Katherine Almendinger
AuDHD Director
Katherine Almendinger is a late-diagnosed AuDHD woman working to center her career in autism research and activism. She was diagnosed autistic at 38 and ADHD at 39 while mid-doctorate for her DrPH in health policy and management at Johns Hopkins University. She started her doctorate while working with post-acute and long-term care providers on Medicare and Medicaid policy and improving quality of care. She initially set out hoping to expand access to Medicaid and to incorporate more person-centered care principles into the regulatory framework of Medicare and Medicaid.
As part of her exploration of the idea that she could be autistic, she took a course in autism and public health. The course was fascinating and informative, but it soon became clear that the autistic voice was almost entirely absent from established autism research and public health policy. As someone with an autistic older brother, a younger brother who is a special education teacher, and a strong social justice streak, the idea of autism research and policy being created and implemented without consulting autistic people and the individuals who most closely support them seemed shockingly inappropriate. Her own diagnosis came on the heels of this discovery and was the final piece needed to convince her to shift her career path. Her dissertation work has been sharply redirected and she is writing a new proposal focused on improving transition planning for autistic youth. She intends to focus future work on representing autistic voices in research and advocating for policies that reflect the needs and wishes of autistic people as told by autistic people.
Katherine holds an MS in epidemiology from Harvard University and a BS from the University of Minnesota Duluth in chemistry. She currently works as a medical writer preparing protocols and regulatory documents for immuno-oncology clinical trials. She lives in Fort Collins, CO with two cats, a dog, six chickens, lots of books, and one of her best friends with whom she makes weird art, gardens, cooks delicious food, and explores the outdoors.
