Brain Health Innovation Initiative

UCLA Health Brain Health Summit

Friday, March 20, 2026 – 7:15am to Saturday, March 21, 2026 – 5:00pm

UCLA Health Brain Health Summit Program

Day 1 Speaker Biographies – UCLA Health Brain Health Summit
Day 2 Speaker Biographies – UCLA Health Brain Health Summit

Videos
UCLA Health Brain Health Summit March 20, 2026
UCLA Health Brain Health Summit March 21, 2026

Summary:
The UCLA Health Brain Health Summit brings together research, policy, and community voices to advance brain health across California, the US, and globally.

Date and Time:
03/20/2026 — 03/21/2026 7:15 AM – 5:00 PM

Location:
UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center
425 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Location:
UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center
425 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Overview:

Welcome to the UCLA Health Brain Health Summit!

The UCLA Health Brain Health Summit will be held March 20–21, 2026, at the UCLA Luskin Center and will unite researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and communities to advance brain health across California, the US, and globally. In an era marked by climate disasters, social upheaval, and a rapidly aging population, brain health must be recognized as a fundamental public health priority essential to individual resilience and societal well-being. Evidence-based interventions can protect function, strengthen resilience, and reduce long-term effects.

Brain health encompasses cognitive, emotional, neurological, and social functioning across the lifespan, from early development through older age. While the brain is shaped by environmental, lifestyle, and social factors, research shows that prevention, early detection, and evidence-based interventions can protect function, strengthen resilience, and reduce long-term decline. Yet access to these strategies remains uneven, particularly for underserved communities.

Brain skills such as creativity, critical thinking, adaptability, and resilience are increasingly vital in a rapidly changing world shaped by technological advances and shifting workforce demands.

Through interdisciplinary dialogue and community engagement, the UCLA Brain Health Summit will examine practical approaches to measuring brain health, translating research into action, and advancing community-based and policy solutions to address the growing brain and mental health crisis.

Sponsors:

News

2026

10/20/2026 Harvesting Happiness
10/07/2026 Optimizing Brain Health in the Modern Age
07/29/2026 Can Psychiatry Lead in Building Brain Capital? Why Mental Health Matters for Policy, Economy, and Society
05/16/2026 Resilience and Brain Health: A Geriatric Psychiatry Perspective at APA
04/24/2026 6 Mental health strategies to help stay calm during life’s uncertainties
04/23/2026 Stressed? Just a couple minutes of meditation might help
04/06/2026 Kundalini Yoga May Slow Alzheimer’s in Women, UCLA Study Finds
03/21/2026 Radio Interview
03/21/2026 UCLA Health Brain Health Summit March 21, 2026
03/20/2026 UCLA Health Brain Health Summit March 20, 2026
01/28/2026 Lavretsky H, Khalsa S, Oughli HA, Ibanez A, Cruzat J, Edwards E, Newhouse P, Bassetti CLA, Begue I, Winkler AS, Jeste DV, Eyre HA. The role of brain health and resilience in reshaping trajectories of late-life neuropsychiatric disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2026 Jan 28. doi: 10.1038/s41386-026-02332-2. Epub ahead of print. Erratum in: Neuropsychopharmacology. 2026 Jun;51(7):1347-1348. doi: 10.1038/s41386-026-02384-4. PMID: 41606214.
01/09/2026 ISCR Webinar Dec 2025 Mind-Body therapies, Resilience and Brain Helath in Aging

2025

12/18/2025 Managing Cognitive Impairment: Integrative Approaches in Geriatric Psychiatry
12/09/2025 Exploring the Mind-Body Connection: Dr. Helen Lavretsky on Tai Chi, Meditation, and Brain Health
11/24/2025 Activities for Cognitive Health
11/06/2025 Breathe: Reducing stress can help your brain
09/22/2025 Breathwork for Longevity: Reverse Biological Aging & Boost Mental Health
09/09/2025 Yoga isn’t just for flexibility. It may also protect brain health
08/25/2025 Psychiatry and Spirituality: Exploring the Intersections of Meaning and Mental Health
08/25/2025 Return of the Soul: The Role of Spirituality in Mental Health
07/07/2025 BCA – Caregivers of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders and Dementia
05/19/2025 Teaching Resilience at the 2025 APA Annual Meeting
04/25/2025 Even Low-Key Exercise Is Fantastic for Your Brain
03/30/2025 How to use your voice to reduce your stress and feel calmer
03/28/2025 Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Infection Presenting With Neuropsychiatric Symptoms: Diagnosis and Management
03/21/2025 Cultivation of Mind-Body-Brain-Soul Connections withTechnology?
02/04/2025 Weekend Warriors Can Still Reap Brain Health Benefits from Exercise, Study Says
01/22/2025 Meditation, art and nature: Neuroimaging reveals distinct patterns of brain activation
01/19/2025 Your brain on art, nature, and meditation: a pilot neuroimaging study
01/07/2025 Boost brain health with daily lifestyle practices
01/01/2025 How to calm your mind with breathing, according to science

2024

11/21/2024 Brain Medicine
11/21/2024 Chronic Inflammation Is Both Dangerous and Very Common—Here’s How to Know If You Have It
11/20/2024 UCLA’s Lavretsky Revolutionizes Brain Health Research
08/15/2024 Yoga for the brain: How it helps cognition, may protect against decline
08/08/2024 Cognitive health isn’t just about the mind
08/02/2024 Mental Health in Later Life with Dr. Helen Lavretsky
07/24/2024 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome After SARS-CoV-2 Infection
07/17/2024 How to (gently) talk to aging parents about downsizing and decluttering
07/07/2024 Older Women Are Different Than Older Men. Their Health Is Woefully Understudied.
06/16/2024 Older women are being significantly shortchanged by medical research
05/29/2024 Polypharmacy in Older Adults
05/07/2024 Geriatric Psychiatry: Life Is Not Over at 65
04/04/2024 Yoga provides unique cognitive benefits to older women at risk of Alzheimer’s disease, study finds
04/03/2024 Breathing not-so-easy: Can meditation and ice baths really set your mind and body free?
03/27/2024 Practicing Yoga Can Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
02/28/2024 Yoga Brings Brain Benefits to Women at Risk for Alzheimer’s
02/26/2024 Kundalini yoga bolsters cognitive health among older women at risk of Alzheimer’s disease
01/24/2024 Breathing Matters | UCLA Neuroscience Research Theme Event
01/08/2024 Yoga May Be Even Healthier Than You Thought. Here’s Why

2023

12/27/2023 Integrative Therapies for Brain Health and Aging
12/15/2023 2023 AAGP Brain Health Summit- moderated by Dr Helen Lavretsky
11/30/2023 Dementia Untangled 11/20/2023 Dr. Helen Lavretsky Interview – Human Kind
11/03/2023 2023 Annual UCLA Integrative Medicine Conference
09/26/2023 Life-Course Brain Health as a Determinant of Late-Life Mental Health: American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry Expert Panel Recommendations
09/20/2023 Tai chi as mind-body medicine? A UCLA Health psychiatrist aims to take the practice nationwide
08/09/2023 Couples’ Guide to Keeping Your Heart Healthy
08/03/2023 A new understanding of the power of yoga
07/28/2023 This yoga may benefit women with high risk of Alzheimer’s disease
07/26/2023 Kundalini yoga may be beneficial for older women with Alzheimer’s risk factors
07/20/2023 Yoga may improve cognitive function in older adults at risk for decline
07/11/2023 Integrative Therapies for Older Adults
03/06/2023 NFL star Aaron Rodgers went on a darkness retreat. What’s that?
02/23/2023 Is long COVID a neurological disease? Scientists are doing more research
02/14/2023 Long COVID Now Looks like a Neurological Disease, Helping Doctors to Focus Treatments
01/31/2023 Depression, poor mental health in young adults linked to higher cardiovascular risks
01/31/2023 What COVID-19, mental health and aging have in common

2022

10/06/2022 The vital crosstalk between breath and brain
08/24/2022 Patient Education Webinar: Integrative solutions for neuropsychiatric symptoms with Dr. Lavretsky
07/26/2022 Fears of more long COVID, a ‘mass disabling event’ as variants rip through California
06/29/2022 Life’s Essential 8: Updating and Enhancing the American Heart Association’s Construct of Cardiovascular Health: A
Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association
02/14/2022 Desperate Americans Are Going Abroad for Unproven Long COVID Cures
01/11/2022 Semel Grand Rounds, 2022-01-11, Dr. Helen Lavretsky, Dr. Joann Elmore & Dr. Elyse Singer

2021

10/28/2021 Could Breastfeeding Help Women Keep Their Smarts as They Age?
10/23/2021 Breastfeeding May Help Prevent Cognitive Decline – Neuroscience News
10/23/2021 Many Covid patients have memory problems months later, new study finds
10/23/2021 New study suggests that breastfeeding may help prevent cognitive decline — ScienceDaily
10/14/2021 Adele tried sound baths for stress: What are they? Do they help? Experts explain
07/23/2021 What Will the Future of Alzheimer Disease Treatment Look Like?
07/19/2021 Addressing the Cognition Crisis in Our COVID-19 World
06/02/2021 Medical Research: Prerecorded – Panel 4 – Presentation 5
05/19/2021 Integrative Mental Health in The Time of COVID
04/12/2021 The latest interview for Forbes magazine about climate change and impact on older adults
03/24/2021 Feeling Lucky? Convergence Mental Health as a Mechanism for Serendipitous Innovation
02/02/2021 Mental Health Plays a Role in Treating and Preventing Heart Disease
01/07/2021 Disaster Stress, Mental Health, and Aging: How Mind-Body Therapies Can Build Resilience
01/05/2021 Convergence Mental Health

2020

11/04/2020 UCLA Integrative Psych, 2020-11-04, SARS-CoV-2 : Complementary & Integrative Treatments Update
09/30/2020 An Opportunity for Growth
09/28/2020 Mind, Consciousness, and Well-Being
08/31/2020 Seniors With Depression Show Resilience in Face of Pandemic
07/08/2020 The Upside and Downside of Religion, Spirituality, and Health
06/29/2020 How are older adults with Depression experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic?
06/16/2020 Get the latest information from the CDC about COVID-19
06/10/2020 UCLA/Egoscue Interview
05/19/2020 The COVID-19 Honeymoon Is Almost Over 05/03/2020 Yoga Scholars Pgimer
04/10/2020 New research on how yoga improves memory and focus
03/16/2020 COVID-19 Information
03/05/2020 What’s The Deal With Sound Baths And Do They Actually Work?
02/11/2020 UCLA Newsroom

2010 – 2019

08/16/2019 Memory – How Yoga Improves Cognitive Functioning
03/27/2018 Exploring Scientific Evidence for Sound Healing at Integrative Medicine Conference
02/22/2018 Resilience in the context of ageing with Dr. Helen Lavretsky
02/20/2018 Resilience in the Context of Ageing with Helen Lavretsky, MD, MS
10/12/2017 Dr Lavretsky presents at the 5th Body, Mind and Life Institute in Dharamsala, India, October 4-6, 2017
09/13/2017 I tried to cure my anxiety by hallucinating. Interview by the Cosmopolitan
08/10/2017 OPTIMUM study featured by UCLA Bruin paper
08/08/2017 Cognitive enhancement with yoga
05/25/2017 5 Ways We Can Begin Taking Preventative Measures Today To Improve Brain Fitness
04/01/2017 How Spirituality Benefits Older Adults
03/01/2017 Mantra Meditation in LAYOGA
02/23/2017 LA times article on the benefits of yoga with Dr Lavretsky
01/20/2017 Comparison of Yoga or MEmory training in older adults
01/17/2017 A randomized controlled trial of Kundalini yoga in mild cognitive impairment.
01/06/2017 Helen Lavretsky, M.D. featured in Psychiatric News
12/13/2016 Neurochemical and Neuroanatomical Plasticity Following Memory Training and Yoga Interventions in Older Adults with
Mild Cognitive Impairment.
12/13/2016 The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging.
09/30/2016 CNN health news today: Late life treatment resistant depression
09/28/2016 Dr Lavretsky featured in Psychiatric Times- Path to personal and professional peace and fulfillment.
09/28/2016 Natural Supplements and Vitamins for Treatment and Prevention of Dementia and Cognitive Decline
09/28/2016 Treatment resistant depression in Psychiatric Times
09/26/2016 Dr. Weill blog
08/30/2016 A UCLA team of neuroscientists found that a three-month course of yoga and meditation helped minimize the cognitive
and emotional problems that often precede Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
08/30/2016 All to do about aging
08/30/2016 PCORI Board Approves $40 Million for Improving Treatment Options for Depression
08/09/2016 Podcast: Surprisingly Awesome #18 Yoga
02/09/2016 Top-down Plus Bottom-up Integrative Treatments in Psychiatry
01/07/2016 New England J Medicine Journal Watch Psychiatry Top Stories of 2015
02/27/2015 The Benefits of Yoga and Meditation for Alzheimer’s and Dementia
11/17/2014 Dr. Helen Lavretsky writes new book to help aging populations cope with stress
05/24/2013 Mindful exercise and mental health
05/13/2013 Mindful Exercises and Meditation: Neurobiological Effects
02/27/2013 Late-Life Mood Disorders
02/27/2013 The Use of Natural Products and Supplements in Late-Life Mood and Cognitive Disorders
07/30/2012 Media Showcase Benefits of Yoga to Reduce Stress
07/30/2012 Yoga for Cancer Patients and Caregivers
07/27/2012 KABC Reports the Benefits of Kirtan Kriya Meditation for Caregivers
07/27/2012 ScienceDaily Features that Yoga Reduces Stress
03/25/2011 Tai Chi May Lift Depression in Seniors
09/03/2010 Resilience, Stress, and the Neurobiology of Aging

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Partners

• 

  Wendelyn Slusser, MD

  Assoc Vice Provost, SEMEL HCI CENTER HS Clinical Professor, Pediatrics
• 

  Gina Poe, PHD

  Professor & Director of Brain Research Institute Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences University of California, Los Angeles
• 

  Xavier Caggigas PHD

  Clinical Neuropsychology