Program OVERVIEW

Brain Capital: The New Competitive Advantage in a Shifting Economy

DAY ONE AGENDA | DAY TWO AGENDA

Day One: Brain Capital Assets

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST 8:00 AM

Emcee: Richard Lui, Anchor and Journalist, NBC News/MSNBC

9:00 AM | Morning Kickoff

  • Amy Dittmar, PhD, Howard R. Hughes Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Rice University

10:00 AM | Enhancing Brain Capital: Lessons from Energy Systems Evolution 

Dive into the Brain Economy and Brain Capital—powerful new frameworks that put brain health and mental well-being at the center of economic growth. Just as the clean energy revolution transformed industries and sparked innovation, investing in our brains can drive the next big shift. Discover the opportunity to power economies through neuroscience, prevention, and human potential.

    • What is brain capital and what is the brain economy?

    • How can the evolution of global energy systems inform the brain economy?

    • Why and how should business leaders and policymakers be thinking of brain capital as they grapple with AI, energy, and socioeconomic changes?

    Weigh In! Submit your responses here

    • Harris Eyre, MD, PhD, Lead for Neuro-Policy and Harry Z. Yan and Weiman Gao Senior Fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy; Senior Advisor, McKinsey and Company 

    • Lawrence Jones, PhD, Senior Vice President, International Programs, Edison Electrical Institute; Member, Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences

BREAK 10:30 - 10:45 AM

10:45 AM | International Markets: Global Brain Health Challenges and Strategies 

Learn about how global leaders are advancing national brain health strategies and size the growing global market for brain innovation. This roundtable highlights how countries can lead by leveraging international best practices, public-private collaboration, and scalable solutions to boost brain health and economic resilience worldwide.

    • How big is the market opportunity for bio and neurotech?

    • How are country brain health plans building public-private collaborations, or not, and what are your recommendations for the G7, the G20, and the World Economic Forum for building brain capital to promote growth and opportunity globally?

    • How does the advancement of brain health relate to AI and climate change that might inform the brain economy transition?

    Weigh In: Submit your responses here

    • George Vradenburg, Chairman, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s – Moderator

    • Frédéric Destrebecq, Executive Director, European Brain Council

    • Rajinder Dhamija, MD, DNB(Neuro), FRACP, Professor of Neurology and Director, Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences, New Delhi

    • Joseph Dieleman, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Health Metric Sciences, University of Washington

    • Facundo Manes, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology, Behavioral Neurology, and Cognitive Neuroscience, Favaloro University of Buenos Aires; Principal Investigator, National Scientific and Technical Research Council; National Deputy, Argentina; President, Committee on Science, Innovation, and Technology, Argentinian Parliament

    • Zul Merali, PhD, Founding Director, Brain and Mind Institute, Aga Khan University

    • Jennie Young, PhD, Executive Director, Canadian Brain Research Strategy

LUNCH 12:00 - 1:00 PM 

Emcee: Sean McCrory, Editor-in-Chief, Houston Business Journal

1:00 PM | Measuring Brain Capital:  A new Platform for Unleashing the Flourishing Brain

Discover a groundbreaking approach to building a brain-healthy workforce. This session will unveil a first-of-its-kind human-centered tool that measures social-emotional skills and supports cognitive growth across the lifespan. Learn how neuroscience and AI are driving innovation from classrooms to boardrooms, equipping organizations to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

    • How can brain health and cognitive skills development be integrated into a connected framework across the workforce to boost resilience, innovation, and long-term economic competitiveness?

    • How do we develop more public-private partnerships in scaling neuroscience-driven tools to shape a future-ready, brain-positive global economy?

    Weigh In: Submit your responses here

    • Steve Carnevale, Founding Partner, Blue Ash Ventures – Moderator

    • Joshua Arnold, EdD, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Impacter Pathway

    • Marie Gill, CEO and Co-Founder, Aetheon

    • Ali Khan, CEO, SHAPE Global

    • Bechara Saab, PhD, CEO and Chief Scientist, Mobio Interactive

    • Meg Small, PhD,  Director of Social Innovation, Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University

    • Eric Zimmerman, MPH MBA, Chief Marketing and Marketing Solutions Officer, CredibleMind 

2:30 PM | Designing Brain-Healthy Workspaces for Better Business Outcomes

Explore how workplace design can influence brain health, employee engagement, creativity, and business performance. Workplace innovation leaders will share strategies for creating work environments that enhance cognitive well-being and drive organizational success. The discussion will cover practical solutions for integrating brain health principles into workspace design. 

    • What evidence-backed approaches can employers take today that cost-effectively optimize the workplace for better performance, safety, and health and how do we measure this?

    • What recommendations would you make to help scale these (e.g., additional certifications, building codes, guidelines, technology)?

    • Can space planning improve employee engagement and connection, and if so, what is the most important workspace intervention you would recommend that designers, developers, and organizations employ to support this?

    Weigh In: Submit your responses here

    • Margaret Tarampi, PhD, Director of University Interdisciplinary Studies; Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Hartford – Moderator

    • Stevi McCoy, Chief Strategy Officer, HKS Inc.

    • Gale Moutrey, Global Vice President, Brand Experience and Workplace Innovation, Steelcase

    • Alaa Rabaa, Regional Head of Projects and Transactions, Corporate Real Estate - Americas at Macquarie Group

BREAK 3:30 - 3:45 PM

3:45 PM | From Discovery to Delivery: The Economic Value of Accelerating Healthcare Innovations

Explore how recent innovations are accelerating the journey from scientific discoveries to real-world applications. Breakthroughs in medical research and innovative care delivery models are improving access, affordability, and quality. AI plays a key role by enhancing data analysis, streamlining coordination, and reducing inefficiencies. By harnessing AI and optimizing delivery systems, groundbreaking treatments can become more accessible, driving economic growth through reduced healthcare costs, higher productivity, and a healthier population.

    • What are examples of scalable solutions that are closing the time gap between research and implementation for mental and neurological health conditions? 

    • How does investment in these solutions benefit quality and access to treatment, but also the economy? 

    • What are the barriers we need to overcome, particularly in the United States, to achieve lower cost, higher quality health interventions? Who needs to address these barriers—government? the private sector?

    Weigh In: Submit your responses here

    • Jochen Reiser, MD, PhD, President, The University of Texas Medical Branch; CEO, UTMB Health System; Professor, John Sealy School of Medicine; John D. Stobo, MD, Distinguished Chair – Moderator

    • Phyllis Barkman Ferrell, DrPH, MBA, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative

    • Timothy Lash, President, West Health Institute  

    • Giulio Taglialatela, PhD, Lawrence J. Del Papa Distinguished Chair in Neurodegenerative Disease Research; Vice President of Brain Health, UTMB; Director, Moody Brain Health Institute

    • Andrew Trister, MD, PhD, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Verily

4:45 PM | Closing

5:00 PM | Reception TMC3 Helix Park

6:30 PM Dinner

Texas Medical Center’s III Catering / 6550 Bertner Avenue / Houston, TX 77030 

Greater Houston Leads the Way

Jochen Reiser, MD, PhD, President, The University of Texas Medical Branch; CEO, UTMB Health System; Professor, John Sealy School of Medicine; John D. Stobo, MD, Distinguished Chair

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick - Invited

Day Two: Vision and Action

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST 8:00 AM

Emcee: Sean McCrory, Editor-in-Chief, Houston Business Journal

8:30 AM | Workforce Brain Health: What Matters and What Works

Explore the critical role of a brain-healthy workforce in enhancing employee well-being, productivity, and long-term cognitive health. Discussants will contribute insights into workplace strategies that mitigate health risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, and hearing loss and address critical inputs often overlooked such as sleep, stress, social support, and mindset. Guided by the Unified Model for Brain Health, this discussion will integrate scientific research and industry best practices to develop actionable solutions for employers.

    • How are health risks such as hearing loss, obesity, and hypertension associated with brain health?

    • What do we know about how improving brain health can improve business performance?

    • What are the most important things employers can do when the goal is to build brain health, resilience, and performance?

    • What interventions are demonstrating results and how do we know?

    Weigh In: Submit your responses here

    • Krystal Sexton, PhD, Global Health Analytics Manager, Shell Oil Company – Moderator

    • Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD, Chief Director, Center for BrainHealth; Dee Wyly Distinguished University Professor, The University of Texas at Dallas

    • Kana Enomoto, Partner, McKinsey & Company; Director of Brain Health, McKinsey Health Institute

    • Ron Goetzel, PhD, Senior Scientist, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

    • Brian Jebb, Global Co-Head of Compensation, Employment, and Governance, A&O Shearman

9:45 AM | Aligning Financial Returns and Impact: Strategic Investing in Brain Capital

Private capital plays a critical role in the development of new technologies and companies.  It is the catalyst that accelerates neuroscientific research into the healthcare domain.  Underpinned by evidence, high growth, increasing ROI and social impact we are in the foothills of opportunities for both investors and humans.  At a time when brain capital is increasingly under the spotlight will private investors pick-up the ball and crystalize the opportunities? 

    • Where are we in the life cycle of brain health technology companies and how are opportunities evolving?

    • What has driven the change in confidence and outlook?

    • Is capital free flowing yet?  What more could we achieve with access to more capital?

    Weigh In: Submit your responses here

    • Dan Mannix, Advisor to Brain Capital Alliance; Founder, Nixam Synergy; Former CEO, RWC Partners - Moderator

    • Eric Bennett, Founder and Managing Partner, Brain Capital Partners  

    • Amy Kruse, PhD, General Partner, Satori Neuro

    • Jacob Robinson, PhD, Professor Rice University; CEO, Motif Neurotech

BREAK 10:45 - 11:00 AM - GRAB AND GO BOX LUNCHES

11:00 AM | A Unified Federal and State Policy Agenda for Brain Health

Participants will craft a cohesive policy agenda to integrate brain health into U.S. legislation and regulations. The discussion will include workplace incentives, dementia research, and tax credit proposals, aiming to create a unified framework that aligns federal and state priorities. Outputs will include specific recommendations for incentivizing brain health initiatives in the private sector. 

    • What can the Federal government do,  Congress do, and states like Texas do to advance brain health? What are the top three most important things in this current environment?

    • What is standing in the way?  

    • How can we work together to advance these things?

    Weigh In: Submit your responses here

12:00 PM | The Texas Brain Economy: Unlocking Billions in Value

    • What is the scope of the problem and the magnitude of the opportunity—for the globe, for countries, for states like Texas?

    Weigh In: Submit your responses here

    • What do we do next?

    • Eric Mullins, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lime Rock Resources

    • David Gow, CEO, Center for Houston's Future

    • Ashley McPhail Chief External Affairs and Administration Officer, Texas Medical Center

    • George Vradenburg, Chairman, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s

12:45 PM | Call to Action

ADJOURN | 1:00 PM