Advisory Council
stephen dilly, M.D., Ph.D.
Stephen G. Dilly, MBBS, PhD, is Chairman of Cognoa Inc, a company at the forefront of digital behavioral health for children. Cognoa's precision health platform is designed to support early identification and treatment of pediatric behavioral health conditions including autism spectrum disorders. He was formerly the CEO of Aimmune Therapeutics (NSDQ: AIMT) and APT Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Dilly was previously Senior Vice President, Head of Development, and Chief Medical Officer at Chiron BioPharmaceuticals, Vice President of Development Sciences at Genentech and before that head of clinical neuroscience at SmithKline Beecham.
Dr. Dilly played important roles in the development and approval of numerous drugs, including Kytril®, Requip®, Kredex®, Paxil CR®, Cathflo Activase®, Raptiva®, Xolair®, Avastin®, Lucentis®, Cubicin® and Tarceva®. He is on the Board of Sangamo Therapeutics. Dr. Dilly received a PhD in Cardiac Physiology from the University of London and holds an MBBS, graduating as a physician from the University of London.
dale jacknow, M.D.
Dr. Dale Jacknow is a Developmental and Behavioral pediatrician with more than 25 years of clinical experience. Dr. Jacknow practices in San Mateo, CA but her patients come from all over the Bay Area, as well as from the East Coast, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She specializes in providing comprehensive, individualized assessments and creating prioritized action plans that best address the needs of children from birth through age 18 who face a diverse range of developmental and behavioral challenges.
neil sharp, M.D.
Neil Sharp, MA MBChB, is a practitioner and trainer in the Anat Baniel Method® NeuroMovement®.
Neil studied Medicine at Cambridge University and Edinburgh University Medical School. After working as a hospital doctor in the UK, he left medicine to pursue a career as an operatic tenor, violinist and musical director. In 2004 he discovered the work of Anat Baniel. He recognized its enormous value not just for his personal but as a basis for a revolution in education and rehab. He came to study with her and moved to the US in 2007 in order to collaborate with her as a practitioner and her research coordinator. He now also holds the position of trainer in her training program which has graduated more than 600 practitioners worldwide. In his private practice Neil works with a diverse range of clients including high performing athletes and musicians and people suffering from pain and injury. His passion is in working with children with special needs including those with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, stroke and genetic abnormalities.
GLORIA SOTO, PH.D.
Dr. Gloria Soto has been involved in Avalon since before its inception and was the first member of its Advisory Council. Dr. Soto is Professor in the Department of Special Education at San Francisco State University. She teaches graduate coursework in special education, cultural diversity, augmentative communication and curriculum-based language and communication intervention.
Her area of professional expertise is in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Her areas of research interest include applied educational issues such as multiculturalism, collaborative teaming, inclusive education and professional preparation, as well as more basic areas such as narrative language in AAC, language development through augmented means and the impact of graphic symbol use on language development. She is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences related to communication intervention and special education. She has published numerous articles and book chapters.
Gloria holds an M.S. from Universidad Pontificia, Spain and a Ph.D. from Purdue University.