Patricia Aguayo, MD, MPH, assistant professor at Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI), has been invited to participate as an expert panelist for a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine () workshop in December. As the medical director of HMHI's Neurobehavior HOME Clinic, she will showcase the clinic's unique coordinated health care model that serves both the medical and mental health needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Aguayo and the other panelists will discuss lessons learned from exemplary models of care for IDD patients. The panel is part of the , held virtually on December 10, 2021, and sponsored by NASEM's Health and Medicine Division.
The Neurobehavior HOME program, a comprehensive patient-centered medical model, provides care for people with autism spectrum disorder and other disabilities. The HOME program offers primary and secondary care to its patients for a lifetime and is one of the only programs like it in the United States.
Aguayo earned her medical degree at Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City, Mexico, and a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She completed her psychiatry residency at New York Medical College, where she served as chief resident. She then pursued a fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine. Since 2018, Aguayo has served as the medical director for the HOME program and HMHI's Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic.
Each year, NASEM facilitates the participation of top experts in their projects, studies, and advisory activities to examine and assemble evidence-based findings to address some of society's toughest challenges. In addition, the National Academies pursue a wide range of activities to strengthen the scientific, engineering, and medical fields and their capacity to contribute to human welfare.
HMHI is honored that Aguayo will represent at the workshop this year and for the opportunity to highlight our unique program.