Join us
Opening Night - Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 6:30-9:00 p.m.
Join us for a dinner honoring Joan and Sandy Weill, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences.
A Day of Dynamic Neuroscience Sessions - Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Join us for a riveting day of presentations on breakthrough approaches to brain health.
You can explore the program below and learn more about our extraordinary lineup of speakers here.
If you have any questions, please contact Alex Gonzalez at [email protected].
| 6:30-9:00 p.m. | Dinner Join us as we kick off UCSF’s second Future of the Brain Summit with a special dinner honoring Joan and Sandy Weill on the 10th anniversary of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. We’ll celebrate the Weill Institute, which brings together world-class researchers and top-ranked physicians to solve some of the most complex challenges in the human brain. Our program features the Weills, UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, and a memorable musical performance by Renée Fleming, Soprano and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health. Speakers: Sam Hawgood, MBBS, Chancellor, Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor |
| 9:00-9:10 a.m. | Welcome Sam Hawgood, MBBS, Chancellor, Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor William E. Oberndorf, Event Co-Chair |
| 9:10-9:25 a.m. | Music and Mind Speaker: Renée Fleming, Soprano and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health |
| 9:25-9:35 a.m. | Brain Power in Partnership: UCSF Leading with Collaboration Speakers: Edward F. Chang, MD, Professor and Joan and Sanford I. Weill Chair, Department of Neurological Surgery S. Andrew Josephson, MD, Carmen Castro Franceschi and Gladyne K. Mitchell Neurohospitalist Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology Matthew W. State, MD, PhD, Oberndorf Family Distinguished Professor in Psychiatry and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences |
| 9:35-9:45 a.m. | Breakthrough Prize: Rethinking Multiple Sclerosis Speaker: Stephen L. Hauser, MD, Robert A. Fishman Distinguished Professor in Neurology 2025 Winner, Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences |
| 9:45-10:05 a.m. | Rewriting Autism Treatment: Proteins, AI, and the Path to Precision Speakers: Nevan Krogan, PhD, Professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Matthew W. State, MD, PhD, Oberndorf Family Distinguished Professor in Psychiatry and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences |
| 10:05-10:25 a.m. | Wired for Healing: Deep Brain Stimulation for Depression and Beyond Speakers: Andrew Krystal, MD, Ray and Dagmar Dolby Distinguished Professor in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Clara Starkweather, MD, PhD, Resident, Department of Neurological Surgery |
| 10:25-10:45 a.m. | The Power of Novel Non-invasive Technologies: Treating Movement Disorders, Epilepsy, and Mental Health Speakers: Tommaso Di Ianni, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Joline Fan, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology Doris Wang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery |
| 10:45-11:00 a.m. | Building a Digital Twin of the Human Brain: Where AI Meets Neuroscience Speaker: Shailee Jain, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Chang Lab, Department of Neurological Surgery |
| 11:00-11:20 a.m. | Break |
| 11:20-11:45 a.m. | Personalized Pacemakers for the Brain: A New Era in Parkinson's Care Speakers: Simon Little, MBBS, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Neurology Alexandra B. Nelson, MD, PhD, Richard and Shirley Cahill Endowed Chair in Parkinson's Disease Research, Department of Neurology Jill Ostrem, MD, Carlin and Ellen Wiegner Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Department of Neurology Marta San Luciano Palenzuela, MD, PhD, Endowed Professor in Neurology, Department of Neurology Philip Starr, MD, PhD, Dolores Cakebread Chair in Neurological Surgery, Department of Neurological Surgery |
| 11:45 a.m.-12:05 p.m. | Bringing Science to the Streets: Tackling Addiction and Homelessness in San Francisco Speakers: Alexander Bazazi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Assistant Director, Research and Evaluation Unit, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital Fumi Mitsuishi, MD, MS, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Chief of Service, Psychiatry, and Vice Chair, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Khaled Moussawi, MD, PhD, Howard L. Fields Endowed Chair in Pharmacology of Addiction in Neurology, Department of Neurology |
| 12:05-12:30 p.m. | Mystery Diagnosis: Harnessing Advances to Crack the Case Speaker: S. Andrew Josephson, MD, Carmen Castro Franceschi and Gladyne K. Mitchell Neurohospitalist Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology |
| 12:30-2:00 p.m. | Luncheon Talk directly over lunch in a small group format with UCSF world-leading doctors and faculty. |
| 2:00-2:20 p.m. | How To Future-Proof Your Brain: Healthy Aging And Prevention Speakers: Kaitlin Casaletto, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Neurology Dena B. Dubal, MD, PhD, David A. Coulter Endowed Chair in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Department of Neurology Kristine Yaffe, MD, Roy and Marie Scola Endowed Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences |
| 2:20-2:40 p.m. | Game-Changer: How Emerging Tech is Reinventing Stroke and Vascular Care Speakers: Nerissa Ko, MD, MAS, William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation Endowed Professor in Neurocritical Care, Department of Neurology Luis Savastano, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery |
| 2:40-3:00 p.m. | From Trauma to Triumph: The Latest Advancements in Neurorecovery Speakers: Karunesh Ganguly, MD, PhD, Marjorie B. Hines Endowed Professor in Neurology, Department of Neurology Cathra Halabi, MD, Howard and Gretchen Leach Endowed Professor in Neurology, Department of Neurology Daniel Lim, MD, PhD, Marjorie B. Hines Endowed Professor in Neurosurgery, Department of Neurological Surgery |
| 3:00-3:20 p.m. | The Science of Suffering: Rethinking Chronic Pain Speakers: Cindy Chai, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesia Julian Motzkin, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology Prasad Shirvalkar, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesia |
| 3:20-3:45 p.m. | Break |
| 3:45-3:55 p.m. | Understanding Memory Through Serendipity Speaker: Jon Kleen, MD, PhD, Lip-Bu Tan Endowed Professor, Department of Neurology |
| 3:55-4:15 p.m. | Reclaiming the Mind: Breakthroughs in Treating Neurodegenerative Disorders Speakers: Claire D. Clelland, MD, PhD, John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation Founding Associates Endowed Professor, Department of Neurology Corey Harwell, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Neurology Bruce L. Miller, MD, A.W. and Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Professor in Neurology, Department of Neurology |
| 4:15-4:30 p.m. | Awake and Aware: UCSF Brain Surgery Takes Front Stage Speakers: Edward F. Chang, MD, Professor and Joan and Sanford I. Weill Chair, Department of Neurological Surgery |
| 5:00 p.m. | Summit Concludes |
| 5:00-6:00 p.m. | Reception |
