Toward One Brain

In Global Health, the “One Health” approach is used to describe a multidisciplinary and highly collaborative approach to treat patients on a local, national and global scale. We believe that neuroscience would benefit from a “One Brain” approach in which research is carried out in a transdisciplinary manner, involving biologists, engineers, educators, and governmental leaders:

1) At the micro level: The brain is a community of cells, both neuronal and non-neuronal, that are in constant communication with each other. We believe that to understand brain development, we should focus on the interactions between cell subtypes. Our particular interest is in how the microenvironment instructs and refines neuronal identity, and the fate plasticity of maturing neurons. To this end, we use a combination of molecular, electrophysiological and bioengineering approaches to probe and push the limits of neuronal identity.

2) At the macro level: We are committed to a holistic approach to neuroscience, moving beyond the laboratory. We believe in the importance of science education and making science accessible to everyone in the world. To this end, we are creating technologies to scale experimental neuroscience education around the world through the Internet of Things. We trust that science education can become an important tool of public diplomacy and we are devoted to leading the way in the field of neurodiplomacy.