Leading Nonprofit Catalight Brings Value-Based Autism Care to the Global Stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A leader in value-based care in the autism industry, Catalight is on the ground at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos to advance a new vision for intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) care that is outcome-driven, sustainable and built to address today's complex needs.

Convening world leaders, CEOs, researchers, investors and global organizations, the World Economic Forum serves as a platform to shape global, regional and industry agendas. This year's meeting brings together public and private sector leaders to address the most pressing challenges facing economies and societies, from healthcare access and investing in people to innovation and long-term resilience.

Catalight, one of the largest nonprofit behavioral health networks in the United States, is attending to inform and engage with purpose-driven partners able to help transform entrenched systems that are struggling to meet the needs of today's families. It seeks to demonstrate how proven precision care combined with scalable solutions can change the trajectory of autism support worldwide.

"Our presence at Davos reflects a fundamental truth: The systems that support brain health, developmental care and family wellbeing are under enormous strain, and change isn't happening fast enough," said Catalight CEO Susan Armiger. "We're here to show that value-based care, early intervention, workforce innovation and modern research integration are not abstract ideas – they're working for us and they can work for others, too. They're essential if we're going to build global capacity and create lasting impact for individuals with autism and I/DD and their families who face long wait times, access barriers, high costs and mixed outcomes"

Advancing the Brain Economy Through Real-World Action

Catalight's participation at the World Economic Forum is closely aligned with the growing global movement around the Brain Economy – an initiative focused on strengthening brain health, brain skills and brain capital across the lifespan as an economic and societal imperative. The Brain Economy provides countries with economic data, strategy and policy frameworks to strengthen national and regional brain health systems.

Catalight is supporting the strategy in practice. With years of success in its value-based model, the organization shows how personalized care and sustainable economics can come together as precision health to improve outcomes while reducing long-term costs.

Today, families around the world face long diagnostic delays, overstretched clinicians, workforce shortages and fragmented systems that are not built for rising demand. Catalight's model is designed to address those challenges head-on by moving the field away from volume-driven, outdated approaches and toward wellbeing-driven, outcomes-focused care.

"There is a growing recognition that brain health is not just a medical issue, it's also an economic one," said Rodrigo Mahs, executive vice president of growth at Catalight. "When we invest in early intervention, modern care models and the workforce that delivers them, we're investing in productivity, innovation and the wellbeing of society worldwide – imperatives for long-term sustainable economic development."

Catalight will be engaging with stakeholders to help shape policy, cost and the ability to scale through innovation. The organization's message at Davos is clear: No single entity can solve these challenges alone. Building sustainable, high-quality autism and I/DD systems requires coordinated action across governments, investors, academia, healthcare and philanthropy.

The Brain Economy estimates that brain-related challenges cost the global economy trillions annually. By utilizing a value-based care model and strengthening evidence-based, personalized care delivery, the autism care industry has an opportunity to reduce long-term costs and improve outcomes.

CBS News Interview

During the Forum, Olivia Kinghorst will be interviewing Armiger for CBS News about the growing pressure on behavioral health systems. The conversation will focus on the importance of value-based, precision autism care, especially as it relates to the Brain Economy. It's set to provide real-world examples on how Catalight's research, development and direct application to care can be a blueprint for socio-economic growth.

Catalight Hosted Expert Panels

Catalight is hosting two panels at the Seehof Hotel on Wednesday, Jan. 21, bringing together leaders from healthcare, government, academia and industry to drive practical dialogue and action.

"The Future of Value-Based Healthcare"
As health systems face rising costs and uneven outcomes, value-based care is moving from concept to necessity. This panel examines how payers, providers, life sciences and employers are redefining value – shifting incentives toward outcomes and long-term population health impact. Panelists will discuss how to scale value-based models, align data and payment structures, and integrate innovation across care delivery.

Speakers include:
-Susan Armiger, CEO of Catalight
-Bechara Choucair, chief health officer of Kaiser Permanente
-Mikele Epperly, global integrated program leader of neuroscience at Roche
-Lorna Friedman, global health leader at Mercer
-Jochen Reiser, CEO of the University of Texas Medical Branch Health System
-Devdutta Sangvai, North Carolina secretary of health

"What Brain Health Means to Me"
Catalight CEO Susan Armiger will moderate a roundtable discussion of personal perspectives on brain health – why it matters, how it shapes our lives and what it means for the future of society. Policymakers, business executives, researchers, advocates, artists and storytellers alike, along with anyone with a perspective on brain health, are invited to join.

Featured speakers include:
-Erwin Böttinger, CEO of Wyss Center for Bio- and Neuro-engineering
-Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association
-Bechara Choucair, chief health officer of Kaiser Permanente
-Amy Dittmar, provost of Rice University
-Harris Eyre, Rice University and McKinsey Health Institute
-Todd Khozein, CEO and co-founder of SecondMuse
-Tim Lash, CEO of West Health
-Rich Lyons, chancellor of the University of California – Berkeley
-Jesus Mantas, board member of IFF
-Lucy Perez, senior partner at McKinsey Health Institute
-Jochen Reiser, CEO of the University of Texas Medical Branch Health System
-Devdutta Sangvai, North Carolina secretary of health
-Shankar Vedantam, founder of Hidden Brain
-Karlee Silver, CEO of Grand Challenges Canada
-George Vradenburg, chairperson of the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative

Following its two panels, Catalight is convening a private gathering of global leaders to deepen relationships, foster collaboration and accelerate partnerships that can drive systemic change in the healthcare industry.

Brain House Panel

Armiger will also be featured on the "Brain Matters: Equity in the Age of Cognitive Health" panel at Goals House, hosted in collaboration with The Brain House and the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative. She'll be joined by Chairman of the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative George Vradenburg, President of Microsoft Research Peter Lee, and Chief Science Officer of Our Future Health Michael Cook.

The session will explore how diagnostics, workforce training and digital tools can improve quality, equity and sustainability in health systems – particularly in under-resourced settings. The panel reinforces the Brain Economy's emphasis on coordinated, high-quality care across the lifespan.

A Model for the Future

Through initiatives such as its "Eliminate the Wait" approach to rapid diagnosis, telehealth utilization, lower-hour parent-mediated models, ongoing research, AI-enabled workflow automation and global workforce training via the Catalight Academy, Catalight is demonstrating what modern, scalable autism care can look like.

"This is a critical moment," Mahs said. "The data is clear. The demand is growing. The workforce is strained. But the solutions exist. If governments, investors, universities and healthcare leaders come together, we can build systems that are both human centered and sustainable. That is the future we are here to help create."

About Catalight

Catalight breaks down barriers and biases to create a more equitable world so people with developmental disabilities can choose their path to care. Catalight provides access to innovative, individualized care services, clinical research and advocacy — all powered by intelligent technology. Through the work of affiliate partners, Easterseals Hawaii and Easterseals Northern California, Catalight and its family of companies support people with developmental disabilities and their families across their care journey.

The Catalight family of companies is one of the largest behavioral health networks in the nation, with more than 16,000 practitioners serving 24,000 clients and families annually. Backed by more than a decade of experience and a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, we are reimagining the way people with developmental disabilities and their families experience healthcare. Catalight's goal is to ensure that individuals and families receive timely access to evidence-based treatment, including naturalistic developmental and language-based services, applied behavior analysis and speech therapy.

SOURCE Catalight Foundation, a California non-profit corporation