The Brain Day Advocacy Luncheon gives representatives of advocacy groups as well as individuals who support neuroscience research the opportunity to interact one on one with experts in the field.

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The luncheon will take place in Ballroom A of the University Club from noon - 1:45 PM.  Click here to register for the luncheon (attendance by invitation only, please). Speakers at the luncheon include:

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José-Alain Sahel, MD

Dr. Sahel, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, director of the UPMC Eye Center, and the Eye and Ear Foundation Chair of Ophthalmology is a world-renowned expert in retinal diseases. In "Restoring Vision : A Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Challenge," he will discuss his efforts to  combat blindness through the development an artificial retina, the current state of vision restoration technologies, and the challenges of retinal repair.

 

George Fechter 

Mr. Fechter, an entrepreneur and long-active community volunteer, currently serves as chairman of the board of the Eye and Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh.  He is an advisory council member for the Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. He will deliver a talk on "Brain Institute Ambassadors."

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This event allows you to:
 

• Learn about the Brain Institute and its leading-edge, multidisciplinary research

• Interact with scientists who are addressing the biggest challenges in brain disease 

• Explore ways to advance basic brain research that can lead to new treatments and cures

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Why Pittsburgh and why now?
The neuroscience community in Pittsburgh is vast, highly accomplished and internationally recognized for research, clinical care and training. The critical task of discovering how the brain develops, how it functions normally, and how to alleviate and cure abnormal function requires a broad, multi-disciplinary approach. In other words, it takes a university. 

 

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have a long history of translating basic science observations into innovative solutions to clinical problems. 

Pittsburgh is where Jonas Salk developed a vaccine against polio which prevented the virus from damaging neurons in the spinal cord, brainstem and cerebral cortex... it is where the gamma knife for minimally invasive brain surgery was first introduced to neurosurgeons in North America... where Pittsburgh Compound B was developed for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease... and where a brain-computer interface first enabled a paralyzed woman to control a robotic arm to feed herself just by thinking about it.  The research expertise within our community is ideally suited to take brain science and neuroclinical care to the next level.

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