Andrea Pfeifer, Chief Executive Office and Co-Founder,
AC Immune SA and Chair, Global BHP BrainTrust
The World Health Organization (WHO) has put brain and mental health atop their agenda for their May meeting of the World Health Assembly and with good reason. Last month, the WHO released a report stating that during the first year of COVID-19, the prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a stunning 25% around the globe. “The information we have now about the impact of COVID-19 on the world’s mental health is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This is a wake-up call to all countries to pay more attention to mental health and do a better job of supporting their populations’ mental health.”