Co-chairs

The co-chairs for The Brain Forum 2015 came from a variety of backgrounds to advance our vision and help us take the next step on an exciting journey.

The conference was co-chaired by

Prof. Patrick Aebischer
Prof. Patrick Aebischer

President Emeritus, EPFL, Switzerland

Prof. Patrick Aebischer


Prof. Patrick Aebischer

Prof. Patrick Aebischer was trained as an MD (1980) and a neuroscientist (1983) at the University of Geneva and Fribourg in Switzerland. From 1984 to 1992, he worked at Brown University, USA as an Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor of Medical Sciences. In 1991, he became the Chairman of the Section of Artificial Organs, Biomaterials and Cellular Technology of the Division of Biology and Medicine of Brown University. In the fall of 1992, he returned to Switzerland as a Professor and Director of the Surgical Research Division and Gene Therapy Center at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) in Lausanne. In 1999, Prof. Aebischer was nominated as President of EPFL by the Swiss Federal Council. He took office as President on March, 2000 and since January 2004, he is a member of the ETH Board.

His current research focuses on the development of cell and gene transfer approaches for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Prof. Aebischer is a member of numerous professional societies, both in Europe and the USA. He is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and a fellow of the Swiss Academy of Medicine. Prof. Aebischer is also a founder of two biotechnology companies: CytoTherapeutics (today Stem Cell Inc) and Modex Therapeutics (today IsoTis).

Dr. Jamil El-Imad
Dr. Jamil El-Imad

CEO, The Brain Forum, Switzerland

Dr. Jamil El-Imad


Dr. Jamil El-Imad

Dr. Jamil El-Imad is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London, a Fellow at the Institution of Engineering and Technology London, as well as the Managing Director and Chief Scientist of NeuroPro - a Swiss-based medical technology research, design and commercialisation company focused on bringing innovative, safe and low-cost solutions for applied neural signal analysis to the research and healthcare community.

The late Dr. Walid Juffali
The late Dr. Walid Juffali

Founder, The Brain Forum, Switzerland

The late Dr. Walid Juffali


The late Dr. Walid Juffali

The late Dr. Walid Juffali was the Chairman of the Juffali Group and founder of The Brain Forum which was launched in 2013 as part of W Science - an initiative established in Switzerland for the advancement of medical science with a focus on brain research and personalised healthcare.

An accomplished businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, The late Dr. Walid Juffali obtained his first degree from the University of San Diego, USA in 1977. He later earned his PhD in neuroscience at Imperial College London, UK in 2012.

In addition to his ongoing successful business and research ventures, The late Dr. Walid Juffali was active in public service and philanthropy supporting many scientific and humanitarian initiatives.

Prof. Hilal Lashuel
Prof. Hilal Lashuel

Associate Professor, EPFL, Switzerland

Prof. Hilal Lashuel


Prof. Hilal Lashuel

Prof. A Lashuel received his BSc degree in Chemistry from the City University of New York, USA in 1994 and completed his doctoral studies at Texas A&M University and the Scripps Research Institute in 2000. After obtaining his doctoral degree, he became a Research Fellow at the Picower Institute for Medical Research in Long Island New York. In 2001, he moved to Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women's Hospital as a Research Fellow in the Center for Neurologic Diseases and was later promoted to an Instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School. During his tenure (2001-2004) at Harvard Medical School his work focused on understanding the mechanisms of protein misfolding and aggregation and the role of these processes in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. In 2005 Prof. Lashuel moved to Switzerland to join the Brain Mind Institute at EPFL as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Neurosciences. Currently, Prof. Lashuel is an Associate Professor of Life Sciences and the Director of the Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of neurodegeneration. He is also the Secretary General of the Society for Advancing Science and Technology in the Arab World. In 2009, he was named by the Hebdo magazine (Forum des 100) as one of the most outstanding personalities in the French region of Switzerland and was recently named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.