Dr. Mary Doherty is a Clinical Associate Professor at University College Dublin School of Medicine and a Consultant Anaesthesiologist based in Ireland. As founder of Autistic Doctors International, Mary has brought together a vibrant community of over 1200 autistic medical doctors from across the world, with a focus on peer support, advocacy, research, and training. Her research interests include healthcare for autistic people as well as experiences and support needs of autistic medical students and doctors. She developed the Autistic SPACE framework for meeting the needs of autistic people in healthcare settings. As the mother of 2 neurodivergent young people, Mary is passionate about optimising mental and physical health for autistic people, and she believes that moving from traditional deficit framing of autism to a neurodiversity affirmative approach is the way forward.