Embracing Every Mind: Autism Awareness in the Muslim Community
Join the American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP) and Muhsen for a timely webinar exploring autism awareness within the Muslim community. As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, this one-hour session brings together mental health experts to discuss the unique experiences of autistic individuals and their families in Muslim communities — including barriers to diagnosis, culturally informed support strategies, and how communities and clinicians can better serve this population.
Wednesday, May 20
6:30 – 7:30 PM EST
Zoom
📌 RSVP / registration will be required. The meeting link will be sent to registered attendees.
AMHP will record this session for future broadcast. Attendee names will not be displayed. The content discussed is confidential. Unauthorized audio/video recording and sharing is strictly prohibited and may face legal action. Media representatives must reach out to the Communications Coordinator at aazimi@amhp.us after buying their tickets.
As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with a background as a veteran psychology and history teacher, Sarah Shams has dedicated her career to fostering inclusive, trauma-informed care for neurodivergent individuals across the lifespan. In her role as Senior Programs Manager at MUHSEN, she oversees vital community initiatives—including adult day programs, weekend schools, and respite care—while championing essential accessibility services such as ASL, Braille, and captioning. Drawing on her previous experience as a consultant for Illinois’ second-largest school district, she also serves as a partner in private practice, providing compassionate, trauma-informed ABA therapy to individuals aged 2 to 35 with neurological disorders.
Dr. Sablaban is a dual boarded psychiatrist and addiction medicine physician working in acute care psychiatry and consultation, and serves as the Vice President of AMHP national. He is heavily in involved in academic medicine and teaching, holding positions as clinical assistant professor at Michigan State, Wayne State and William Beaumont schools of medicine in addition to being the APD of Corewell Health’s psychiatric residency program. He also serves the Director of Medical Education at Metropolitan Behavioral Health hospital in Dearborn, MI – treating and promoting education to a large Muslim contingent. Over the years he has received multiple awards for teaching and clinical work including the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry’s Regional Award, and the Peter Coggan MD teaching award. He serves as a psychiatry liaison for the Islamic Center of Detroit and has been an advocate for addressing the opioid epidemic in recent years – through clinical work, interfacing with mosques & community organizations and working with the Office of National Drug Control Policy and SAMHSA as part of interfaith collaboratives.
Dr. Rukhsana M. Chaudhry is the Director of Mental Health Programming for the American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP). In this role, she has developed several mental health advocacy and educational initiatives, including the “Muslim Youth Identity” series in which American Muslim speakers delivered TED-style talks about combating stereotypes and prejudice. She spearheaded and convened the first-ever National Interfaith Anti-bullying summit with steering committee partners in December of 2017. She currently serves as a psychologist at The World Bank and practices in behavioral medicine and as a senior clinical advisor. In 2016, she received the Leadership recognition award for service in Mental Health Programming by the Muslim Mental Health Conference and Michigan State University Department of Psychiatry. In 2019, she established the first asylum and human rights clinic in the Department of Professional Psychology in her role as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at The George Washington University. Dr. Chaudhry received her Doctorate from the George Washington University in 2010. She completed her postgraduate training at Harvard University‘s Global Mental Health Program specializing in Trauma and Recovery.
