The Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN).

The burden of neurological disease is high in Africa, where despite the efforts made, there is still a considerable shortage of human, infrastructural, and financial resources to provide the continent's populations with state-of-the-art brain health care.1WHOATLAS country resources for neurological disorders, 2nd edn.https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/atlas-country-resources-for-neurological-disordersDate: Sept 15, 2017Date accessed: March 2, 2023Google Scholar, 2Craven R Building neurological services in Africa.Lancet Neurol. 2009; 8: 32-33Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (10) Google Scholar The Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN) is working to bridge this gap. BRAIN is an international research and development organisation focused on the production and translation of brain health evidence for policy and development in Africa. Our global headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland, and our continental headquarters are in Yaoundé, Cameroon. BRAIN is also a development partner of the African Union Commission. For the past 25 years, via a bottom-up approach, BRAIN has gained the reputation and trust of the Cameroon Government and other national public and private stakeholders, for the promotion of brain health in the country. With its sister organisation, the Society of Cameroonian Neurologists (SCAN), along with The University of Yaoundé I (UYI), the Cameroon Government, and the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) past president Prof Johan Aarli, BRAIN organised a historic congress in Yaounde. Primary and secondary school students were invited and encouraged to take up careers in the neurosciences during the Pan African Association of Neurological Sciences congress of 2008 in Yaoundé, under the distinguished patronage of the President of Cameroon.3Schneider ME PAANS: reaching out to future neurologists.https://wfneurology.org/publications/world-neurology/world-neurology-archive/document_19Date: Feb 13, 2009Date accessed: March 2, 2023Google Scholar Dr Nene Ahidjo was one of those secondary school students, who was subsequently mentored and directed by our team at BRAIN through the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UYI (FMBS-UYI), and is now an assistant lecturer in neuropharmacology in that Faculty. Dr Ahidjo is a rising role model for young women in neuroscience in Africa. In 2019, BRAIN created the BRAIN Week in Cameroon, scaling up the World Brain Day. This event is celebrated annually under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Cameroon, and involves medical students, physicians, and other stakeholders.4Njamnshi AK Migraine in Cameroon: from the painful truth to the powerful tribute.https://worldneurologyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/WFN_July_Aug_newsletter-1.pdfDate: Sept 16, 2019Date accessed: March 2, 2023Google Scholar On Oct 24–29, 2022, the joint BRAIN-SCAN Congress 1.5 was held at the FMBS-UYI, with the theme of “vascular neurology in sub-Saharan Africa: experiences, challenges, and perspectives” (figure). This congress was live-streamed to thousands of delegates and attended physically by more than 600 delegates from 15 countries, including WFN past president Prof Vladimir Hachinski as keynote speaker. During this congress BRAIN launched the BRAIN Trust Tournament, to demystify neuroscience and encourage medical students into neuroscience and brain health careers.5Njamnshi AK Looking back into the future of the neurosciences in Cameroon and sub-Saharan Africa.Health Sci Dis. 2022; 23: 3-4Google Scholar This precongress activity attracted the participation of 12 schools of medicine from four countries in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa—Economic Community of Central African States (CEMAC-CEEAC). Additionally, the congress programme included neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, neuroscience (basic and translational) sessions that were live-streamed, as well as a cadaverless simulation neuroanatomy workshop (with the surgical simulation and training company UpSurgeOn), a stereology workshop (with the Turkish Society of Stereology), and a scientific writing workshop (with experts from the University of Fribourg and University of Geneva, Switzerland). In barely 4 years, the BRAIN Week in Cameroon has grown into BRAIN Week in Cameroon–CEMAC-CEEAC. The next Brain Week will take place at the University of Dschang, in West Region, Cameroon, in October, 2023. BRAIN thanks its partners and welcomes new partnerships to continue the uphill task of promoting brain health in Africa. AKN reports honorary participation as chair on an advisory board for the Epilepsy Pathway Innovation in Africa project, and is President of the Society of Cameroonian Neurologists. All other authors declare no competing interests. Other members of the BRAIN-SCAN Congress 1.5 Scientific Committee and Organising Secretariat are Stephen Perrig, Roman Sztajzel, and Jean Marie Annoni.