Science Appropriator Continues Push for Global Neuroscience Collaboration in Upcoming Speeches

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (PA-02), the top Democratic appropriator responsible for funding the country's major science agencies, will address three groups in the coming weeks on his plans to increase the nation's investment in brain research.

Fattah will speak to global audiences this week at the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT) 12^th Annual World Congress in Los Angeles, CA. Next week he will address Brain Tech 2015 in Tel Aviv, Israel. The two international forums, and a separate address to the American Academy of Neurology in the coming weeks, will offer Fattah an opportunity to press his neuroscience agenda and update stakeholders on the efforts of the Fattah Neuroscience Initiative (FNI). Launched three years ago, FNI has sought to elevate brain research as a federal priority in the United States, while expanding research collaboration between countries around the world.

"These international gatherings offer new opportunities for the United States to assert its commitment to brain research, and our willingness to partner with nations around the globe in order to advance our knowledge and understanding of the human brain," Congressman Fattah said. "Brain disease and disorders affect more than one billion people around the world, including approximately 50 million individuals here at home in the U.S. This is a global fight and we must treat it as such, while engaging with partners around the world who are also increasingly devoting more resources to neuroscience research."

SBMT's World Congress will convene on Friday, March 6 and feature a keynote presentation from Congressman Fattah. This is Fattah's second year participating in the event, which draws doctors, scientists, policymakers, funding agencies and industry together to discuss and share ways to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of individuals suffering from neurological disorders. 

Days later, Congressman Fattah will travel to Israel to participate in the second international brain technology conference, Brain Tech 2015.  At the conference, the Congressman will be featured in the panel, "Global Meeting of the Minds: Brain Initiatives Around the World," moderated by Rafi Gidron, Director of Israel Brain Technologies. Panelists joining Fattah include Dr. Henry Markram, Director of the Blue Brain Project and European Union Human Brain Project, Dr. Allan Jones, CEO of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, John Jeans, Life Science Advisor to the British Prime Minister, and Inez Jabalpurwala, President and CEO of the Brain Canada Foundation and Neuroscience Canada Partnership. In 2013, Fattah's speech on neuroscience and neurotechnology helped launch the inaugural conference.

For additional information on the Fattah Neuroscience Initiative visit: http://1.usa.gov/1Bvn67d.

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah

Related Links

http://www.fattah.house.gov