Format: IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL
This two-day congress will bring together leading experts from around the world to discuss recent advances and future trends in brain health, from neuroscience and clinical medicine to public health and policy. It will provide a valuable forum for exchange, reflection, and collaboration among international and national leaders in the field.
Organizing Committee: The event is co-organized by Prof. Claudio Bassetti, with the support of the Swiss Brain Health Foundation, and hosted by Prof. Facundo Manes and the INECO Foundation.
In conjunction with the newly established The Lancet Commission on Brain Health.
Brain health has emerged as a central priority for medicine, public health, and social development worldwide. The continued growth in the prevalence and impact of neurological and psychiatric disorders, together with population aging, social inequities, and profound cultural and technological changes, calls for an interdisciplinary approach that integrates science, clinical practice, policy, and community within a shared framework.
In this context, Buenos Aires will host the 2nd Meeting of the International Alliance on Brain Health in April 2026, organized by the Brain Health Institute of Fundación INECO and the Swiss Brain Health Foundation in conjunction with The Lancet Commission on Brain Health. The meeting will bring together international leaders in neuroscience, mental health, neurology, psychiatry, and public policy to reflect on the present and future of brain health at a global scale.
Over the course of two days, participants will discuss recent advances in research, opportunities for the prevention and promotion of brain health across the life course, and the challenges posed by the conceptual and operational integration of brain health and mental health. The social and economic impact of these issues will also be examined, as well as the need for ethical frameworks and sustainable, equitable, and culturally sensitive public policies.
The meeting aims to consolidate a shared vision of brain health as a global public good, fostering a space for critical dialogue and collaboration across disciplines and regions. As an outcome of this process, participants will work toward the development of a joint Brain Health document, intended to provide guiding principles and strategic orientations for the coming decade.
Hosting this meeting in Buenos Aires reinforces Latin America’s commitment to the international brain health agenda and underscores the importance of promoting a humanistic, preventive, and evidence-based approach that prioritizes well-being and quality of life for individuals and their communities worldwide.
Prior registration is required for both modalities (in-person and virtual).
President, American Academy of Neurology
Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH, FAAN, FAHA, is President of the American Academy of Neurology, C. Miller Fisher Endowed Chair in Stroke Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. An internationally recognized expert in cerebrovascular neuroimaging and personalized stroke outcomes, she leads NIH-funded DISCOVERY study and serves as an MGH Research Scholar. Rost has earned top honors, including the MGH Ray Adams Clinical Mentor Award and AAN’s Stroke Leadership and Mentorship Awards.
President, World Federation of Neurology (WFN)
Prof. Steven Lewis is the current President of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN). He is Physician-in-Chief and Endowed Chair of Neurology at the Fleming Neuroscience Institute in Pennsylvania, USA; Adjunct Professor of Neurology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia; and Regional Chief for the Lehigh Valley for the Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience of Jefferson Health. Dr. Lewis is Past Chair and Director of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and a past Chair of the Neurology Residency Review Committee of the U.S. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
President & CEO, Alzheimer’s Association; Chair, World Dementia Council
Joanne Pike, DrPH, is president and chief executive officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, the global leader in Alzheimer's and dementia research, care, support, and public policy. Since 2022, she has guided the Association’s relentless pursuit of its vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. She also serves as chair of the World Dementia Council, a global coalition focused on driving progress in Alzheimer’s and dementia, and as CEO of the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM), a separately incorporated advocacy affiliate working to develop and advance policies to overcome Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.
President, Asian Society Against Dementia
Professor Chen is a Senior Clinician-Scientist at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. His research training was at Oxford University and the Institute of Neurology. Queens Square, London. His major interests are in blood biomarkers, neuroimaging and treatment of stroke and dementia. He has over 500 publications and leads multiple studies and clinical trials. He aims to build regional collaborations in Brain Health through his roles as President of the Asian Society Against Dementia and the Asian Oceanian Association of Neurology.
President, Spanish Brain Council; President, Spanish Association for the Advancement of Science
Prof. Mara Dierssen (PhD, Medicine & Surgery, University of Cantabria) is Group Leader at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG, Barcelona) and researcher at Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and the Centre for Rare Disease Research. An internationally recognized leader in behavioural genetics and neuropharmacology, she has published over 240 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals and has made seminal contributions to understanding cognitive dysfunction in Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. She is President of the Spanish Brain Council, where she led the launch of the Spanish Brain Plan, positioning brain health as a national policy priority. At the European level, as Chair of the Trisomy 21 cluster within EBRA and through leadership roles within the European Brain Council, she actively shapes European brain research strategy, policy alignment, and advocacy.
Professor of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore
Dr Alladi's work focuses on impact of life-course experiences on brain health, cognitive resilience and dementia in diverse contexts.
She focuses on improving dementia diagnosis, prevention, care and education from local to global
contexts in her capacity as Trustee, World Dementia Council, Chair International Advisory Council ISTART, Alzheimer's Association, USA and Secretary of Cognitive Neurology Association India. In collaboration with the Govt, she leads the Karnataka Brain Health Initiative, a WHO recognised public health model for neurological diseases, that integrates neurological, mental health and noncommunicable disease programs.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).
Dr. Mintzer is a Professor in the Department of Health Sciences in the College of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), a visiting professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, and an honorary professor at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is the former Executive Director of the Roper St. Francis Healthcare System Clinical Biotechnology Research Institute. He is also the former President of the International Psychogeriatric Association, founding board member of the AARP supported Global Council on Brain Health, former board member of the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Association, and former member of the Alzheimer’s Association (national) Public Policy Committee. Dr. Mintzer has been involved in clinical research on Alzheimer’s disease for the last 20 years and is author of over 240 peer-reviewed research articles. He has devoted most of his career to the understanding and the development of treatments for neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia.
Prof. of Psychiatry University of São Paulo
Claudia Braga is a Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. She previously served as a consultant on mental health, substance use, violence, and disabilities for PAHO/WHO (2022–2024), and collaborated with and provided technical consultation to WHO and its regional offices on mental health (2016–2022). She also coordinated service assessments and promoted deinstitutionalization strategies focused on institutions for people with mental health conditions and those with intellectual and cognitive disabilities (2018–2022).
She is the current President (2025–2027) of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Brain Health. She is also a board member of the World Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Her main areas of expertise include public policy and services related to human rights, mental health, substance use, and brain health.
Director Neurology, Public Health, Disability Unit & Coma Research Centre
Matilde Leonardi is Neurologist, Paediatrician, Neonatologist, Child neurologist. Specialized in Bioethics. WFNR Presidium member, WFNR Flying Faculty, One Neurology Ambassador, EAN Chair Communication Committee and Board member, FEAN Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology. WFN Board member of Advocacy, EFRR member, WHO expert on disability and neurology. Co-chair WHO NeuroCovid Forum–essential neurological services Group and member of Neuro Covid Global Research Coalition; Board member of the Italian Neurology Society. EAN Brain health Mission Board member. Corresponding member of the Pontificia Academia Pro Vita. Coordinator of the Italian GBD neurology. Nominated by Italian Government as Member of National Bioethics Committee in 2022.
Medical Director of INECO, Head of the Institution's Department of Psychiatry.
A graduate of the University of Buenos Aires Medical School, he is a Specialist in Adult Psychiatry, also from the University of Buenos Aires. He is the Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Favaloro Foundation, University Hospital.
He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Bipolar Disorder, for which he directs the clinic. He also has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of endogenous psychoses, including schizophrenia. Additionally, he focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Phobias, Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. All of these conditions are addressed from an interdisciplinary perspective, a core characteristic of INECO.
Director of Instituto Peruano de Neurociencias
Neurologist, master in medicine and neuroscience, PhD in neuroscience and investigator in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias with a particular interest in brief cognitive tests for the detection of cognitive impairment and dementia adapted for individuals with low educational level and Native populations. I am regional mentor to Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) and in the last five years, I have led a Peruvian team part ofthe Multi-Partner Consortium for Dementia Research in Latin America (ReDLat), Latin American Initiative for Lifestyle Intervention to Prevent Cognitive Decline (LatAm FINGERS) and Innovations using mHealth for People with Dementia and Co-Morbidity and their Carers.
Director and Senior Professor of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, India
Dr Murthy is a senior profesor of psychiatry, serving as Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), an institute of National Importance in India. She has contributed to the growth of mental health, neuroscience and substance use and addiction prevention and management. She has been on WHO expert groups for the mHGAP, served as an NTAG member for integrating MNS (mental, neurological and substance use conditions). She has extensive clinical, training, research and policy experience both as a psychiatrist and administrator.
MD, DSc, PhD Dir. Public Health at University Medical Center Utrecht
Prof. Oscar H. Franco is Professor of Public Health, and Director of the Department of Global Public Health & Bioethics at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, and Chair of Healthy Living at University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University. Furthermore, Oscar is Adjunct Professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina; Honorary Professor at Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; and scientific advisor for the French television channel France24 (until 2024). Prof. Franco has published over 900 publications and has a H-index of 143 (WoS).
Head of Sleep Lab, ETH Zurich, Department of Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST)
PD Dr. sc. Caroline Lustenberger is a neuroscientist and lecturer at ETH Zurich, where she leads the Sleep Lab within the Neural Control of Movement Lab. With more than 15 years of experience in sleep and systems neuroscience, her research investigates how oscillatory brain activity during sleep supports brain and cardiovascular recovery across the health- and lifespan, and how these signals can be measured and influenced in humans. She is internationally recognized for pioneering closed-loop neuromodulation paradigms during sleep and for translating these approaches into wearable technologies. She is also co-founder of Herencia Solutions AG, developing a scalable digital biomarker platform aimed at shifting Alzheimer’s from late-stage recognition to much earlier detection - opening a realistic window for prevention and the next generation of disease-modifying therapies. Her work is published in leading peer-reviewed journals and supported by competitive national and international grants.
MD, PhD, Center for Memory and Neuropsychiatry (CMYN)
Andrea Slachevsky, MD, PhD, is a neurologist and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, and Director of the Memory and Neuropsychiatric Center (CMYN) at Hospital del Salvador and the University of Chile. She is Principal Investigator of the RedMemoria Viva Electronic Registry (REMEMVER) and the Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO), and founder of the Corporación Profesional de Alzheimer y Otras Demencias (COPRAD). Her research focuses on functional ability in aging and neurocognitive disorders, including the development of serious game–based tools for executive function assessment, as well as studies on the burden, costs, and healthcare implementation of dementia. She has contributed substantially to dementia policy in Chile, including the design of the Chilean Dementia Plan and the development and implementation of Memory Services. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and co-edited four books.
Chief and Head of Department of Pediatric Neurology, Developmental Medicine and Neurorehabilitation of Northwestern Switzerland
Alexandre Niklaus Datta, Prof. Dr. med., MD, is a Swiss clinical academic pediatric neurologist and full Chief and Head of the Department of Pediatric Neurology, Developmental Pediatrics and Neurorehabilitation at the University Children’s Hospital Basel (UKBB) and Children’s Hospital Aarau, holding a Structural Clinical Professorship at the University of Basel. He also leads the University Center for Epileptology, Sleep Medicine and Chronobiology across the Basel University Hospitals and heads the Pediatric Epileptology and Sleep research group at the Department of Clinical Research. Trained in pediatrics, pediatric neurology, developmental medicine, EEG, and sleep medicine, with international clinical and research experience in Switzerland (Basel, Geneva) and France (Paris), his work focuses on epilepsy, neurodevelopment, sleep, and brain network plasticity across childhood. He is President-elect of the Swiss Society of Pediatric Neurology and plays an active role in national and international interdisciplinary initiatives in epilepsy, sleep medicine, and brain health, while actively supervising graduate and doctoral researchers and serving as reviewer and board member for multiple scientific societies and journals.
Director of the Chulalongkorn Centre of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease & Related Disorders, Bangkok
Professor Roongroj Bhidayasiri, MD, FRCP, FRCPI, is Professor of Neurology at Chulalongkorn University and Director of the Chulalongkorn Centre of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease & Related Disorders, Bangkok. His work focuses on brain health across the lifespan, with particular interest in Parkinson’s disease and population-based approaches to early detection and monitoring. He leads the development of CheckPD, a national digital platform designed to study brain health in both individuals with Parkinson’s disease and the general population, integrating self-assessment, digital biomarkers, and real-world data to support screening, longitudinal research, and public health planning. His research bridges clinical neurology and digital health, with an emphasis on scalable, context-appropriate solutions for diverse healthcare settings
Director and Full Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPD), University of Bern
Kristina Adorjan is Director and Full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPD) at the University of Bern. She also serves as Director of Teaching and Research (UPD) and as Vice Dean for Internationalization and National Networking at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern. Her clinical and research focus is on global mental health, with a particular emphasis on brain health in the Global South and Africa. She conducts clinical and biological studies (e.g., psychiatric genetics) and works on improving healthcare structures and education in the field of mental and brain health.
President, European Psychiatric Association
Andrea Fiorillo (MD, PhD) is Full Professor of Psychiatry in Naples (Italy) at the University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”. He is currently President of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA), President of the Italian Society for Social Psychiatry (SIPS), and President of the College of Italian University Professors of Psychiatry.
He is Editor-in-Chief of European Psychiatry. He has authored more than 350 scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals and has edited more than 20 books and numerous book chapters in the field of mental health. He has lectured extensively abroad.
His main research interests include clinical and social psychiatry, particularly in the fields of schizophrenia and affective disorders, academic psychiatry, psychiatric epidemiology, prevention of mental disorders, and the promotion of physical and mental health in people with severe mental illnesses. H-index: 67 (source: Google Scholar).
MD, PhD, Brain Health Institute INECO Foundation
Cognition, dementia and brain aging
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