neurodivergent self-advocates we’ve had the privilege of speaking with. Featured are:

JUDE MORROW - Irish autism self-advocate, author, and speaker (full interview: https://differentbrains.org/loving-your-place-on-the-spectrum-with-jude-morrow-edb-258/ )

For more about Jude:

https://judemorrow.com/

https://www.neurodiversity-training.net/

https://www.facebook.com/judemorrowauthor

https://www.instagram.com/judemorrow/

https://twitter.com/judemorrow10

TARA LERMAN - Journalist & Tourette Syndrome self-advocate (full interview: https://differentbrains.org/demystifying-tourette-syndrome-with-tara-lerman-edb-263/ )

For more about Tara: https://www.taralerman.com/

TOM OLIVER - autism self-advocate, TEDx Speaker, and Global leader on autistic individuals caught up in the justice system (full interview: https://differentbrains.org/autism-is-not-a-crime-with-australian-self-advocate-tom-oliver-edb-269/ )

To find out more about Tom’s work, visit: https://tomoliver.biz/

His TED Talk can be seen here: https://youtu.be/i_j5jOadcVc

RYAN LUNDY - NVLD self-advocate (full interview: https://differentbrains.org/understanding-nvld-with-ryan-lundy-edb-272/ )

To find out more about the NVLD Project, visit: https://nvldproject.org/

To get in touch with Ryan, email him at: [email protected]

BEN BOUDREAUX - autism self-advocate, a researcher, and a full-time graduate student at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. (full interview: https://differentbrains.org/fitness-and-autism-with-david-geslak-ben-boudreaux-edb-265/ )

For more about Exercise Connection: https://exerciseconnection.com/

For an article by Ben and David Geslak: https://exerciseconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/Exercise_is_a_Life_Changer_for_Those_with_Autism-2.pdf

DR. JAMES WILLIAMS - autism self-advocate and Beacon College’s Director of Career Advisement/Development/Partnership (full interview: https://differentbrains.org/career-advisement-for-the-neurodivergent-with-beacon-colleges-dr-james-williams-edb-283/ )

To find out more about Beacon, visit: https://www.beaconcollege.edu/

JHILLIKA KUMAR - ADJD self-advocate, co-founder & CEO of Mentra, a Georgia Tech graduate, and honorary degree recipient, and previous Grace Hopper Keynote speaker for neurodiversity empowerment (full interview: https://differentbrains.org/mentra-creating-a-neurodiversity-employment-network-w-jhillika-kumar-edb-281/ )

For more about Mentra:

https://www.mentra.me/

https://www.instagram.com/mentrateam/

https://twitter.com/mentrateam

https://www.facebook.com/mentra.me/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/mymentra

SAMANTHA SALVER - dyslexia self-advocate, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and the Program Coordinator for Joshua's Path and BOOST at Jewish Family Services of Broward (full interview: https://differentbrains.org/joshuas-path-careers-for-neurodivergent-adults-with-sam-salver-lcsw-edb-259/ )

For more about Joshua’s Path: https://www.jfsbroward.org/

BEA MOISE - ADHD self-advocate, autism mom, cognitive specialist, and parenting coach (full interview: https://differentbrains.org/navigating-a-neurodiverse-household-with-bea-moise-ms-bccs-edb-282/ )

For more about Bea: https://beatricemoise.com/

Bea’s book “Our Neurodivergent Journey” can be found on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Beatrice-Moise/e/B0B64MJMDK/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1

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Autism self-advocate and Beacon College’s Director of Career Advisement/Development/Partnership Dr. James Williams discusses his work helping students find employment.

(VIDEO - 31 mins) Beacon College, a private nonprofit college founded in 1989 in Leesburg, Florida, is the first accredited institution of higher learning designed with curriculum and support services to serve those students with dyslexia, ADHD, or other specific learning disabilities. They offer Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Human Services, Interdisciplinary Studies, Computer Information Systems, Psychology, and Business Management. It is regionally accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is licensed by the Florida Department of Education.

To find out more about Beacon, visit: https://www.beaconcollege.edu/

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ADHD self-advocate, autism mom, cognitive specialist, and parenting coach Bea Moise shares what she has learned from her neurodiverse household.

Beatrice (Bea) Moise, M.S., BCCS., is a Board-Certified Cognitive Specialist, Parenting Coach, author of Our Neurodivergent Journey and National Speaker. She created A Child Like Mine to educate parents of children with unique atypical brains that have both behavior & learning needs, while giving them the tools they need to be successful at home.

Bea has written for Autism Parenting Magazine, Charlotte Parent Magazine, Different Brains, Parents, PBS-Kids, The Everymom, and Verizon. She is a respected and trusted parenting coach and consultant in Charlotte, NC, and surrounding areas. Helping parents of children with Autism, ADHD and other behavioral challenges who are neurodivergent. Bea is frequently featured on WCNC Charlotte Parenting Today, and has been featured on Ballantyne Magazine, Mimosas with Moms, Peace & Parenting, People of Charlotte, & Scoop’s Successful Charlotte Women providing tips for parents.

Bea has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology; also, she also holds a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling with a specialty of Applied Behavior Analysis. Bea and her husband have two children, Jacob, who is awesomely autistic, and Abby, who is simply marvelous!

For more about Bea: https://beatricemoise.com/

Bea’s book “Our Neurodivergent Journey” can be found on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Beatrice-Moise/e/B0B64MJMDK/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1

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