Michelle Pu is a recent graduate from Tufts University, where she studied biology and child studies and human development. She is passionate about learning how she can best support the neurodiverse and disabled population throughout their lifespan. As an undergraduate student, Michelle worked in a rehabilitation center serving neurodiverse and physically disabled adults. Motivated by this experience, she worked in the Crehan Lab at Tufts University delivering a sexual education curriculum to autistic teenagers and researched how autistic adults interact in intimate relationships. She also worked in the Feinberg Broder-Fingert Lab at UMass Chan Medical School investigating an early-intervention curriculum for young children with social communication challenges. Besides, she conducted a research project regarding electronic communication devices for physically disabled adults. It was Michelle’s experiences as a mental health hotline operator, hospice volunteer, and as a volunteer working with housing-insecure children that shaped her interest in supporting others’ mental health and social well-being at all ages and life stages.
In her Fulbright-Nehru research project, Michelle is investigating the impact of affiliate stigma on caretakers when they disclose their child’s autism diagnosis to others. Affiliate stigma is defined as internalized stigma felt by the family members of a stigmatized individual. While previous studies have established that Indian parents of autistic children may experience affiliate stigma, research has not yet investigated the effects of such stigma. For her research, Michelle is conducting semi-structured interviews with caregivers of autistic children in Bengaluru regarding their experiences in navigating their child’s diagnosis.