As part of the UN Science Summit at the 79th United Nations General Assembly and Summit for the Future, Rice University’s Baker Institute Center for Health and Bioscience, the California Mental Health Services Oversight Accountability Commission, the Brain Capital Alliance, the Euro-Mediterranean Economists’ Association, HKS and NeuroCentury are convening a plenary conference focused on the new concept of the Brain Economy which posits a transformative societal approach to build brain capital, an asset that optimizes brain health and brain skills, in the face of technological change.
The event’s particular focus will be on how the brain economy can support the goals of the One Health framework, aiming to balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.
The event will take place at the Steelcase Worklife Center, 4 Columbus Circle, New York, USA, on 18 September 2024.
8.15 - 9.00 Breakfast and coffee
9.00 – 9.15 Welcome and Introduction
Paul Cherukuri, Vice President for Innovation and Chief Innovation Officer, Rice University
Harris Eyre, Executive Director, Brain Capital Alliance
Rym Ayadi, Co-Founder, Brain Capital Alliance
Paweł Świeboda, Co-Founder, Brain Capital Alliance
9.15 – 9.45 Opening Keynotes
Kana Enomoto, Director of Brain Health, McKinsey Health Institute
Shiva Dustdar, Director and Dean, European Investment Bank Institute
Devora Kestel, Director, Mental Health, Brain Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization
Annika Sten Pärson, Founding Partner and Executive Chair of the Inner Foundation
9.45 – 10.45 Brain Economy: Paradigm Shift for Democratic Renewal
The Opening Session will address the question of how the democratic systems can prosper in the age of technological acceleration. It will argue that the concept of the Brain Economy, with its focus on cognitive and emotional well-being as well as brain skills, is the essential part of much needed response to rapid technological change.
Setting the Stage:
Presentation of the Democracy and Brain Health Project:
Agustin Ibanez, Director, BrainLat Institute
Chair: Paweł Świeboda, Co-Founder, Brain Capital Alliance
Pedro Conceição, Director, Human Development Report, UNDP
Claudia Chwalisz, CEO, DemocracyNext
Upali Nanda, Global Sector Director, Innovation and Executive Vice President, HKS
Joel H. Rosenthal, President, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
10.45 – 11.15 Coffee Break
11.15 – 12.30 Systemic Investing in the Brain Economy
Current period has seen phenomenal innovation in brain health, from the emergence of new biomarkers to renewed dynamic in drug development. This session will focus on the investment which is needed for transformational impact in prevention, early diagnosis, and lifecycle approach to brain health, as well as integration of physical and brain health in primary care.
Chair: Shiva Dustdar, Head of the European Investment Bank Institute
Jonathan Behr, Dementia Discovery Fund; Partner, SV Health Investors
Eric Bennett, Chief Investment Officer, Tolleson Wealth Management
Ronel Golden, Founder of RSRG Consulting
Marco Mohwinckel, President, Tech Tour Mental & Brain Health Program
Tarek Samad, Senior Vice-President and Global Head of Research, Lundbeck
Kwame Barnieh Sarpong, Senior Partner, KPMG Africa
Allison Sekuler, President and Chief Scientist, CABHI and Baycrest Academy for Research and Education
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch
13.30 - 13.45 Keynote: Towards Wellbeing Economies
Jo-An Occhipinti, Professor, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney; Co-Director Mental Wealth Initiative
13.45 – 14.15 Brain Economy: Carbon-Neutrality as a Renewed Societal Aspiration
The Brain Economy is one that enables carbon-neutrality while redefining societal aspirations. Prioritizing brain health is vital for sustainable development, as it significantly influences our ability to learn, work, and innovate as individuals and as a society. It also strengthens our resilience and adaptive capacity as individuals and societies facing climate change.
Keynote: Burcin Ikiz, Founder and Director, EcoNeuro
Fire-side Chat: Mark Chambers, VP Partnerships, Elemental Excelerator; former Senior Director, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Sarah Dunlop, Head of Plastics and Human Health, Minderoo Foundation and Burcin Ikiz, Founder and Director, EcoNeuro
14.15 – 15.15 Living in Brain-Friendly Places
The design and quality of our physical surroundings – from regional land use and planning to urban public spaces and buildings’ interior environments – play a pivotal role in shaping our mental processes, well-being, and social interactions. This session will explore the global integration of nature-based solutions, building science, and physical infrastructure for social cohesion and collaboration.
Chair: Julie Hiromoto, Director of Integration and Partner, HKS
Christian Benimana, Co-Executive Director and Senior Principal, MASS Design Group
Mae Ling Lokko, Assistant Professor, Yale University School of Architecture
Jie Zhao, Executive Vice President, Delos Labs
Catie Ryan Balagtas, Director of Projects, Terrapin Bright Green
15.15 – 15.45 Coffee Break
15.45 – 16.30 National Brain Health Plans and the Brain Economy
National brain health plans are proliferating and maturing around the world. There is a need to customize such plans for various jurisdictions and optimize them from the economic and societal point of view. To this end, there is increasing recognition that countries need to do more to make use of, nurture and develop the population's brain capital. In this session, we will explore ways national brain health plan leaders are leaning in to the brain-positive economic transformation which aims to build the brain capital of their fellow citizens across sectors.
Chair: Paweł Świeboda, Founder, Neurocentury, Co-Founder, Brain Capital Alliance
Keynote: Finland’s Brain Health Program to Unlock Wellbeing
Mika Pyykkö, Executive Director, Finnish Brain Association
Orla Galvin, Executive Director, European Federation of Neurological Associations
Rajinder K. Dhamija, Director, Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences; Chair, National Task Force on Brain Health, India
Anna Hemlin, Secretary General, Swedish Brain Foundation
16.30 – 17.30 Brain Skills and the Re-Training Revolution to Prepare for AI-Enhanced Future
Brain Economy is one which places strong emphasis on deploying humans’ cognitive and emotional skills in close collaboration with the machines. This session will examine investments in brain skills and large-scale retraining programs needed in the context of advancements in AI. Brain Economy is one which prioritizes transformation of the workplace for human-friendly companionship with AI tools.
Chair: Rym Ayadi, Founder and President, Euro-Mediterranean Economists’ Association
Fred Binka, Expert on International Financing
Michael Platt, Director, Wharton Neuroscience Initiative and James S. Riepe Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Cinzia Alcidi, Head of Economic Policy, Centre for European Policy Studies
Tim Foxx, Head, School Studies Council, The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Marta Sanchez Bret, General Manager, WeMind Cluster
17.30 – 18.15 Blueprint for Building the Brain Economy
Given the mounting pressures on public health, climate, and the environment alike, innovative, and outcome-based approaches are needed. In this context, the concept of the Brain Economy stands out as an enabler of the deep, scalable, and impactful systems’ transformation, in line with the One Health framework’s emphasis on the interconnected health of humans, animals, and the environment.
Chair: Harris Eyre, Executive Director, Brain Capital Alliance
Frédéric Destrebecq, Executive Director, European Brain Council
Quazi Haque, Chief Medical Officer, Elysium Healthcare & Global Mental Health & Brain
Alfred K. Njamnshi, CEO and Founder, Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN)
Diana Saville, Co-founder and President, BrainMind
18.15 - 19.30 Reception
If you are interested to participate in the event please contact: Harris.eyre@gbhi.org
