The ironic title of his bestselling book, “Look Me in the Eye,” speaks volumes about the life of John Elder Robison.Robison was well into adulthood before he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism spectrum disorder where those who are diagnosed may have normal or high intelligence but find it difficult to interact with others because they don’t pick up on normal social cues. The author will talk about living with Asperger’s disorder during a free public lecture Wednesday, April 14, at ETSU.

The lecture will serve as the capstone event of “The Patient’s Voice” project by the Gold Humanism Honor Society from ETSU’s James H. Quillen College of Medicine. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Culp Auditorium.

Born with a mind for mechanics, Robison excelled in technical occupations. He designed special effects guitars for KISS – a 1970s photo on his Web site shows him hanging out with Peter Frampton and Ace Frehley. Robison made computerized toys for the Milton Bradley Company. Still, he suffered crushing loneliness.

The ETSU Gold Humanism Honor Society approached Robison, who lives in Massachusetts and speaks nationwide about Asperger’s syndrome, about coming to Johnson City because “Look Me in the Eye” resonated with the group’s service and education project, “The Patient’s Voice.” The Gold Humanism Honor Society includes senior medical students, residents and faculty at the College of Medicine noted for excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service. Approximately 15 percent of the fourth-year class of medical students is elected to membership each year.

“Humanism in medicine is all about remembering that with patient-centered medicine, we have to understand the patient perspective to do our jobs right,” said David Meyer, vice president of the ETSU Gold Humanism Honor Society and one of the event organizers. “One reason Mr. Robison seemed like such an excellent speaker for ‘The Patient’s Voice’ is because he went so long without being diagnosed.”

Robison isn’t the only author in his family. His brother, Augusten Burroughs, wrote the renowned memoir “Running with Scissors.”

Robison posts frequent updates about his life and Asperger’s disorder on his Web site, www.johnrobison.com.

The event is funded by grants from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and the ETSU Student Government Association’s BUC Fund. For more information, or to arrange special assistance for those with disabilities, e-mail goldhumanismetsu@gmail.com.

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