Vibha Krishnamurthy

Dr. Vibha Krishnamurthy, trained in Developmental Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital, Boston, founded Ummeed Child Development Center (ummeed.org) in 2001, and is currently its Executive Director. She has more than 15 years of experience in India as a developmental pediatrician, and has led the team at Ummeed in its delivery of direct services, training, advocacy and research in the field of child development and disability. She serves on expert committees related to Early Childhood Development and Disability for the WHO and Government of India.

Dr Krishnamurthy has been part of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics since 2011. She is currently a co-investigator of a project for developing a tool for monitoring child development, funded by the National Institute of Health, USA.

Her interests are in the area of service delivery, capacity building and advocacy for children with disabilities in resource poor areas.

Dr. Riddhi Mehta

Riddhi Mehta is a Developmental Pediatrician at Ummeed Child Development Centre, Mumbai. Ummeed is not-for- profit organization providing quality care to children with disabilities and their families, across all classes of society. She has worked as a Research Assistant in the development of the International Guide for Monitoring Child Development (GMCD). Shared decision making with children and their families is an area of interest for her.

Bahar Pekcici

Dr. Bahar Bingöler Pekcici is an assistant professor of Developmental Pediatrics at Ankara University School of Medicine, Turkey. She has focused on developmental follow up and early intervention for children with special needs and families, especially in early years; and developmental pediatrics practices and training. She worked as a consultant for UNICEF on family training, child development, and disability. She has visited Boston University, Boston Medical Center, Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Department, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Child Development Unit and Neurology Department as an observer, and done courses for biostatistics and principles of clinical research at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yale University. She has studied in WHO and NIH projects as a researcher in early childhood programs, and addressing development in primary care. Dr. Bingöler Pekcici was in the Organization Committee of the 1st International Developmental Pediatrics Association Congress, held in 2015 in Istanbul, Turkey. She is one of the master trainers of the Guide for Monitoring Child Development (GMCD) Course and has provided courses nationally and internationally. She has chapters in Developmental- Behavioral Pediatrics books and publications in medical journals.

Peter Rohloff

Dr. Peter Rohloff is the Chief Medical Officer for Wuqu’ Kawoq | Maya Health Alliance in Guatemala. He is an expert in pediatric growth disorders and in early child development in indigenous Maya communities in rural Guatemala. He is also a faculty member at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Boston Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Roopa Srinivasan

Roopa Srinivasan is a Senior Developmental Pediatrician and Director of Developmental Pediatrics and Clinical Services at Ummeed Child Development Center (ummeed.org) in Mumbai India. She has 11 years of experience as a Developmental Pediatrician. During her tenure at Ummeed she has had different roles and responsibilities..

As Director of Developmental Pediatrics, she is the coordinator of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics accredited Fellowship program in Developmental Pediatrics at Ummeed. As Director of Clinical Services, her key area of interest is in developing sustainable models of care delivery that are evidence based and outcome oriented for children with developmental disabilities. She was the India Project Director of an NIH-funded 5-year 4-country collaborative research project for the development and testing of the International Guide to Monitor Child Development in low and middle-income countries. She is also a consultant at Jaslok Hospital and Research Center, Mumbai, India.

Leera Lobo

Dr. Leera Lobo is a developmental pediatrician at Ummeed Child Development Center, Mumbai. She was part of the NIH funded International Research Project – Guide to Monitor Child Development (GMCD) as a research assistant and a child development specialist. She now conducts training programs for pediatricians in the GMCD. Dr. Lobo is also part of the training team and project coordinator of Ummeed ECHO Autism, an online program for pediatricians on evidence-based practices in the comprehensive management of Autism.

Ezgi Özalp Akin

Ezgi Özalp Akın is a fellow in developmental pediatrics at Ankara University School of Medicine. She was one of the Organizing Committee Members of the 1st International Developmental Pediatrics Congress. She has trained pediatricians and other health care professionals in using the International Guide for Monitoring Child Development in Turkey. She is currently one of the Secretarial Board Members of IDPA.

Revan Mustafayev

Dr. Revan Mustafayev is a developmental pediatrician, scholar at Ankara University, and a practicing pediatrician in TOBB ETU Hospital, Ankara. He has always strived to understand the child as a whole, and this led him to the field of developmental pediatrics. His ultimate aim is to benefit many children, and his specific interest is the promotion of Early Childhood Development within health systems.

Dr. Mustafayev has collaborated with colleagues in the Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS) region to promote developmental pediatrics in this region. His main focus of work has been the training of the developmental care workforce, development of the training materials for health care professionals and addressing practices that adversely affect child development in the CEE/CIS region. Dr. Mustafayev has also participated in the organization committee of the 1st International Developmental Pediatrics Association Congress, held in 2015 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Jane Lucas

Dr. Jane E. Lucas is a social psychologist with a license in clinical psychology. She works as a consultant with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and other international organizations. She has designed training, supervisory, and evaluation materials to support the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI). As an extension of this effort to improve child survival, she has worked for more than 15 years on designing and implementing the WHO/UNICEF parenting intervention on Care for Child Development. She advises country programs on ways to integrate support for child development into health, nutrition, education, and child protection services. Currently, she is supporting the scale up of Care for Child Development and the development of a strategy for expanding responsive caregiving through the global Nurturing Care Framework.

Aisha Yousafzai

Aisha K Yousafzai, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Early Childhood Development and Disability in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. Dr. Yousafzai earned a Ph.D. in International Child Health from the Institute of Child Health, University College London.

Her main research interests are the strengthening of early child development programming in health and nutrition services, and the inclusion of children with disabilities in health programs in low- and middle-income countries. She has more than 10 years of experience in community-based programs in both South Asia and East Africa. She was the Principal Investigator of the Pakistan Early Child Development Scale Up (PEDS) trial which investigated the integration of stimulation, care for development and nutrition in a government community health program in Sindh, Pakistan. She has also served as an ECD Advisor to UNICEF and the WHO. She is currently funded by the Saving Brains Program, Grand Challenges Canada and UNICEF.

Rebecca Johns

Rebecca L Johns is a resource development and sexuality education facilitator and trainer at the Western Cape Forum for Intellectual Disability (WCFID) in Cape Town, South Africa. She trains educators and health professionals to facilitate sexuality education with children and adults with intellectual disability. She is also a registered counselor in private practice working with young adults with Intellectual Disability and their families. Her advocacy in sexuality education has also led her to co-author a sexuality education manual/toolkit with distinguished authors Paul Chappell and Jill Hanass-Hancock entitled: Breaking the silence and closing the gap: accommodating young people with disabilities in sexuality education.

Stella Manalo

Dr. Stella G. Manalo is a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician with a vast experience in the field of Child Health and Child Protection. She also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Ateneo De Manila University. Her leadership positions include being the training officer for fellowship in Developmental Pediatrics for the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital from 2007 to 2015, Associate Director of the Child Protection Network Philippines from 2008 to 2015 and Director of the Center for Developmental Pediatrics of The Medical City from 2009 to 2015. Together with the Child Protection Unit, Dr. Stella was recognized for her consistent dedicated performance in delivering comprehensive and multidisciplinary care for maltreated children, and for her various socio-civic projects for the Rotary Club of Pasig. Dr. Stella has always been passionate in her advocacies, and through her work, has given voice to the children that she vows to serve and protect.

Corazon Magallanes

Corazon P. Magallanes holds a double college degree in Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Lyceum of the Philippines and Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of the East. She recently earned her Masters of Arts in Education (SPED) from the University of the Philippines in 2018. Prior to this, Mrs. Magallanes has held various positions in Education, including being the Head of the Special Education Department of Grace College from 2012 to 2013 and being a partner and special education consultant for HOPE (A Haven of Opportunities for People with Exceptionalities), a learning and therapy center in Quezon City. Among the many roles that she plays, her biggest task is being a parent and advocate for her children, from whom she takes inspiration and draws experiences which she generously shares to help other families.

David Schonfeld

David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP established and directs the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (www.schoolcrisiscenter.org), located at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work in the University of Southern California. He is Professor of the Practice in Social Work and Pediatrics at the University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Prior faculty positions have been in the Department of Pediatrics at Yale University School of Medicine; Head of the Section of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; and Pediatrician-in-Chief at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and Chair of Pediatrics at Drexel University School of Medicine.

For over 30 years, he has provided consultation and training to schools on supporting students and staff at times of crisis and loss in the aftermath of numerous school crisis events and disasters within the United States and abroad. Dr. Schonfeld is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council and the National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB)/National Preparedness and Response Science Board (NPRSB). He served as President of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics from 2006-7.

Karen Olness

Dr. Olness is a board certified sub specialist in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and Professor Emerita of Pediatrics, Global Health and Diseases at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She has special interests in pain management in children, teaching self regulation to children with chronic diseases, causes and long term effects of cognitive impairment in children, and management of disasters as they impact children. Dr. Olness has been a volunteer to help children in humanitarian emergencies in Laos, Thailand, Haiti, Pakistan, the Congo, Rwanda, Turkey, El Salvador, and Albania.

In 1996 she began the first programs to train relief workers about the special needs of children in disasters. These workshops continue annually at CWRU and have been presented in 14 countries. She has written more than 150 articles, chapters and books. She has been president of five national professional societies including the Society of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. She is past chair of the Section on International Child Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics and has served on many National Institutes of Health study sections. She is Medical Director of Health Frontiers, an all volunteer NGO which has developed and is supporting pediatric and internal medicine residency training programs in Laos.

Marie Corsino

Dr. Marie Ann C. Corsino is recognized for her skills and experience in capacity building, training and development, community development, monitoring and evaluation leadership and community empowerment. Dr. Corsino is a Pediatrician and holds a Masters’ degree in Public Health and Public Management from the University of the Philippines. Aside from her busy practice in Pediatrics, Dr. Corsino plays a key role in the improvement of immediate newborn care practices in Philippine hospitals through the implementation of the DOH/WHO/KMI Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care (EINC).

In the aftermath of the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2014, Dr. Corsino became the consultant area leader for the Kalusugan ng Mag-Ina support to the Post-typhoon Rehabilitation of EINC health services for birthing mothers and newborns. She is a consultant for the KMI/UNICEF/DOH implementation of the Philippine Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition, and a technical consultant of the UNICEF Philippines Health and Nutrition Section, Revision and Integration of SAM and MAM training modules. In all her work, Dr. Corsino embodies the attributes of a true public servant.

Concepcion Silvestre

Concepcion Silvestre is the Executive Director of the Alagang Kapatid Foundation, Inc. (AKFI) since 2012. She is widely known as “Menchie Silvestre” among colleagues. Her work centers on crisis management, project, and program implementation, planning and organizing, as well as project and program design. She graduated from Maryknoll College Foundation, Inc. with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Social Work. She passed the Social Work Licensure Examination in the same year. Ms. Silvestre headed the disaster relief response of ABS-CBN after Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991. She also effectively put in motion the relief efforts of ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya during the deadly Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.

With GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc. she was able to create, manage, and implement programs geared toward education, disaster response, and recovery and rehabilitation. The Alagang Kapatid Foundation Inc, under her present leadership, led to provide much-needed help to Filipinos affected by typhoons (Typhoon Pablo in 2012, Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, Typhoons Ferdie, Lawin, and Nina in 2016), and those displaced by the Zamboanga siege in 2013. They also assisted Filipinos in the aftermath of the Bohol earthquake, also in 2013. Aside from initial disaster relief response, her work in AKFI extends to the all-important rehabilitation projects of the MVP Corporate Social Responsibility Council, mainly focusing on school reconstructions, building housing units, feeding programs for school kids and livelihood programs.

Brenda Terzich-Garland

Ms. Brenda Terzich-Garland completed both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Psychology at the California State University in Sacramento, California. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and PECS Implementer and Supervisor – Pyramidal Educational Consultants, Inc. She is a member of the International Association for Behavior Analysis (ABA), California Association for Behavioral Analysis (Cal-ABA), International Society of Behaviorology and the Verbal Behavioral, Special Interest Group.

Ms. Terzich-Garland’s vast ABA clinical experience in the behavioral treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorderin children and adults has led her to develop programs such as the ABC’s generalization program R.E.A.L. (Recreating Environments to Accelerate Learning) and the Caring and Effective ABA – ABC’s clinical staff training programs.

She wrote the book The R.E.A.L Model, Rethinking Generalization: A Practitioner’s Guide to Teach for Generalization, 2019 culling her insights from her extensive experience. Ms. Terzich-Garland and co-authored numerous publications and has conducted numerous workshops even outside of the United States.

Pamela Dixon

Dr. Dixon’s Autism Speaks portfolio includes serving as the technical lead for the Caregiver Skills Training Program (CST), the Autism Speaks/WHO collaboration that provides training to caregivers of children with developmental delay/disorders. She is helping to facilitate the development and implementation of an open source diagnostic tool for use in low-resource settings. Dr. Dixon participates in the design and implementation training materials for Global Autism Public Health (GAPH) initiatives and manages parent & advocate networks, both in the United States and abroad.

As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Dixon’s previous work focused on leading clinics in the development of autism diagnostic services. As a Fulbright fellow, she modified evidence-based materials for use in Uganda, conducted diagnostic evaluations, and provided workshops for caregivers of children with disabilities. Her research and clinical interests are in building capacity for the improved identification and treatment of children with neurodevelopmental disorders in low-resource settings.

Shelly Lane

Dr. Shelly J Lane is Program Director at Colorado State University, USA, and Professor of Occupational Therapy at University of Newcastle, Australia. She has engaged in pediatric occupational therapy practice, education and scholarship for over 40 years. Her research has focused broadly on neuroscience applications in occupational therapy, and neurophysiologic underpinnings of sensory integration and processing in children. Projects have included examining development and sensory integration and processing in children prenatally exposed to substances of abuse; assistive technology and play for children with significant disabilities (Let’s Play project; early identification of dyspraxia and best practice for young children who have experienced trauma or neglect.

Her current research addresses playfulness and interaction in father-child pairs; fussy eating in children with autism; effectiveness of the Alert Program® for self-regulation in children with autism; and understanding the physiologic correlates of sensory modulation disorders and occupational therapy interventions. Professor Lane presents both nationally and internationally, and has edited, authored and contributed to books addressing issues related to sensory integration and processing, neuroscience applications to practice, and pediatric occupational therapy practice.

Jennifer Vernon

Jennifer Vernon earned her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy degree from the University of the Philippines – College of Allied Medical Professions. She has practiced since 1998 in various settings including specialty clinics, schools, community settings (such as daycares and homes), camps, and diagnostic centers in the Philippines, Canada and the United States. Clinically, her work encompasses intervention using sensory processing therapy, craniosacral therapy, neurodevelopmental treatment and trauma-informed techniques. She is also a certified STOTT Pilates instructor for Injuries and Special Populations. Jennifer believes the best intervention is not focused on a single method or technique but is instead focused on the needs of the child and the family. Academically, she has mentored and educated M.S. Occupational Therapy students at the University of Manitoba in Canada and was a member of the committee who drafted questions for the Canadian occupational therapy examination for Internationally Educated Occupational Therapists. The results of her research on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder were presented in the recent International FASD Conference in Vancouver.

Bernadette Daelmans

Bernadette Daelmans is a medical doctor, working in the World Health Organization in Geneva, in the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, where she is coordinating a team that deals with policies, planning and programs.

Bernadette and her colleagues are working with experts and partners to assess the epidemiology of sub-optimal early child development, develop evidence-based guidelines for addressing early child development, facilitate the integration of these guidelines in national programs, monitor implementation and identify best practices, develop new population-based indicators for assessing ECD in particular among children less than 3 years of age, identify research priorities and coordinate ECD intervention and implementation research.

Connie Kasari

Connie Kasari, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Professor of Human Development and Psychiatry. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a NIMH postdoctoral fellow at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA. Since 1990 she has been on the faculty at UCLA where she teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses, and has been the primary advisor to more than 60 PhD students. She is a founding member of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at UCLA. Her research aims to development novel, evidence-tested interventions implemented in community settings.

Recent projects include targeted treatments for early social communication development in at risk infants, toddlers and preschoolers with autism, and peer relationships for school aged children with autism. She leads several large multi-site studies including a network on interventions for minimally verbal school aged children with ASD, and a network that aims to decrease disparities in interventions for children with ASD who are under-represented in research trials. She is on the science advisory board of the Autism Speaks Foundation, and regularly presents to both academic and practitioner audiences locally, nationally and internationally.

Rita Villadolid

Mariella Sugue-Castillo

Dr Mariella Sugue Castillo is a Health & Nutritionist Specialist at UNICEF Philippines. Her work focuses on strengthening health systems to deliver evidence-based maternal and child health care aligned with global health goals. She manages a wide portfolio of development programs with local and international partners for quality maternal and newborn care and equity-focused child health. She is passionate about every child’s right to receive appropriate services, including abused children, children with disability and indigenous children. She graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (1990) and has a master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology (2003).

She finished her pediatric specialty training in the United States and was board-certified in the Philippines and in the US. Dr. Castillo is one of the Philippine pioneers in the field of child protection. She received The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award, a national award from the JCI organization, for her contribution to establish the Child Protection Unit at the Philippine General Hospital. She is a recognized expert on child maltreatment in the country. She was a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the University of the Philippines before joining the United Nations. She has published in local and international peer-reviewed journals on child abuse outcomes and newborn quality of care.

Mary Young

Mary E. Young, MD, DrPH, is a pediatrician and specialist in global health and child development with broad experience in both developed and developing countries. Dr. Young is a globally recognized expert in child health and development and in maternal and child health care systems. For the past three decades, she worked at the World Bank, guiding efforts in international public health and child health and development.

Currently, she is Technical Director of the Center for Child Development at the China Development Research Foundation, Senior Advisor to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child. During her tenure at the World Bank, she led global efforts to inform world leaders and policymakers about Early Childhood Development (ECD). Her experience spans the globe—from China, to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, to the Middle East and North Africa, and to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Hardiono Pusponegoro

Dr. Hardiono Pusponegoro is a child neurologist and a Professor of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia. He had his pediatric residency at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Child Neurology training at the University of Indonesia and is a certified Child Neurologist of the Indonesian Pediatric Society. He pursued a fellowship program in Child Neurology at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Sydney, Australia. Prof. Pusponegoro has a PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia with his thesis on the Maladaptive behavior, gastrointestinal disturbance, and effect of gluten-casein supplementation in children with autism.

Prof. Pusponegoro is also a member of the Asian Pediatric Research, Vice-President of the Indonesian Autism Foundation and Member of the Board of the Asean Pediatric Infectious Diseases. He is actively involved in the academe, medical society activities and autism groups. He is member of the Indonesian Doctor Association, Asian-Oceania Association of Child Neurology, Indonesian Neurodevelopmental Group and a past president of the Indonesian Pediatric Society. Research publications include topics on neurological disorders, child development, and neurodevelopmental disorders particularly autism spectrum disorders.

Rajini Sarvananthan

Dr Rajini Sarvananthan is a Consultant Developmental Paediatrician at Park City Medical Centre, Baby and Beyond Child Specialist Clinic and a Visiting Consultant at University Malaya Medical Centre. Dr Rajini graduated from the University of Newcaslte upon Tyne, United Kingdom in 1993 and entered Paediatric training in 1994. Having obtained her MRCP (Paeds) in 1996, she further sub-specialised in the area of Neurodisability / Developmental Paediatrics in the UK,while completing her Masters in Medical Science in Child Health.

She served briefly as a Locum Consultant Paediatrician before returning to Malaysia in 2003. She served as Senior Lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and together with a team health professionals, she was involved in setting up the Child Development Centre at UKM Medical Centre, the first such centre in Malaysia at the time. Her interest is in developmental disorders in preschool children and the follow up of high risk neonates. She is a registered user of the Griffiths and Bayley Scales and a registered tutor for the Griffiths III.

Rochelle Pacifico

Rochelle Buenavista-Pacifico Is a graduate of the De La Salle College of Medicine. She took up residency training at the same institution and subspecialty fellowship training in Developmental and Behavioural Paediatrics at the UP-PGH with post-fellowship observer-ship and accreditation in the use of the Griffiths Mental Development Scales at the Tumbatin Clinic, Sydney Australia. She is a fellow of the Philippine Pediatric Society, the Founding Fellow of the Philippine Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Member of the Board of Trustees and Current President of the Society.

She is a full-time Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics of the De La Salle College of Medicine, Philippines, Consultant in the Department of Pediatrics, Training officer of the Sub-specialty Fellowship in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, and Head of Allied Medical Services of the Neurodevelopmental Center of the De La Salle University Medical Center. She has authored and published several researches in development and behavior, both in local and international publications and journals and is a contributor in the basic Pediatric textbook Fundamentals of Pediatrics: Competency-based which is one of the current Pediatric text references in Philippine Medical Schools. Her advocacies include promotion of child development, mental health, limitation of screen time and digital media exposure in infants, children and adolescents.

Koyeli Sengupta

Koyeli Sengupta is a developmental pediatrician with a post-graduate degree in Pediatric medicine and Clinical Psychology. She is the Director of Autism Intervention Services at Ummeed, a premier not for profit organization in Mumbai, India,much respected for its work in the field of children with disabilities.

Koyeli has been instrumental in growing Ummeed’s autism services into a range of clinical services that cater to a range of autism related difficulties across childhood and adolescence. Under her leadership, Ummeed’s autism intervention team has also conceptualized and implemented training programs to build capacity in the community to provide evidence-based, child-directed, family-centered and comprehensive autism care to children and families.In 2016, she led the development and implementation of AITP (Autism Intervention Training Program) – a one of its kind training program in India for professionals working with children with autism.

Kristin Sohl

Kristin Sohl, MD, FAAP is an Associate Professor of Clinical Child Health at the University of Missouri, and Vice Chair of the Child Health Department. She is a pediatrician with extensive experience in medical diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of children with a concern of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Sohl is regarded as an expert in quality and process improvement for comprehensive autism diagnostic and longitudinal services. She is the site principle investigator for the Autism Intervention Research for Physical Health/Autism Treatment Network (AIRP/ATN) and serves in national leadership roles with each of these programs.

She is the founder of ECHO Autism, an innovative framework to increase community capacity to care for children with autism and other developmental/behavioral concerns. The ECHO Autism program is viewed as a national model in expanding autism diagnosis and treatment to underserved and rural populations-those currently faced with the longest wait times. The ECHO Autism team has established partnerships with other children’s hospitals and autism centers in more than 15 states and 5 countries. Her research focuses on systems change to improve healthcare and also focuses on understanding underlying medical conditions in individuals with autism. Dr. Sohl is a tireless advocate for children and enjoys engaging other physicians in being a voice for children’s health. She is the President Elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Missouri Chapter. She completed medical school and pediatric residency at the University of Missouri.

Josefina S. Isidro

Dr. Josefina Isidro-Lapena is Professor and Mentoring Program Chair, UP College of Medicine (UPCM); 3-term past Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine, UPCM and Attending Family Physician, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila; with special interests in Community-Based Health Programs, Residency Training, Community Health Workers Training, Mentoring and Medical Education, and Hospice and Palliative Care. She obtained her Doctor of Medicine degrees from the University of the Philippines, completed her Residency in Family and Community Medicine at the Philippine General Hospital, and was the first Master of Family Medicine in the Philippines (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia).

She is a Diplomate and Fellow, Philippine Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) and Member, World Organization of Family Physicians (WONCA) and Philippine Medical Association (Pasay Parañaque Medical Society). A Past President of the Foundation for Family Medicine Educators, Inc., she has served as National Board Member of the PAFP since 2009, Medical Director, Alay Kapwa Kilusang Pangkalusugan (AKAP) since 1992, Medical Director, Canossa Community Based Health Programs since 1986, and Volunteer Consultant, Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines, Inc. since 2001. She received the Class 1976 Remberto de la Paz Community Service Award during the 2001 Annual UP Medical Alumni Society Homecoming and was named Outstanding Family Physician in Community Service of the PAFP in 2006.

Erlinda Uy-Koe

DANG KOE is a trailblazer and a staunch advocate at the forefront of the family-centric autism advocacy in the Philippines for the past 20 years. Together with the Autism Society Philippines, she continues to work towards an environment that empowers persons with autism spectrum disorder to become, to the best of their potentials — self-reliant, productive, independent and socially-accepted members of an Autism-OK Philippines. She is a Communication Arts graduate of the University of Santo Tomas and completed her masteral degree in the same field at the University of the Philippines.

Dang is no stranger to all those involved in the care of children with special needs. Her advocacy work is unbeatable and her drive to do so is unrelenting. For these, she has received numerous awards such as the 2013 Philippine Presidential Apolinario Mabini Honors as Outstanding Rehabilitation Volunteer and the 2009 Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Award for Humanitarian Services for her autism advocacy work. Her advocacy work has gone beyond the Philippines. She became the chairman of the ASEAN Autism Network (AAN) in 2016. Her being given the first ever ASEAN prize is in recognition for her leadership and tireless efforts in contributing to an inclusive and people-oriented, people-centered ASEAN Community.

Campbell Paul

Campbell Paul is a Consultant Infant and Child Psychiatrist at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Paediatric Consultation Liaison Psychiatry Service and the Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne. Dr. Paul has a special interest in the understanding of the inner world of the infant and the infant-parent psychotherapy. He is an Honorary Principal Fellow in the Department of Psychiatric at the University of Melbourne and has developed a postgraduate training program in infant mental health. He has been involved for more than 20 years in the teaching of the Masters Course in infant mental health in the University of Melbourne. He is the director of the Newborn Behavioural Observations (NBO) Australia involved in training clinicians in the NBO locally and abroad. He has been involved in the establishment of the Australian Association for Infant Mental Health. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the World Association for Infant Mental Health and has been a visiting psychiatrist to the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service.

Cornelio Banaag Jr.

Dr. Cornelio P. Banaag is an expert in Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatry. He is a Professor Emeritus of the University of the Philippines and past Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines, Manila. He has written a book on Resiliency and numerous published articles and book chapters both locally and internationally including a chapter in a pediatric textbook, Fundamentals of Pediatrics edited by Navarro, Bauzon, Aguilar, and Malanyaon, published in 2014. Dr. Banaag is a Fellow and the past President for three terms of the Philippine Psychiatric Association. He is an International Member of the American Psychiatric Association and a member of the Phi Kappa Phi International Honor Society, Philippine Chapter. He has founded the three existing training programs in child and adult psychiatry in the Philippines, thus he is known to many as the “Father of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Philippines”.

Cynthia V. Isaac

Prof. Cynthia V. Isaac completed her degree in occupational therapy at the University of the Philippines and after certification by the Philippine Academy of Occupational Therapists and the American Occupational Therapy Association, she continued to pursue masteral studies in Special Education, also at the University of the Philippines. From there, she immersed herself in the academe, clinical practice, and research. Subsequently, she also held administrative positions in her field of specialty both locally and abroad.

She was an occupational therapist in the Division of Special Education in Guam before coming back to the Philippines to serve as instructor and teacher at the University of the Philipines College of Allied Medical Profession. In 1988 she was designated full professor in the same institution. She is often sought to speak and facilitate workshops in her expertise that is feeding disorders, in particular dysphagia; and how a multidisciplinary approach may be implemented in its management. Currently, she is the vice-president for legislation and lifetime member of the Philippine Academy of Occupational Therapists and is a member and country representative to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

Feny de los Angeles

Feny de los Angeles is an educator and family life and child development specialist who has devoted her work to children and families through schools, media, community-based educational programs and capacity-building programs for the past 40 years. She was co-founder of two non- governmental organizations committed to children; Community of Learners Foundation (COLF) and the Philippine Children’s Television Foundation, Inc. (PCTVF) which produced BATIBOT and other educational TV programs and multimedia products. She is the Executive Director of Community of Learners Foundation (COLF) which is a pioneer in progressive and inclusive education in the Philippines and has been implementing working models of developmentally- appropriate, culturally-relevant and gender-fair educational programs for Filipino children.

COLF has been a long-time partner of UNICEF, the Department of Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development to improve the quality of education and early childhood care and development programs in the Philippines. COLF continues the work of PCTVF in developing digital media such as the BATIBOT apps for today’s Filipino children. Feny has worked as an international consultant in various countries and has been active in various international partnerships in education and child development, children’s media and children’s rights. She has an MS degree in Educational Leadership from Bank Street College of Education in New York. She has a BS degree in Family Life and Child Development from the University of the Philippines where she taught upon graduation and served as Chairperson of the Department of Family Life and Child Development, UP Diliman from 1980 to 1983.

Ermenilda Avendano

Ermenilda L. Avendano has been on the staff of the Child Neuroscience Division since 2000 serving as consultant in both sections of Child Neurology and Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics. Dr. Avendaño is actively involved in the post-residency training programs, provision of services for patients with neurological and neurodevelopmental concerns, and research. Special interests include neurological substrates of neurodevelopmental disorders, autism and the infants at risk. Dr. Avendaño has served as the Training Officer of the fellowship program in Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics and is currently the Head of the Section of Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics and the Chief of the Child Neuroscience Division. She is also a staff of the St. Luke’s Medical Center – Quezon City at the Neurodevelopmental Center and a neurology consultant of the Institute for Neurosciences.

Maria Silvestre

Dr. Silvestre trained in Pediatrics at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital. She completed Clinical and Research Fellowships in Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine at Hutzel Hospital Children’s Hospital of Michigan. A mentor to many, she modelled ideal care of critically ill newborns including breastfeeding counselling and human milk banking. She is lead author of “Essentials in Infant Nutrition” in the “Fundamentals of Pediatrics” textbook (Manila, 2014). Dr. Silvestre has made key contributions to national policies on maternal/newborn care. She provided valuable technical assistance to the Department of Health in the development of the evidence-based Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care (EINC) Protocol, popularized as Unang Yakap. Her work is the foundation for the scale up of a simple life-saving intervention – The First Embrace. She is a member of the Independent Review Group for Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC), WHO WPRO. She founded the non-profit NGO Kalusugan ng Mag-ina Inc., (KMI; Health of Mother and Child), dedicated to protecting the health of mother-child dyads. KMI has contributed significantly to health systems improvement through policy development, training and program implementation. Dr. Silvestre is a faculty member of the Asia- Pacific Center for Evidence-based Healthcare. She coedited “Painless Evidence- Based Medicine” (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, UK).

Catherine Capio

Catherine is interested in utilising the intersecting areas of motor development, physical activity, and health in promoting better outcomes for children with and without disability. She comes from a background of practice, research, and government policy. Prior to joining The Education University of Hong Kong, she served as a Senior Research Advisor in a New Zealand Crown agency, where she focused on using research to inform government policies. She was also a Research Fellow in the University of Waikato in New Zealand, and was an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health in the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Catherine practiced paediatric physical therapy in the Philippines prior to completing her PhD in HKU. She was an International Scholar in the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, where she had clinical training in the area of paediatric psychomotor therapy. Her clinical background is one of the main drivers for her interest in applied research.

Lee Pachter

Lee Pachter is the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, a position he was named to after serving as Associate Editor for 18 years. He is also the Director of Community and Clinical Integration at the Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington Delaware, and professor of pediatrics at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. He is also the director of the Health Policy program at the Thomas Jefferson College of Population Health.

Lee’s research has focused on the social, behavioral, & cultural determinants of child health and health care. He studied traditional folk therapies for asthma in Hispanic communities, and also studied parenting beliefs and practices in different cultural groups. He received a career development award from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of racism and discrimination in children. His present work expand this scope of investigation to other psychosocial stressors that influence child health and development (and health inequities), and includes studying adverse childhood experiences.

In addition to being the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics he’s served on the Board of Directors of the Academic Pediatric Association, and is a member of the American Pediatric Society, Society for Pediatric Research, and the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. He created and directed the APA New Century Scholars program—a mentorship program developed to increase workforce diversity in academic pediatrics, and is also a founder and co-chair of the Philadelphia Adverse Childhood Experiences Task Force.

Michelle Aventejado

Michelle Ressa Aventajado left New York thirteen years ago to make a life in Manila, Philippines with her husband Nino and their then three children. No stranger to working with children and adults with IDD, she volunteered all throughout her high school and college career in ARC while she was still living in Orange County, NY. She even pursued her yoga certification later in Manila as a yoga teacher for children and adults of all abilities.

Attending the first training and open house for Best Buddies Philippines in 2014 would eventually put Michelle on a path where she would be encouraged to make more of a difference in the special needs community by collaborating with other organizations and foundations. Together, she hopes to further social inclusion, not just for her daughter, but for all the children and adults like her daughter, in the Philippines. Through her blog Momma ‘N Manila, her volunteer work, her motherhood, and as Executive Director of Best Buddies Philippines, she is confident that she is doing her small part in this world to further social inclusion for everyone.

Jenny Tapales

Jenny V. Tapales graduated in Business Administration major in Marketing at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. When she came back to the Philippines, she took masteral studies in education, curriculum, and instruction at the University of the Philippines. She further trained and gained clinical experience in several specialized assessment modalities and curricular programs such as the Orton Gillingham Multisensory programs, Slingerland Multisensory Instruction Comprehensive Course, pre-reading screening and Social Thinking assessment, to name a few. She is an assistant professor at the College of Education of the De La Salle University in Manila and a founding director of the Ed Link Foundation that specializes in the assessment and management of children with learning disabilities. She also does consultative work as a peer reviewer in the Social Thinking Publication, in their center in San Jose California.

Barbara Munar

Barbara is a full-time clinician with more than 20 years of clinical experience, she has worked extensively with children and adolescents with various developmental speech and language disorders including those with complex communication needs. She has actively pursued continuing education endeavors in the area of child speech-language development and disorders and has received an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) certification from the College of Allied Medical Professions (UP-Manila) and TINIG-AAC Project.

She is currently the managing partner of Core Skills Therapy Center—a company she had helped put up in 1998 that provides speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, and behavior therapy services to pediatric clients with special needs. In the academe, she taught undergraduate and graduate classes at the College of Allied Medical Professions, University of the Philippines – Manila and is presently a clinical supervisor for the university’s speech pathology clinical internship program.

She is focused towards the development and promotion of intervention practices that are designed specifically for Filipino children with special needs. She has been an active member of the Philippine Association of Speech Pathologists—serving as a member of the Board of Directors from 2001-2004 and head of the Electoral of Board since 2014. She currently heads the newly established AAC Special Interest Group of the association.