“As a team leader, I had an opportunity to really change our facility’s practice and culture to improve the quality of lives of residents who have dementia ... patient-centered care is the key.” As director of the Memory Care Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler, Deepa Vinoo leads an interdisciplinary team that utilizes innovative techniques to effectively, holistically, and compassionately care for residents diagnosed with dementia. She has been leading award winning project “ Reduction of Antipsychotics in Dementia Related Behavior’. Vinoo has spearheaded ongoing training that has updated Coler’s caregiving approach to align with Alzheimer’s Association best practices and has helped 95 percent of her team to earn National Council of Certified Dementia Care Practitioners certification. “Music & Memory” is a standout program led by Vinoo at Coler; this program uses familiar music to reach behind the veil of dementia in order to draw out persons hidden behind the disability and reengage them with the world. Through this and other advanced treatment programs led by Vinoo, Coler has achieved significant reduction in antipsychotic medication administered to residents diagnosed with dementia, increased engagement and satisfaction among residents’ families, and fostered better interaction between residents and staff – a relationship vital to improving successful long-term care. With more than 20 years of experience as a nursing instructor administrator and clinician, Vinoo holds an MSN degree in Psychiatric Nursing. Ms.Vinoo is a board certified gerontological Nurse and a Certified Dementia Care Practitioner.

Dementia Care

As director of the Memory Care Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler, Deepa Vinoo leads an interdisciplinary team that utilizes innovative techniques to effectively, holistically, and compassionately care for residents diagnosed with dementia. She has been leading award winning project “ Reduction of Antipsychotics in Dementia Related Behavior’. Vinoo has spearheaded ongoing training that has updated Coler’s caregiving approach to align with Alzheimer’s Association best practices and has helped 95 percent of her team to earn National Council of Certified Dementia Care Practitioners certification. “Music & Memory” is a standout program led by Vinoo at Coler; this program uses familiar music to reach behind the veil of dementia in order to draw out persons hidden behind the disability and reengage them with the world. Through this and other advanced treatment programs led by Vinoo, Coler has achieved significant reduction in antipsychotic medication administered to residents diagnosed with dementia, increased engagement and satisfaction among residents’ families, and fostered better interaction between residents and staff – a relationship vital to improving successful long-term care. With more than 20 years of experience as a nursing instructor administrator and clinician, Vinoo holds an MSN degree in Psychiatric Nursing. Ms.Vinoo is a board certified gerontological Nurse and a Certified Dementia Care Practitioner.

Dementia Care Practitioner.

Stef Stienstra is a strategic and creative Consultant in Biomedical Science with a parallel career as a Commander of the reserve of the Royal Dutch Navy. For the Dutch Armed Forces he has responsibility for the counter measures in CBNRe threats and (Medical) consequence management both in a military and a civilian (terrorism) setting. He is a strategic functional specialist for “Health & Environment” of the 1-Civil-Military-Interaction Command (1-CMI) of the Dutch Armed Forces and for 2015 also in the NATO Response Force (NRF), which is in 2015 the responsibility of the 1-German-Netherlands-Corps (1-GNC). In his civil career he works internationally as Consultant or as Scientific Supervisory Board Member for several medical and biotech companies, merely involved in biodefense. He is also a Visiting Professor for Punjab University in Pakistan and Rhein-Waal University in Germany. He has completed his studies in Medicine and in Biochemistry at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands and has extensive practical experience in cell biology, immuno-hematology, biodefense and transfusion medicine. His natural business acumen and negotiation competence helps to initiate new successful businesses, often created out of unexpected combinations of technologies. His good understanding of abstract science combined with excellent skills in the communication of scientific matters to non-specialists, helps him with strategic consulting at top level management.

Stef Stienstra is a strategic and creative Consultant in Biomedical Science with a parallel career as a Commander of the reserve of the Royal Dutch Navy. For the Dutch Armed Forces he has responsibility for the counter measures in CBNRe threats and (Medical) consequence management both in a military and a civilian (terrorism) setting. He is a strategic functional specialist for “Health & Environment” of the 1-Civil-Military-Interaction Command (1-CMI) of the Dutch Armed Forces and for 2015 also in the NATO Response Force (NRF), which is in 2015 the responsibility of the 1-German-Netherlands-Corps (1-GNC). In his civil career he works internationally as Consultant or as Scientific Supervisory Board Member for several medical and biotech companies, merely involved in biodefense. He is also a Visiting Professor for Punjab University in Pakistan and Rhein-Waal University in Germany. He has completed his studies in Medicine and in Biochemistry at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands and has extensive practical experience in cell biology, immuno-hematology, biodefense and transfusion medicine. His natural business acumen and negotiation competence helps to initiate new successful businesses, often created out of unexpected combinations of technologies. His good understanding of abstract science combined with excellent skills in the communication of scientific matters to non-specialists, helps him with strategic consulting at top level management.

M.D., Ph.D., Founder BMT (Brain Music Therapy) in US, Medical&Executive Director, BMT Center, NYC.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) Bipolar Disorder Depressive Disorders

My education profile includes PhD, Biochemistry, Boston University1987 and BS, Zoology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1980. My research focuses on inflammation in neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, our interested in cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory diseases and epigenetic effects.

inflammation in neurological and neurodegenerative disorders

Ljudmila Stojanovich received her Ph.D. in Medicine, with the thesis “Neuropsychiatric manifestations in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus” in 1999. She is the scientific director in the Bezhanijska Kosa, University Medical Center of Belgrade University, where she is currently a Research Professor. Dr. Stojanovich’s research focuses on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Antiphospholipid Syndrome, and Vaccination in patients with Autoimmune Rheumatic diseases. She is an author of three monographs and of about 250 articles on various aspects of Autoimmune Rheumatic disorders, published in international and domestic journals and in conference proceedings. She is in Editorial Boards (Editorial Boards LUPUS (LONDON). /Reviewer in the “CURRENT CONTENSTS” or “Science citation index”, like LUPUS REWIEWER DATABAS, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, The Journal of Vaccine

•SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS •ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID SYNDROME •NEUROPSYCHIATRIC MANIFESTATIONS IN AUTOIMMUNE RHEUMATIC DISEASE •VACCINATION IN PATIENTS WITH AUTO-IMMUNE INFLAMMATORY RHEUMATIC DISEASES

Research in our laboratory focuses on the interaction between genetics and the environment in triggering disease both during central nervous system (CNS) development and senescence. We are addressing metal uptake across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and distribution in the brain (neurons and glia), specifically with methylmercury (MeHg) and manganese (Mn), as well as their cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurotoxicity. Our studies address mechanisms of transport and neurodegeneration in various experimental models (C. elegans, tissue cultures and rodents), as well as follow-up on the sequalae of heavy metal deposition in the brains of human neonates by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Research in our laboratory focuses on the interaction between genetics and the environment in triggering disease both during central nervous system (CNS) development and senescence.

Pediatric Neurology Department, National Neuroscience Institute, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Pediatric Neurology

Eva Kudova has been working at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry in Prague, Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB) since 2002. She completed her PhD in 2009 from Charles University in Prague. Then, she spent 2 years in the lab of Douglas F. Covey, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Since 2011, she works at the IOCB as the project PI at Targeted Research Group of Steroidal Inhibitors. Her main focus of interest is steroidal chemistry, she has been working in this field for more than 10 years. Her major avenue of investigation is design and synthesis of new neuroactive steroidal compounds and structure-activity relationship studies affording NMDARs ligands. Also, she and her colleagues have proposed screening pipeline that should serve as a screening platform for neuroactive steroids targeting CNS diseases and showing neurosteroids´ drug-likeness.

organic synthesis of steroid and steroid-like compounds - NMDA receptors modulators - structure-activity relationship study - central nervous system disorders that are related to NMDA/steroids - early stage drug development

Dr Jerzy Leszek is Professor of Psychiatry, Vice-Head of the Department of Psychiatry , Head of Alzheimer’s Disease Lab at the Medical University in Wroclaw , and Scientific Director of Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Scinawa near Wroclaw, Poland. He graduated at Medical University of Wroclaw in 1979, was awarded a doctorate in Wroclaw in 1981 and in 1999- examination for the degree of associate professor of psychiatry and since 2007 he is working as full professor of psychiatry at Wroclaw Medical University. He is author and co-author more than 280 papers (especially from old age psychiatry), some chapters to the books published in reputed Polish and international journals and serving as an editorial board member of several journals .He is Editor –in-Chief of Journal of Yoga and Physical Activity. He is Scientific Editor and co-author of first Polish academic handbook on Alzheimer’s disease and nine another academic handbooks from old age psychiatry(Polish and internationals) , member a lot of scientific associations e .g founder and president of Lower Silesian Association of Alzheimer’s Families, first of its kind in Poland ,President of the Scientific Council of Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Scinawa, near Wroclaw , Former President and founder of Polish Psychogeriatric Association, Former Secretary(now member) of European Old Age Psychiatry and Former Member of Board of Directions of International Psychogeriatric Association.

Neurodegeneration processes/Alzheimer’s disease Therapy of dementia disorders in the light of new technologies :nanotechnology, proteomics, metabolomics, genomic medicine, personalized therapy Molecular base of neurodegenerative disorders Rehabilitation and physical activity of dementia disorders

Dr. Shenton’s primary appointment is as Professor in Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Director of the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory. This is a new position as of October 1, 2005. Prior to this time, her academic appointment, also at the professorial level, was in the Laboratory of Neuroscience, directed by Dr. Robert W. McCarley, VA Boston Healthcare System, where she was Professor (since 2000) and Director of the Clinical Neuroscience Division of the Laboratory of Neuroscience. Dr. Shenton began working with Dr. McCarley in 1984, and she began working in the Surgical Planning Laboratory with Drs. Ferenc Jolesz and Ron Kikinis in 1988. Drs. Shenton, McCarley, Kikinis, and Jolesz have been actively collaborating on brain structural anomalies in schizophrenia since 1988. In 2003, Dr. Shenton was also appointed as Professor of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Her interests include neuroimaging studies in schizophrenia and schizophrenia related disorders. She has also been involved in neuroimaging studies of post-traumatic stress disorder with colleagues Drs. Roger Pitman, Mark Gilbertson, and Arieh Shalev. More recently she is working with collaborators in Portugal on a project investigating brain abnormalities in William’s Syndrome patients. Since 1999, her research focus has also included diffusion tensor imaging of white matter fiber tracts in schizophrenia. Most recently she has been involved in a 10 Clinical Consortium Site on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury that is funded through the Department of Defense.

Dr. Pant received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from Agra University, Agra, India. His postdoctoral studies were conducted on the mechanisms of electron and ion transport in model membrane systems at the Department of Biophysics at Michigan State University. He joined the Laboratory of Neurobiology in the NIMH as a senior staff fellow in 1974 with Dr. Ichiji Tasaki where he studied the function of the axonal cytoskeleton in the squid giant axon. In 1979 he moved to the NIAAA extending his studies on the neuronal cytoskeleton and the effects of alcohol on its regulation. Dr. Pant moved to the NINDS, Laboratory of Neurochemistry in 1987 where he is presently chief of the section on Cytoskeleton Regulation. His laboratory is studying the mechanisms of topographic regulation of neuronal cytoskeleton proteins by post-translational modification, including the role of kinase cascades in normal brain and during neurodegeneration

The major focus of this laboratory has been to study the mechanisms of topographic regulation of neuronal cytoskeletal proteins regulation by phosphorylation and neurodegeneration. In a normal physiological state, cytoskeletal proteins are phosphorylated extensively in the axonal compartment of a mature neuron. Although all the substrates, kinases, phosphatases and their regulators are synthesized in neuronal cell bodies, little or no cytoskeletal protein phosphorylation has been detected in the cell body compartment.

Mootaz Salman is a pharmacist and researcher PhD student at the Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre (BMRC) at Sheffield Hallam University, working with Prof. Nicola Woodroofe and Dr. Matthew Conner’s research group and a member of the multi-institute Aquaporin research collaboration. His research interest focus on the identification of new drug targets for brain oedema and epilepsy through his work on the special water channels called “Aquaporins”. Mootaz graduated with Outstanding Distinction in his MSc winning the Sheffield Hallam University prize for the most scientific contribution and ranked 1st in year. His PhD research requires the skilled use of numerous techniques ranging from standard biochemical and molecular biology to cutting edge micro-array and laser confocal microscopy. Mootaz is an international ambassador at Sheffield Hallam University, ambassador for British Society of Experimental Biology (SEB); and STEM ambassador since 2014. He has given four invited oral presentations and talks at major international conferences in Canada, Netherlands, Romania and Japan along with three talks at a national level. He is also an active member in a number of scientific societies nationally and internationally including USA, Canada and Japan. He has been selected to be an abstract reviewer at two major international conferences; Brain 2015 in Canada and also for the upcoming Brain 2017 in Berlin, along with being an abstract reviewer and a member of poster judgement panel during the North of England Postgraduate Conference (NEPG) which is the UK's largest annual postgraduate conference for medical biosciences. Mootaz has successfully participated in organising a number of national and international high profile conferences and also he has been selected to chair scientific sessions at two national events.

Neurochemistry,Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Drug Development.

Alexander Gow, Ph.D. joined Wayne State University in December 2000 as an Assistant Professor with joint appointments in the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics and the Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, School of Medicine. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure (Pediatrics) in 2004. Dr. Gow received his postdoctoral training from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, from 1990 to 1994 and was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1995. Dr. Gow originally defined the molecular mechanism underlying pathogenesis in the leukodystrophy, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, in 1994 and continues to work on this disease to design drug-based treatments to ameliorate the disease symptoms. He was also first to demonstrate the function of the claudin family of tight junction proteins in forming the functional barrier of polarized epithelia in the testis, cochlea and in central nervous system myelin. Dr. Gow has been a regular member of Study Section B at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society since 2006, has been an ad hoc member of several NIH, NIDCD Study Sections and a Member of Council for the American Society of Neurochemistry from 2002 - 2007. He has been funded continuously by the Multiple Sclerosis Society since 1996 and currently has two MS research grants and is a Co-Investigator on an MS Center of Excellence grant. He has two NIH grants from NINDS/NIA and NIDCD.

Protein misfolding diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, myelinogenesis, demyelination, multiple sclerosis, myelin and saltatory conduction, myelin function and affective disorders, intercellular junctions, tight junctions and auditory function, tight junctions and male infertility, transcriptional regulation of claudin genes.

Geoffrey Burnstock was born in London, England, in 1929. He finished his secondary education at Greenford County Grammar School in 1946 and then spent 1947 doing National Service with the Air Force. Burnstock then enrolled in science courses at the Kingston Technical Institute and worked weekends in the graveyard. In 1950, he was accepted into King’s College, University of London. Here he completed a BSc degree (1953), majoring in mathematics and physics. He then went on to complete a PhD (1957) at King’s College and University College London, University of London. Burnstock’s PhD research was in the field of zoology, where he examined gut motility in fish. In 1956, he was invited to join the Physiology Department at the National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill, London (1956-57). Whilst there, he developed the ‘sucrose gap technique’ for recording from smooth muscle. This led to a position in the Department of Pharmacology at Oxford University (1957-59). After spending a year at the University of Illinois on a Rockefeller Travelling Fellowship (1959), Burnstock took the leap to Australia.

His lasting work with ATP-related signalling was first published in the 1970s, which led to a rapid surge in interest in the field and subsequently made him the most cited scientist in pharmacology and toxicology for several years during the 2000s. Much of our understanding of purinergic signaling and the current classification of purinergic receptors is attributed to the work of Burnstock.[6] He was the founding president of the International Society for Autonomic Neuroscience.