Speakers at Public Brain Health Day 2026

Claudio Bassetti received his medical degree in Basel and trained in neurology in Bern and Lausanne. In 2000, he became professor and vice-chair of neurology in Zurich. In 2009 he founded the Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland. From 2012 until 2024 he was the chair of the Neurology Department of thew University Hospital (Inselspital) in Bern. Since 2020 he is the Dean of the Medical Faculty at the same University. Prof. Bassetti previously served as president of the European Neurological Society, European Sleep Research Society and Swiss Neurological Society, and founded the Swiss Federation of Clinical Neurosocieties. He served as president of the European Academy of Neurology from 2019 to 2022. He is currently the Chair of the Swiss Brain Health Plan and co-chair of the Lancet Commission on Brain Health.

Silke Biethahn is a specialist in neurology with extensive experience in clinical medicine, healthcare management, and medical leadership. She studied medicine at the University of Göttingen and completed international training placements in South Africa, Copenhagen, and London. Over the past two decades, she has held senior positions in leading hospitals and neurological centers in Switzerland and Germany, with a focus on epilepsy, headache disorders, and clinical neurophysiology. In 2024, she founded her own practice, Neurologisch Aarau. Alongside her clinical work, Dr. Biethahn obtained a Master of Health Business Administration. She also holds several leadership positions within Swiss neurological and medical organizations, including Vice President of the Swiss Neurological Society, a member of the executive board of the Aargauische Ärztegesellschaft, and a member of the audit committee of the FMH. 

Neerja Chowdhary is a psychiatrist and works in WHO's Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. She plays a key role in advancing the implementation of the Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders (2022–2031). Her work focuses on developing normative guidance and practical tools to support countries in strengthening their health systems for neurological care. Dr. Chowdhary leads efforts to convene global, regional, and national stakeholders, fostering collaboration across sectors to address the growing burden of neurological disorders. She also supports capacity-building initiatives aimed at improving access to diagnosis, treatment, and care, while promoting integrated approaches that reduce stigma and enhance equity. Through these efforts, she contributes to WHO’s mission of ensuring that brain health becomes a global priority and that people living with neurological conditions receive the care and dignity they deserve. 

Elena Ruiz de la Torre is one of the leading patient advocates and researchers in the world. She is a tireless and passionate champion for people with headache disorders in the workplace and beyond, with her advocacy career beginning in her native Spain, and then expanding to Europe, and now the world. Elena leads the European Migraine and Headache Alliance, a nonprofit patient umbrella group that represents 33 patient groups from across the continent. She also  enlarged the EMHA to a wider net of associates as part of the organization with the aim of being aligned in messages and exchange best practices worldwide. She has also authored and co-authored several publications, and her list of current advocacy work is extensive, including the “Eurolight”, “My Migraine Voice Survey”, “Migraine at Work”, Access To Care”, “Migraine Friendly Workplace”, “Stigma Project” , "Migraine Scoring System" and more.

Prof. Dr. Caroline Pot is a clinician-scientist and head of the Neuroimmunology Unit and Multiple Sclerosis Center at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). She completed her neurology training at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Switzerland, while pursuing academic research. She obtained her MD thesis at the University of Zurich and subsequently completed a research fellowship in neuroimmunology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA. In 2015, she joined the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the CHUV, where she was awarded a Swiss National Science Foundation Professorship and later appointed Associate Professor. In addition to her clinical and academic responsibilities, Prof. Dr. Caroline Pot currently serves as President of the Swiss Neurological Society (SNS), the national professional organization representing neurologists, as well as physicians training to become neurology specialists in Switzerland. 

Patricia Pozo-Rosich is the Head of the Neurology Department at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and Director of the Migraine Adaptive Brain Center and of the Headache and Neurological Pain Research Group at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research. She is the Coordinator of the Brain, Mind and Behavior Area of the same institute. She is a Professor at the Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona. She is President-Elect of the International Headache Society and a member of its Executive Committee. She has published original articles in high-impact journals, review articles and book chapters. She is also the author of several books, an associate editor of Cephalalgia, Neurología and the European Journal of Neurology, as well as a reviewer for multiple high-impact journals. She has received several scientific awards for her work. She is the founder and driving force behind www.midolordecabeza.org, a patient website offering professional information about headache disorders. 

Margitta Seeck was born in Westphalia, Germany. She studied and worked in Munich, Boston and Berlin, among other places, before moving to Geneva in 1995. Margitta Seeck has been one of the few professors in Switzerland specializing in epilepsy. She headed the Center for Presurgical Epilepsy Evaluation of the Universities Lausanne and Geneva, which she founded herself − one of the largest centers in Switzerland. From 2007 she also took over the management of the EEG and outpatient Epilepsy facilities. Margitta Seeckis a member of the board of the Swiss Epilepsy League and is currently an active member of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation and the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology.

Julia Snoei de Castro is a neurologist specializing in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). She trained in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and China, integrating acupuncture, Chinese pharmacotherapy, and psychosomatic medicine into her clinical practice. Combining her expertise in both neurology and TCM, she offers a unique integrative approach that bridges Chinese and Western medical traditions. Dr. Snoei de Castro serves as senior consultant at the Centre for Integrative and Complementary Medicine (CEMIC) at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) as an acupuncturist and neurologist. She is also a trainer at the IEATC where she teaches the fondamentals of neurology to trainee practitioners of TCM and she runs a TCM consultation service at the Centre for Integrative and Complementary Medicine (EquYlibre) at the eHnv in Yverdon les Bains. In addition, she actively participates in research on the use of acupuncture in neurorehabilitation, contributing to the advancement of integrative neurological care. 

Chiara Zecca received her MD at the University of Milan in 2001. In 2001, during her residency years, she worked as an assistant at the Center for Neuromuscular Diseases at the Policlinico di Milano. After completing her residency in neurology in 2006, she moved to Switzerland, assuming the position of assistant neurology physician and also serving as scientific assistant of multiple sclerosis at the Neurology of Lugano Regional Hospital. From 2010 to 2016, she then worked as a head clinician, and since March 2016 she has been appointed head of service at the Neurocenter of Italian Switzerland. She has been the Deputy Head of Neurology at Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC) since June 2023.