"2nd Meeting of the International Alliance on Brain Health"

Organized by INECO Foundation, Swiss Brain Health Foundation, and the International Alliance on Brain Health,
in conjunction with The Lancet Commission on Brain Health

Coordinated by Prof. Facundo Manes (INECO Foundation, Argentina) and Prof. Claudio L. Bassetti (Swiss Brain Health Foundation)

A Strategic Convening for the Next Decade

On April 24–25, 2026, Buenos Aires will host the 2nd Meeting of the International Alliance on Brain Health — a high-level global convening bringing together scientific leaders, policymakers, multilateral institutions, and strategic stakeholders to define coordinated action on brain health for the decade ahead. Brain health is no longer solely a medical concern. It has become a structural determinant of human capital, economic resilience, democratic stability, and sustainable development. The purpose of this meeting is clear: to align science, policy, and global governance around a shared framework capable of translating knowledge into measurable societal impact.

Brain Health: A Defining Strategic Issue of Our Time

The sustained rise in neurological and mental health disorders, demographic aging, the growing global burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and the increasing vulnerability of children and adolescents have positioned brain health at the center of the international public agenda. Neurological and psychiatric conditions affect more than one in three individuals worldwide and represent one of the leading causes of disability, lost productivity, and long-term economic strain. Yet brain health extends beyond the absence of disease. It refers to the capacity of individuals to think, learn, regulate emotions, adapt to change, and make complex decisions across the lifespan. In a world shaped by artificial intelligence, automation, geopolitical volatility, and social fragmentation, the decisive advantage of nations will not be technological alone — it will be cognitive, emotional, and adaptive capacity. Protecting brain health means safeguarding the core human capabilities that underpin innovation, institutional trust, resilience, and social cohesion.

A Global Policy Imperative

Brain health has been progressively incorporated into the strategic priorities of major international institutions, including the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Economic Forum, the G7, the G20, and the OECD. Governments and multilateral organizations increasingly recognize that brain health intersects with education systems, workforce development, productivity, aging policy, social protection, and long-term economic sustainability. The challenge is no longer awareness — it is coordinated implementation. Addressing brain health requires cross-sector collaboration that integrates scientific evidence, public policy design, financing strategies, ethical governance, and international cooperation.

From Bern to Buenos Aires: Consolidating International Leadership

The Buenos Aires meeting builds directly on the landmark 2025 gathering in Bern, “National, Regional and International Plans for Brain and Mental Health: Bridging the Gaps,” where the International Alliance on Brain Health was conceived. Since then, the Alliance has evolved into a structured international platform for coordination among academic institutions, policymakers, and global organizations. The 2026 meeting marks a transition from conceptual alignment to strategic consolidation — strengthening international leadership and advancing coordinated global frameworks.

Distinguished Global Participation

The meeting will convene senior representatives and global leaders, including:

  • The President of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN)
  • The President of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN)
  • The Director of Mental Health and Substance Use at the World Health Organization (WHO)
  • The President of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA)
  • The President & CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association and Chair of the World Dementia Council
  • Leaders of The Lancet Commission on Brain Health
  • Representatives of the Swiss Brain Health Foundation
  • The Director of the Global Council on Brain Health (AARP)
  • The Director of the Global Brain Health Institute (UCSF)
  • The Director of Brain Health at the American Heart Association

This convening reflects an unprecedented alignment between scientific institutions and global governance actors.

Strategic Themes

Over two days, discussions will focus on:

  • Preventive neurology and lifespan brain health strategies
  • Integration of brain and mental health within unified policy frameworks
  • Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and neurodegeneration as global priorities
  • Youth mental health and developmental risk trajectories
  • Social determinants and inequities in brain health outcomes
  • Economic modeling and productivity implications
  • Ethical governance of emerging neurotechnologies
  • Sustainable financing and scalable implementation strategies

The objective is not merely dialogue, but alignment.

Toward a Global Brain Health Framework

A central outcome of the meeting will be the development of a joint Brain Health document articulating guiding principles and strategic priorities for the coming decade. This framework will position brain health as a global public good — foundational to human development, economic sustainability, and democratic resilience. By convening leaders across disciplines and sectors, the meeting seeks to catalyze coordinated international action capable of moving brain health from fragmented initiatives to systemic global strategy.

Latin America at the Center of the Global Conversation

Hosting this meeting in Buenos Aires signals Latin America’s active contribution to shaping the future of global brain health policy. It affirms a commitment to a preventive, humanistic, and scientifically grounded vision — one that places cognitive and emotional well-being at the heart of sustainable development. The 2nd Meeting of the International Alliance on Brain Health represents a historic opportunity to align science, policy, and global leadership around one of the defining challenges of our century.

By invitation only (for more information, write to asistentefundacion@ineco.org.ar)

Speakers

Natalia Rost

President, American Academy of Neurology

Steven Lewis

President, World Federation of Neurology (WFN)

Danuta Wasserman

Prof., Senior. Past President World Psychiatric Association (WPA)

Devora Kestel

Director, Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization (WHO)

Joanne Pike

President & CEO, Alzheimer’s Association; Chair, World Dementia Council

Juan Rodríguez

Global Council on Brain Health, AARP

Victor Valcour

Director, Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), UCSF

Christopher Chen

President, Asian Society Against Dementia

Alfred Njamnshi

Chair, African Academy of Neurology

Mara Dierssen

President, Spanish Brain Council; President, Spanish Association for the Advancement of Science

Suvarna Alladi

Professor of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore

Claudia Braga

Prof. of Psychiatry University of São Paulo

Kailash Bhatia

MD, Prof.. President-Elect European Academy of Neurology (EAN)

Marcelo Cetkovich

Medical Director of INECO, Head of the Institution's Department of Psychiatry.

Nilton Custodio

Director of Instituto Peruano de Neurociencias

Pratima Murthy

Director and Senior Professor of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, India

Oscar Franco

MD, DSc, PhD Dir. Public Health at University Medical Center Utrecht

Caroline Lustenberger

Head of Sleep Lab, ETH Zurich, Department of Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST)

Andrea Slachevsky

MD, PhD, Center for Memory and Neuropsychiatry (CMYN)

Alexandre N. Datta

Chief and Head of Department of Pediatric Neurology, Developmental Medicine and Neurorehabilitation of Northwestern Switzerland

Roongroj Bhidayasiri

Director of the Chulalongkorn Centre of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease & Related Disorders, Bangkok

Kristina Adorjan

Director and Full Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPD), University of Bern

Andrea Fiorillo

President, European Psychiatric Association

Jacobo Mintzer

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

Indrit Bègue

Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Univesité de Genève

Mitchell Elkind

Chief Science Officer, Brain Health and Stroke, American Heart Association Professor Emeritus of Neurology and Epidemiology at Columbia University

Oscar Gershanik

Director, Laboratory of Experimental Parkinsonism, Institute of Pharmacological Research (CONICET & University of Buenos Aires)

Diego Golombek

Investigador / Researcher en CONICET; Profesor Universidad de San Andrés; Director, Laboratorio Interdisciplinario del Tiempo (LITERA)

Diego Aguilar

Master’s in Public Policies, and degrees in Psychology and Gerontology

Nagaendran Kandiah

Associate Professor at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and Director, Dementia Research Centre (Singapore)

Konrad Rejdak

Consultant neurologist and head of the Department of Neurology, Medical University of Lublin (Poland)

Hernando Santamaría-García

Profesor Asociado, Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental Universidad Javeriana. Director Doctorado de Neurociencia, Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental.

Daniel Zutter

Chief Physician and Medical Director, Medical Director of VITREA Switzerland

Paul Boon

MD, PhD, Senior Full Prof. of Neurology and Director of Neuroscience at Ghent University

Roongroj Bhidayasiri

Director of the Chulalongkorn Centre of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease & Related Disorders, Bangkok

Rajinder K Dhamija

Prof. of Neurlology and Director of Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, New Delhi.

Stéphanie Debette

Associate Professor, Neurology and Epidemiology University Paris Diderot: Paris, France

Augustín Ibañez

MD, Dir. del Instituto Latinoamericano de Salud Cerebral (BrainLat)

Soraya Seedat

Prof. of Psychiatry and Executive Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Stellenbosch University

Andrea Winkler

MD, PhD, Co-Director of the CGH at the Technical University of Munich, Germany

Coordinators

Facundo Manes

MD, PhD. Brain Health Institute, INECO Foundation. Institute of Neurosciences, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Claudio Bassetti

Lancet Commission on Brain Health, Swiss Brain Health Foundation

Program

(In-person accreditation will take place from 1 PM to 2 PM)

Day 1

Cognition, dementia and brain aging

09hs
Opening

Opening

Facundo Manes

Devora Kestel

Claudio Bassetti

09.30hs

Promoting Brain Health in Ageing Populations: Public Health Approaches

Sessions

Session co-chairs: Christopher Chen, Suvarna Alladi, Joanne Pike.

Strategies for Preventing Cognitive Decline in Ageing

Strategies for Preventing Cognitive Decline in Ageing

Jacobo Mintzer

Populations-based Strategies for Dementia Prevention

Populations-based Strategies for Dementia Prevention

Nagaendran Kandiah

10hs
Preventing Neurodegeneration Through Vascular Brain Health

Preventing Neurodegeneration Through Vascular Brain Health

Natalia Rost

11hs

Special Communication

Sessions

Session co-chairs: Devora Kestel, Steven Lewis Facundo Manes.

  • Joanne Pike
  • Victor Valcour
  • Juan Rodriguez

12hs

Lessons to Take in Brain Health and Neurodegenerative Diseases: National and International Perspectives

Sessions

Session co-chairs: Oscar Gershanik, Oscar Franco, Paul Boon.

Brain Health and Neurodegeneration in Asia:  Lessons from Thailand

Brain Health and Neurodegeneration in Asia: Lessons from Thailand

Roongroj Bhidayasiri

Key Clinical Lessons from Parkinsonism and  Neurodegeneration

Key Clinical Lessons from Parkinsonism and Neurodegeneration

Kailash Bhatia

Dementia and Brain Health Across Latin America:  Regional Lessons

Dementia and Brain Health Across Latin America: Regional Lessons

Nilton Custodio

12hs
Neurodegeneration Without Borders: What Local  Populations Teach the World

Neurodegeneration Without Borders: What Local Populations Teach the World

Suvarna Alladi

The Future of Alzheimer’s Disease: Science, Systems  Readiness and Social Impact

The Future of Alzheimer’s Disease: Science, Systems Readiness and Social Impact

Christopher Chen

15.30hs

Biological and Psychosocial Factors Shaping Brain Health Across the Lifespan

Sessions

Session co-chairs: Andrea Slachevsky, Alfred Njamnshi, Mara Dierssen.

Social Determinants of Health and Brain  Ageing in Latin American Contexts: Implications for Public Policy

Social Determinants of Health and Brain Ageing in Latin American Contexts: Implications for Public Policy

Hernando Santamaría-García

Stress, Inequality and the Brain: Cumulative Risk Across  the Lifespan

Stress, Inequality and the Brain: Cumulative Risk Across the Lifespan

Soraya Seedat

The role of Deistituzionalized Strategies: Lessons from  South America

The role of Deistituzionalized Strategies: Lessons from South America

Claudia Braga

 Environmental and Genetic Factors: Lessons from Africa

Environmental and Genetic Factors: Lessons from Africa

Kristina Adorjan

17hs

A) Neurorehabilitation and Brain Health: Global Perspectives

Sessions

Session co-chairs: Marcelo Cetkovich, Facundo Manes, Oscar Gershanik.

Brain Health and Neurorehabilitation in Switzerland

Brain Health and Neurorehabilitation in Switzerland

Daniel Zutter

Brain Health and Neurorehabilitation in Poland

Brain Health and Neurorehabilitation in Poland

Konrad Rejdak

Neurodegenerative Diseases in Low- and  Middle-Income Settings: Lessons from India

Neurodegenerative Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Settings: Lessons from India

Rajinder K Dhamija

17hs

B) Sleep, Circadian Rhythms and Brain Health

Sessions

Session co-chairs: Claudio Bassetti, Paul Boon, Kristina Adorjan.

Sleep in the First Years of Life and Brain Health

Sleep in the First Years of Life and Brain Health

Alexandre N. Datta

How to Assess Sleep Health

How to Assess Sleep Health

Caroline Lustenberger

Circadian Health and Brain Health

Circadian Health and Brain Health

Diego Golombek

Day 2

Brain and mental health

09hs

One Brain, One Health: Integration of Neurological and Psychiatric Approaches in Global and Regional Plans

Sessions

Session co-chairs: Devora Kestel, Steven Lewis, Claudio Bassetti.

 The Lancet Commission on Brain Health

The Lancet Commission on Brain Health

Claudio Bassetti

Mental Health Systems within One Brain, One Health, Euro pean Psychiatric Association (EPA)

Mental Health Systems within One Brain, One Health, Euro pean Psychiatric Association (EPA)

Andrea Fiorillo

European Neurology and Integrated Brain Health Policy, Europe an Academy of Neurology (EAN)

European Neurology and Integrated Brain Health Policy, Europe an Academy of Neurology (EAN)

Paul Boon

The Lancet One Health Commission: harnessing our  inter connectedness for equitable, sustainable, and healthy socioecological systems

The Lancet One Health Commission: harnessing our inter connectedness for equitable, sustainable, and healthy socioecological systems

Andrea Winkler

10hs
Overcoming Fragmentation: National and Regional Lessons

Overcoming Fragmentation: National and Regional Lessons

Steven Lewis

Psychiatry’s Role in Integrated Brain Health Strategies,  World Psychiatric Association (WPA)

Psychiatry’s Role in Integrated Brain Health Strategies, World Psychiatric Association (WPA)

Danuta Wasserman

11.30hs

Strategy to Regional Implementation

Sessions

Session co-chairs: Andrea Slachevsky, Christopher Chen, Oscar Franco.

From Global Strategy to Regional Implementation,  Regional Director for the Americas of Alzheimer's Disease International

From Global Strategy to Regional Implementation, Regional Director for the Americas of Alzheimer's Disease International

Diego Aguilar

The Role of Cardiovascular Leadership in Global  Brain Health: The American Heart Association (AHA)

The Role of Cardiovascular Leadership in Global Brain Health: The American Heart Association (AHA)

Mitchell Elkind

Vascular Brain Health and Integrated Brain  Health Approaches: A European Scientific Perspective

Vascular Brain Health and Integrated Brain Health Approaches: A European Scientific Perspective

Stéphanie Debette

Populations-based Strategies for Dementia  Prevention

Populations-based Strategies for Dementia Prevention

Nagaendran Kandiah

12.30
Mental Health as a Cornerstone of Brain Health:  From Global Policy to Population Impact

Mental Health as a Cornerstone of Brain Health: From Global Policy to Population Impact

Devora Kestel

14hs
Mental Health Stigma in the Burnout Society

Mental Health Stigma in the Burnout Society

Marcelo Cetkovich

 Parkinson’s Disease a Growing Burden on Public  Health: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges

Parkinson’s Disease a Growing Burden on Public Health: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges

Oscar Gershanik

14.30hs

One Brain, One Health in Practice: Implementation, Impact and Regional Experiences

Sessions

Session co-chairs: Alfred Njamnshi, Suvarna Alladi, Indrit Bègue.

Population Brain Health and Neurodegeneration: Lessons  from Colombia and the Netherlands

Population Brain Health and Neurodegeneration: Lessons from Colombia and the Netherlands

Oscar Franco

Implementing Integrated Brain and Mental Health Care  in African Health Systems

Implementing Integrated Brain and Mental Health Care in African Health Systems

Alfred Njamnshi

 Integrating Mental Health into Brain Health Programs:  Lessons from India

Integrating Mental Health into Brain Health Programs: Lessons from India

Pratima Murthy

Translating Brain Science into Integrated Brain Health Action

Translating Brain Science into Integrated Brain Health Action

Mara Dierssen

15.30hs

Special Communication Session 3

Sessions

Session co-chairs: Steven Lewis, Devora Kestel, Paul Boon.

Insights from Switzerland on burden and cost of brain disor ders: opportunities

Insights from Switzerland on burden and cost of brain disor ders: opportunities

Indrit Bègue

One Brain, One Health: Integrating Neurology, Psychiatry  and Social Contexts

One Brain, One Health: Integrating Neurology, Psychiatry and Social Contexts

Augustín Ibañez

Translating Brain Health Research into Policy and Care

Translating Brain Health Research into Policy and Care

Andrea Slachevsky

17hs

International Alliance on Brain Health: Next Steps and Strategic Priorities

Sessions

Roundtable with:
• Kristina Adorjan
• Suvarna Alladi
• Claudio Bassetti
• Indrit Bègue
• Paul Boon
• Marcelo Cetkovich
• Christopher Chen
• MaraDierssen
• Mitchell Elkid
• Devora Kestel
• Steven Lewis
• Facundo Manes
• Alfred Njamnshi

Sponsors

ORGANIZING PARTNERS

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

COLLABORATING PARTNERS

Registration

By INVITATION ONLY (for more information, write to asistentefundacion@ineco.org.ar)