Somer Bishop is a clinical psychologist and professor in residence of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.

Somer Bishop
Assistant professor
University of California, San Francisco
From this contributor
Rethinking autism assessments in the time of COVID-19: Q&A with Bishop, Zwaigenbaum
Moving most clinical assessments online during the coronavirus pandemic has created a digital divide while closing some geographical ones, say Somer Bishop and Lonnie Zwaigenbaum.

Rethinking autism assessments in the time of COVID-19: Q&A with Bishop, Zwaigenbaum
Questions for Bishop, Havdahl: Tantrums trick autism tests
Children with low intelligence or behavioral issues — but not autism — may meet the criteria for autism on standard diagnostic tests.

Questions for Bishop, Havdahl: Tantrums trick autism tests
Seeking precise portraits of girls with autism
Researchers need to consider new ways of capturing how autism manifests in girls, who may find clever ways of camouflaging their symptoms.
Gauging intelligence in autism over time
Adapting traditional tests of intelligence for people with intellectual disability can deflate their scores over time. Somer Bishop calls for tests that more accurately assess intelligence in this group.
Explore more from The Transmitter
INSAR takes ‘intentional break’ from annual summer webinar series
The International Society for Autism Research cited a need to “thoughtfully reimagine” its popular online program before resuming it in 2026.

INSAR takes ‘intentional break’ from annual summer webinar series
The International Society for Autism Research cited a need to “thoughtfully reimagine” its popular online program before resuming it in 2026.
Null and Noteworthy: Neurons tracking sequences don’t fire in order
Instead, neurons encode the position of sequential items in working memory based on when they fire during ongoing brain wave oscillations—a finding that challenges a long-standing theory.

Null and Noteworthy: Neurons tracking sequences don’t fire in order
Instead, neurons encode the position of sequential items in working memory based on when they fire during ongoing brain wave oscillations—a finding that challenges a long-standing theory.
How to teach this paper: ‘Neurotoxic reactive astrocytes are induced by activated microglia,’ by Liddelow et al. (2017)
Shane Liddelow and his collaborators identified the factors that transform astrocytes from their helpful to harmful form. Their work is a great choice if you want to teach students about glial cell types, cell culture, gene expression or protein measurement.

How to teach this paper: ‘Neurotoxic reactive astrocytes are induced by activated microglia,’ by Liddelow et al. (2017)
Shane Liddelow and his collaborators identified the factors that transform astrocytes from their helpful to harmful form. Their work is a great choice if you want to teach students about glial cell types, cell culture, gene expression or protein measurement.