Gatherings Neuroethics Education Engine
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The most recent BrainMind Summit hosted with Stanford convened on October 12-13, 2019.

BrainMind is building a best-in-class community around the mission to advance neuroscience innovation that will most benefit humanity. This summit catalyzed focused and informal collaborations between sector-defining scientists, entrepreneurs, operators, investors, leaders, thinkers, and philanthropists.

Far from the typical scientific meeting, this private gathering was centered around opportunities to have a direct impact on the science presented, and to meaningfully engage with a carefully curated, truly multidisciplinary community. Along with the world’s top thought leaders in neuroscience and philosophy of mind, all Summit participants were personally selected for their brilliance, effectiveness, sincerity, and intent.

Invited participants explored a curated collection of cutting-edge discoveries in neuroscience, engaged with the scientists behind those ideas, and advised promising early-stage companies - all with the goal of bringing brain science to the world at scale.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT BRAINMIND SUMMITS

  • Awe-inspiring short talks from the world's top brain researchers and entrepreneurs

  • Opportunities to break bread with speakers in small group settings

  • A chance to discover high-impact companies in the BrainMind space

  • Brainstorming sessions on philanthropic ventures in strategic investing to accelerate impactful brain science

  • Neuroscience-inspired multi-sensory performances

  • Expert-led breakout discussions on topics like maintaining a youthful brain, psychedelic medicine, flow states and creativity, cognitive enhancement, and childhood brain development

  • A hands-on space to explore the next-generation of neurotechnologies

  • Immersive art exhibitions exploring themes of brain-mind-body connection

  • Brain-healthy meals and snacks provided throughout

SUMMIT TOPICS

Special breakout discussions allow participants to go deeper on specific topics. Roundtables with 8-12 participants convene around preselected BrainMind topics with subject matter experts. breakouts are designed to encourage conversation and collaboration with speakers and other great minds.

HOSTS

SPEAKERS

Speakers at all BrainMind Summits are chosen for their uniquely disruptive contributions to their respective fields. All speakers are available to engage with Summit participants and host intimate roundtable discussions over lunch. Featured entrepreneurs also present groundbreaking ideas and host discussion tables during the afternoon program.

AGENDA

SATURDAY, October 12th, 2019

8:00 AM Breakfast & Registration

9:00 AM Welcome to BrainMind at Stanford with Laura Roberts, Michael McCullough, Juan Enriquez, and Diana Saville

Musical Performance by Elena Georgieva, researcher, Stanford Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics

9:20 AM Plenary Session Supported by the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute:

Disruptive Psychopharmacology: Are the 60’s Back?
Robert Malenka, MD, PhD
Nancy Friend Pritzker Professor in Psychiatry Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, Associate Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Deputy Director, Stanford Neurosciences Institute.

The Baby Brain
Patricia Kuhl, PhD
Bezos Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning, Co-Director, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, Professor, Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington

The e-Brain Model
Magali Haas, MD, PhD
CEO & President, Cohen Veterans Bioscience

Qi-Gong Exercises with Dr. Guan-Cheng Sun and William Spear

Engineering a New Era of Psychiatric Therapeutics
Amit Etkin, MD, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, and VA Palo Alto

BrainMind - The Path Ahead
Michael McCullough, MD
Founder, BrainMind, Entrepreneur in Residence, Greylock Partners

10:30 AM Break

11:15 AM Plenary Session

Socioeconomic Status and the Brain: Prospects for Neuroscience-informed Social Policy
Martha Farah, PhD
Director, Center for Neuroscience & Society, Walter H. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences, University of Pennsylvania

Circadian Metabolism for Brain Health
Satchinanda Panda, PhD
Professor, Regulatory Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies

HypNOpioids – Pain Relief Without Drugs
David Spiegel, MD
Wilson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Center on Stress and Health, and Medical Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine Stanford University

Stanford Stanford Research Translation Accelerator Program (RTAP) Presentations - Introduced by Amit Etkin and Sujay Jaswa
Hadi Housseini, PhD - Wearable Imaging: Tracking Brain Function “in the Wild”
Karen J. Parker, PhD - Revolutionizing Detection of Autism: A Laboratory-Based Diagnostic Test
Eric Stice, PhD - Train Your Brain for Healthy Eating: Targeting Neural Circuits to Sustain Weight Loss and Prevent Obesity

12:45 PM Lunch with Speakers, Experiential NeuroLab opens

1:45 PM Guided Meditation led by Hui Qi Tong, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor S,tanford University School of Medicine

2:15 PM Musical Performance by Fernando Lopez-Lezcano, composer; and lecturer, Stanford Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics

2:30 PM Entrepreneur Spotlight supported by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Stealth mode neurotechnology companies will unveil their breakthrough drug discovery and delivery platforms.

Kenneth Irving - Rocketscience

Matt Angle - Paradromics

Saul Kato - System1 Biosciences

Kunal Ghosh - Inscopix

3:30 PM Breakout Discussion Tables

In Fisher Hall":

Strategic Philanthropy - Michael McCullough, MD, Calvin Nguyen
Alzheimers’ Prevention and Genetic Risk - Richard Isaacson, MD and Marwan Sabbagh, MD

In the Courtyard:

Flow States, Imagination, and Creativity - John Seely Brown, PhD and Rodney Mullen
Psychedelic Medicine - Charles DeBattista, MD
Opportunities and Threats Using Your Brain Data - Amanda Pustilnik, JD
Dynamic Neurostimulation - Mahendra T. Bhati, M.D.
The Brain in Childhood - David Hong, MD and Karen Parker, PhD
Who’s Really In Control? Quantifying the Influence of the Unconscious - Heather Berlin, PhD, MPH
Being You - Anil Seth, DPhil
Mindfulness in Integrative Medicine - Hui Qi Tong, PhD
Memories and Meaning - Sharon Naparstek, PhD
Quantum Consciousness - Stuart Hameroff, MD
BCIs: Past, Present, and Future - Tim Mullen, PhD

Entrepreneur Tables: Rocketscience, Paradromics, System1 Biosciences, Inscopix

4:50 PM Closing Remarks

6:00 PM Reception

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6:00 PM By Special Request Only) Dinner exploring innovative work on Alzheimer’s Prevention and Genetic Risk with Dr. Richard Isaacson, Director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic, Associate Professor of Neurology, Assistant Dean of Faculty Development and Director of the Neurology Residency Program at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, Director of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health at Cleveland Clinic Nevada, Camille and Larry Ruvo Endowed Chair for Brain Health, and Clinical Professor, Department of Neurology, UNLV, and Dr. Robert Mahley, President Emeritus and Founder of the J. David Gladstone Institutes and Professor of Pathology and Medicine at UCSF.

7:00 PM Unconference-style Dinners will be available for sign-up during the summit: groups of participants can claim four sets of restaurant reservations (for 9) starting at 7:00pm.

9:30 PM After-hours at Madera, Menlo Park

SUNDAY, October 13th, 2019

8:00 AM Breakfast

9:00 AM Welcome and Recap with Laura Roberts, Michael McCullough, Juan Enriquez, and Diana Saville

Musical Performance by Jonathan Berger, composer and Chair of the Stanford Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics

9:20 AM Plenary Session Supported by CTRL-labs

Towards the Comprehensive Mapping of Normal and Pathological Brain Mechanisms
Ed Boyden, PhD
Y. Eva Tan Professor in Neurotechnology at MIT, Leader, Synthetic Neurobiology Group, Professor, MIT Media Lab and McGovern Institute, Departments of Biological Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Co-Director, MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering

Inner Lives, Outer Signals
Poppy Crum, PhD
Chief Scientist, Dolby Laboratories, Adjunct Professor, Stanford Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics and Program in Symbolic Systems

Decoding Speech
Eddie Chang, MD
Professor and Vice Chair of Neurological Surgery, Jeanne Robertson Distinguished Professor, William K. Bowes Jr Biomedical Investigator, Co-Director, Center for Neural Engineering and Prostheses at UC Berkeley and UCSF Weill Institute of Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco

Qi-Gong Exercises with Dr. Guan-Cheng Sun and William Spear

Building on the Science of Resilience
Manpreet Singh, MD, MS
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Director, Stanford Pediatric Mood Disorders Program, Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine, Stanford Maternal Child Health Research Institute

CMOS to Mind, Merging Computers and Brains
Nick Melosh, PhD
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University

10:30 AM Break

11:15 AM Plenary Session:

Accelerating Mindfulness Training with Ultrasonic Neuromodulation
Jay Sanguinetti, PhD
Adjunct Professor, University of Arizona, Research Assistant Professor, University of New Mexico

Treatments at the Crossroads of Brain/Mind/Body: Anorexia Nervosa
Jim Lock, MD, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry Senior Associate Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics, Stanford University

Why Babies Are More Conscious Than We Are
Alison Gopnik, PhD
Professor of Psychology and Affiliate Professor of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley

Team Up with Thine Enemy: A New Way to Make Progress in Consciousness Research
Dawid Potgeiter, DPhil
Senior Program Officer, Head of Program Management, Templeton World Charity Foundation

Feeling and Consciousness
Antonio Damasio, MD, PhD
Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience, Psychology & Philosophy, Director, Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California

12:30 PM Lunch with Speakers, Experiential NeuroLab opens

1:30 PM Guided “Wheel of Awareness” Meditation led by Daniel Siegel, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and executive director of the Mindsight Institute.

2:15 PM Spiritune Musical Demo, Jamie Pabst

2:30 PM Ecosystem Brainstorming Session

EIR in Labs Program - Calvin Nguyen
Neuroethics Initiative/Asilomar - Laura Roberts, MD, MA
Novel Business Structures - Magali Haas, MD, PhD
Funding Valley of Death Companies - Gwill York, MBA
Accelerating Research Tool Development - Ed Boyden, PhD and Sam Rodriques, PhD
How Investors Can Help High Impact Companies - Juan Enriquez, MBA
Roadmapping Alzheimer’s - Miyoung Chun, PhD
Future BrainMind Salons - Joon Yun, MD

3:30 PM Fireside Chat with Reid Hoffman

4:30 PM Closing Remarks with Laura Roberts and Michael McCullough

4:45 PM Closing Reception with performance by spoken word artist Baba Brinkman

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9:30 PM After-hours at Madera, Menlo Park

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Alzheimer’s Vertical

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Alzheimer’s disease is an identity-robbing illness that is on track to be the largest human health crisis and burden on the healthcare system in history. As we live longer, every one of us has nearly a 50% chance of an AD diagnosis by the time we reach age 84 . There are over six million U.S. patients now, costing $200 Billion/yr, expected to increase to 15 million and $1 Trillion/yr by 2050.

We now know that Alzheimer’s disease begins silently in the brain decades before symptoms begin. This leaves ample time for people at risk to make targeted lifestyle and behavioral changes to protect their brain health over time.

BrainMind has launched an Alzheimer’s vertical to investigate the most promising research to treat and prevent this devastating disease. A special session at the BrainMind Summit at Stanford will look at the latest knowledge of whether and how Alzheimer’s Disease can be prevented. What known genetic predispositions and other biomarkers suggest increased risk for Alzheimer’s? What data can be tracked to evaluate and detect changes in risk over time? And what lifestyle changes can we make to reduce our risk.

About APOE-ɛ4

Over 60% of persons with Alzheimer’s have at least one APOE-ɛ4 allele, which increases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s and is associated with an earlier age of onset. Since the emergence of commercial genetic testing, a growing number of people are discovering they may be at increased risk for Alzheimer’s. This session will explore the impact of APOE-ɛ4 carrier status on Alzheimer’s risk in varied populations (e.g., women vs. men), impact on the effectiveness of preventative interventions (e.g., exercise), the role for use in clinical care by a treating physician, and other polygenic, pharmacogenomic and nutrigenomic considerations.

Featured Experts at the BrainMind Summit

At Stanford, a special breakout session (and dinner by special request) will be held on the topic of Alzheimer’s Prevention, including practical lifestyle interventions and the cutting-edge of drug discovery for populations with genetic risk factors. Summit participants will have the opportunity to connect with experts who will discuss some of the most important and groundbreaking work in this space.

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Richard S. Isaacson, MD, Directs the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Richard has dedicated himself to compiling a wealth of insight for people who want to know more about Alzheimer’s and what they can do to help themselves and their loved ones — starting today and continuing throughout the entire lifespan.

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Marwan Noel Sabbagh, MD, FAAN, is the Camille and Larry Ruvo Endowed Chair for Brain Health and Director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. He is a leading investigator for many prominent national Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment trials. Dr. Sabbagh has dedicated his career to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

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Robert Mahley, MD, PhD, is the President Emeritus and Founder of the J. David Gladstone Institutes and Professor of Pathology and Medicine at UCSF. With support from the Wellcome Trust, Robert is identifying new chemical compounds that can target apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4)—the strongest genetic risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s.

PARTICIPANTS

BrainMind Summits are invite-only, with space limited to around 250 attendees. All participants are members of the BrainMind ecosystem and are carefully selected for potential contribution, influence, and intent. Because only a small subset of the ecosystem can participate, only the most active members of the community will attend multiple summits.

GOALS

BrainMind Summits are built around the following principles of BrainMind:

  • Build a collaborative roadmap for effective forward progress in the science of the brain and mind with top scientists and leaders in the field.

  • Within this wider roadmap, surface and focus special attention on the areas and ideas in most need of coordinated support.

  • Leverage new forms of capital and infuse leaders in the entrepreneurial, investing, and philanthropic communities to support these pivotal ideas from the lab to society.

EXPERIENTIAL NEUROLAB

The BrainMind Summits include a hands-on Experiential NeuroLab with exciting inventions, technology demonstrations, and artistic exhibits. Experiences include mind-controlled visual media, AR and VR-based technologies, real human brains and 10-100x expanded brains, neuroscience-driven perceptual illusions, immersive education experiences, and more.

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MUSICAL EXPERIENCES

Key performances were selected by our Musical Curator, composer Jonathan Berger. Berger is the Denning Family Provostial Professor in Music at Stanford University, where he teaches composition, music theory, and cognition at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). He was the founding co-director of the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts (SICA, now the Stanford Arts Institute) and founding director of Yale University’s Center for Studies in Music Technology.

Described as “gripping” by both the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, “poignant”, “richly evocative” (San Francisco Chronicle), “taut, and hauntingly beautiful” (NY Times), Jonathan Berger’s recent works deal with both consciousness and conscience. His chamber operas, Theotokia and The War Reporter explore hallucination and haunting memories, while his monodrama, My Lai portrays the ethical dilemmas of an individual placed in an impossible situation.

Van-Anh Vanessa Vo is a visiting artist at Stanford, world-renowned for her distinctive modern music blended with a cultural essence from traditional Vietnamese instruments. Among her accomplishments are the 2009 Emmy® Award-winning soundtrack for t…

Van-Anh Vanessa Vo is a visiting artist at Stanford, world-renowned for her distinctive modern music blended with a cultural essence from traditional Vietnamese instruments. Among her accomplishments are the 2009 Emmy® Award-winning soundtrack for the documentary “Bolinao 52”, which she co-composed and recorded, and the soundtrack for the Sundance best documentary and 2003 Academy Awards® nominee “Daughter from Danang”.

Baba Brinkman is a New York-based rap artist and playwright. He is best known for his "Rap Guide" series of science-based hip-hop albums and theater shows, playing off-Broadway throughout 2019.

Baba Brinkman is a New York-based rap artist and playwright. He is best known for his "Rap Guide" series of science-based hip-hop albums and theater shows, playing off-Broadway throughout 2019.

Fernando Lopez-Lezcano works magic with computer hardware and software, controllers, music composition, performance, and sound. His music blurs the line between technology and art, and is as much about form and sound processing, synthesis, and spati…

Fernando Lopez-Lezcano works magic with computer hardware and software, controllers, music composition, performance, and sound. His music blurs the line between technology and art, and is as much about form and sound processing, synthesis, and spatialization, as about algorithms and the custom software he writes for each piece.

Jamie Pabst spent years DJing in exploratory and non-traditional formats, using sound and visualization techniques for transformative experiences. She is now launching a commercial venture using the neuro-scientific underpinnings of music to impact …

Jamie Pabst spent years DJing in exploratory and non-traditional formats, using sound and visualization techniques for transformative experiences. She is now launching a commercial venture using the neuro-scientific underpinnings of music to impact emotional health and improve lives. Pabst will provide a sample of this new type of aural/neural experience.

Elena Georgieva is a researcher at Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). She studies music information retrieval (MIR) and music cognition, and is also a recording engineer/producer, specializing in vocal music.

Elena Georgieva is a researcher at Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). She studies music information retrieval (MIR) and music cognition, and is also a recording engineer/producer, specializing in vocal music.

BRAIN | MIND | BODY

During the Summit, Qigong Master Guan-Cheng Sun and Integrative Health and Healing faculty William Spear will lead a series of somatically based experiences meant to balance the “heady” content of the presentations. These experiences will include stretching, moving, and breathing exercises, enriched with immersive visuals and contextualized with the Chinese view of brain and mind. “With two primary forces at work: the intellect and cognition, and the dream state and ideation, that which lies beyond those two is a non-dualistic form -- wei wu wei, or "doing non-doing," neither left or right, yang or yin, what is often said to be the source of 1+1=3, the nameless Dao.” Some exercises will focus in the “hara”, or “Dan Tian” through deep breathing, giving attendees an opportunity to return to a sense of emptiness, and to find and release tensions in the body. All of these sessions could potentially, though subtly, enhance participants’ experience by breaking up time spent sitting, thinking, talking, note-taking, etc. with quiet, contemplative practices that calm the busy mind and revitalize presence. Meant solely as a complement rather than a distraction, we sincerely believe these experiences will contribute value to the gathering.

ARTISTIC EXHIBITS

BrainMind will be featuring brilliant artists exhibiting artworks exploring themes of “digital consciousness.” These tech-forward exhibits will incorporate tools such as augmented reality, closed-loop BCIs, and data visualization. Below is a sample of the artistic exhibits featured at previous BrainMind Summits.

Grace Ng’s Mind Paint Interactive Installation was featured on stage during the summit.

Grace Ng’s Mind Paint Interactive Installation was featured on stage during the summit.

Andrew Paul Leonard’s artwork was featured in video form during the main program on Sunday.

Andrew Paul Leonard’s artwork was featured in video form during the main program on Sunday.

David Bolinsky’s animations of molecular machinery in neurons and somatic cells will be featured in video format as well as in print.

David Bolinsky’s animations of molecular machinery in neurons and somatic cells will be featured in video format as well as in print.

BRAIN-HEALTHY CUISINE

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New research indicates that diet plays a significant role in brain function, impacting everything from memory to risk for brain diseases. We put these exciting findings into practice at our Summits. You won’t find junky conference fare at our event. Meals and snacks served at the Summit feature foods and ingredients with published findings for brain health benefit. Learn more about our approach here.


DETAILS

Dates: Saturday October 12th through Sunday October 13th

Location: This is a private gathering. Further detail was disclosed to invited participants. Visit the application page here.

Lodging: Please refer to Stanford’s comprehensive lodging guide.

 Supporters of BrainMind hosted at Stanford

We would like to honor and thank Dr. Laura Roberts and the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Reid Hoffman, Bo Shao, Josh Kopelman, Tim Reynders, and the following supporters of the BrainMind Summit hosted at Stanford:

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