10th Global Experts Meeting on
Psychiatry and Mental Health

Dr. Moses Rodriguez is a Professor of Neurology and Immunology and holds the Mildred A. and Henry Uihlein II Professorship in Medical Research. An internationally recognized authority in multiple sclerosis (MS), he earned his B.A. and M.D. from Northwestern University and completed postgraduate training at Mayo Clinic, the National Institutes of Health, the University of California, San Diego, and Scripps Research Institute. His pioneering research has advanced the understanding of myelin repair, central nervous system regeneration, and novel therapeutic approaches for MS. Dr. Rodriguez has received the Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator Award, holds 14 U.S. patents, authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, and serves as the principal investigator of multiple research grants. He also directs leading research programs dedicated to multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating disorders.

Multiple sclerosis, demyelination and remyelination, neuroimmunology, myelin repair, central nervous system regeneration, translational neuroscience, autoimmune neurological disorders, and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Michel Baudry is a distinguished neuroscientist recognized internationally for his contributions to brain research and is listed among the world's highly cited researchers in neuroscience. He graduated from the Ecole prestigious Polytechnique in Paris and earned his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Paris VII. Following postdoctoral training at the University of California, Irvine, he held academic positions at both the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Southern California before joining Western University of Health Sciences, where he serves as Dean of the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences. His scientific career has focused on uncovering the molecular basis of learning, memory, and neurodegenerative disorders. Working with Professor Gary Lynch, he contributed to the development of a widely recognized biochemical model of learning and memory. Dr. Baudry has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and is an active member of several international neuroscience organizations.

Synaptic plasticity, learning and memory, hippocampal function, glutamate receptor regulation, neurodegeneration, oxidative stress in the central nervous system, computational neuroscience, and the molecular mechanisms of brain disorders.

Dr. Lucia-Maria Vaina is an internationally recognized neuroscientist whose work focuses on understanding how the human brain processes visual information and adapts following neurological injury. She is Professor of Neurology, Biomedical Engineering, and Neuroscience at Boston University and serves on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. Her interdisciplinary education spans mathematics, medicine, neuroscience, and neurology, with advanced training at internationally renowned institutions in Europe and the United States. She leads the Brain and Vision Laboratory (BRAVI) at Boston University and co-directs the Neurology of Vision Laboratory (NOVI) at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her research combines computational neuroscience, psychophysics, and advanced brain imaging techniques to investigate visual perception, brain function, and neural plasticity. In addition to her academic work, she has made significant contributions to the evaluation and rehabilitation of individuals recovering from stroke and traumatic brain injury, while also providing expert consultation in neurological disorders involving cognitive and perceptual impairments.

Neural plasticity, visual neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, functional brain imaging, computational modeling, stroke rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury, visual perception, neurological recovery, and the diagnosis and treatment of cognitive and perceptual disorders.

Dr. Irene Litvan is the Tasch Endowed Chair of Parkinson Disease Research at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), where she is Professor of Neurosciences and Director of the UCSD National Parkinson Foundation Movement Disorder Center of Excellence. A highly respected movement disorder specialist, behavioral neurologist, and neuroepidemiologist, she has more than 25 years of experience leading clinical trials and international collaborative studies on neurodegenerative diseases. Her research focuses on improving the understanding of Parkinson's disease and related disorders by identifying disease mechanisms, discovering reliable biomarkers, and developing neuroprotective therapies. Dr. Litvan has received the National Institutes of Health Merit Award for her leadership in international efforts to refine the clinical diagnosis of parkinsonian disorders. She has authored over 250 peer-reviewed publications, edited several scientific books, and actively contributes to leading neurological and movement disorder organizations. She is also dedicated to mentoring the next generation of clinician-scientists and advancing translational research that bridges laboratory discoveries with patient care.

Parkinson's disease, movement disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, dementia, neuroepidemiology, clinical biomarkers, translational neuroscience, and neuroprotective therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Han-Xiang Deng is a Research Professor in the Department of Neurology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. He received his Ph.D. from Hunan Medical University in 1983. His scientific work is dedicated to exploring the genetic and cellular processes involved in neurodegenerative diseases, with a primary focus on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Through his research, he aims to advance the understanding of disease development and support the discovery of future therapeutic strategies. Dr. Deng has contributed nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of Neurology, Neurogenetics, and Neurophysiology.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Cell Biology, Genetics, Neurogenetics, Neuromuscular Disorders, Neurophysiology, Neurodegenerative Disease Mechanisms, and Translational Neuroscience.

Dr. Martha E. Shenton is a Professor of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital and serves as Director of the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory. She also holds a faculty appointment as Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. Over the course of her career, Dr. Shenton has collaborated with leading researchers on advancing neuroimaging techniques to investigate the structural and functional changes associated with psychiatric and neurological disorders. Her research has focused extensively on schizophrenia, white matter abnormalities using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and neurodevelopmental conditions such as Williams syndrome. She has led and contributed to numerous federally funded research initiatives, including major projects supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Shenton has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed scientific publications, contributed to several book chapters, and co-edited leading reference books on neuropsychiatric disorders and MRI in psychiatry. She has received numerous prestigious research and mentoring awards and continues to play an active role in scientific publishing, grant review, and academic leadership.

Neuroimaging in Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), White Matter Connectivity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Brain Structure and Function, Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Clinical Neuroimaging.