How can diverse perspectives further the mission to create a system that cares responsively? Can meaningful and equitable change come about through culturally responsive care? These questions are asked by researchers whose lived experience makes them more attuned to these pressing issues. Today we highlight one of these unique voices.
As a member of an ethnic minority population, Turna Tribenne Mithila aims to bring a unique cultural perspective to the development of the healthcare system. Her interest in healthcare partly stems from her previous clinical experiences as a geriatric physician in Bangladesh. She has always envisioned working for people in marginalized communities through culturally responsive care to reduce stigma and embrace one’s own cultural identity.
Health inequality, workforce shortages, and cultural stigma play a significant role in health systems across Asia. These issues impact Western health systems as well. While Turna was working as an autism service evaluation program intern at the NHS (National Health Service) of the UK, she was able to see the extent to which these issues impact Western healthcare systems.
Next, Turna found herself inspired by the focus of Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM), which is to help people to achieve positive health and wellness outcomes as they navigate the complex systems of healthcare, child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health, and education. With an interest in resolving power imbalances through health and social systems reform, Turna collaborated on an opinion-based article with Professor John Lyons and Dr. Emily Green, titled “Cultural Responsiveness in Assessment and Decision Support for People with Intellectual and Developmental Challenges (Mithila et al., 2026). Her unique combination of lived experience, family background, work experience, enthusiasm for neurodevelopmental research, and mentorship motivated her to explore how helping systems could reflect the strengths of individuals and families for personal transformation.
Efforts to transform the health care system through culturally responsive care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities could have a modest impact by identifying where researchers should focus and where to advocate for change. Many factors impact the scope of culturally responsive care for people with IDD, such as geographical region, family support and resources, and individual cultural perceptions across age groups. Together, these factors might indicate if culturally responsive decision-making is necessary.
To study this, Turna and the co-authors discussed how a TCOM-based communimetric tool might work to address cultural differences and identity. TCOM tools work to understand cultural aspects of an individual to guide decision-making so that it best reflects a person’s needs and indicates how families can support individuals with IDD. In total, it works toward developing culturally responsive care for people with marginalized identities.
As we move forward with a shared vision of helping people achieve their health and wellness, we must reflect on how it would impact people with intellectual and developmental challenges from a culturally responsive perspective.
Mithila, T. T., Green, E. S. & Lyons, J. S. 2026. Cultural Responsiveness in Assessment and Decision Support for People with Intellectual and Developmental Challenges. Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management. Global Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities. 14(5): 555898.
Poem from Turna Mithila – The days I want to remember!
