Let's build a 'neurodiverse-friendly' healthcare system Dr. Mai Pham, Julia Bascom and Dr. Richard Antonelli Print Dr. Mai Pham, left, is a former chief innovation officer at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, president of Institute for Exceptional Care, and the mother of an autistic son. Julia Bascom is executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Dr. Richard Antonelli is medical director for integrated care at Boston Children’s Hospital. Ben is a nonverbal man in his early 20s who spent six grueling weeks in a psychiatric ward sedated with medication because a doctor misinterpreted his movements, which were due to pain from an undiagnosed hernia. He needed surgery, not chemical restraints. Ben is not alone.