LAUSANNE, Switzerland – 6 October 2026 

The Global BHP BrainTrust  convened its inaugural meeting of its Working Group on Advancing Sex- and Gender-Responsive Brain Health at Lausanne XIII. Leaders from science, policy, advocacy, philanthropy and investment came together to turn evidence into a coordinated action agenda for women’s brain and mental health.

Dr. Andrea Pfeifer, Chair of the Global BHP BrainTrust and former CEO of AC Immune SA, and Paola Barbarino, Working Group co-chair, BHP BrainTrust Advisor, and former CEO of Alzheimer’s Disease International, identified priorities for action by 2030.

“Women’s brain health is still not understood, studied or addressed with the urgency it deserves,” said Dr. Pfeifer. “We want to leave with actions, owners and commitments not simply another good conversation.”

“As awareness of Alzheimer’s, dementia and brain health grows, stark gender inequalities are coming into focus,” said Barbarino. “Older women face compounded discrimination or ‘triple jeopardy.’ Our goal is to move beyond identifying these disparities to implementing action plans. It is ambitious, but essential.”

From Evidence to Action

Discussions addressed gaps in research, prevention and health care, alongside policy and funding priorities. Former French Secretary of State Health, Dr. Nora Berra brought invaluable policy perspective to discussion of the system changes needed and precisely the kind of cross-sector leadership the Global BHP BrainTrust Working Group was created to convene.

“Women’s brain health must move from the margins into mainstream health policy,” said Dr. Berra. “That means acting earlier, connecting prevention with care, and ensuring that scientific progress translates into better outcomes for women.”

The BrainTrust also announced progress on FINGERS Plus for Women, its joint initiative with the FINGERS Brain Health Institute to advance precision prevention across women’s lives. The research explores modifiable risk and protective factors – including, diet, stress, sleep and the gut microbiome, emphasizing the need for sex-specific, multidomain prevention evidence.

“Understanding how modifiable biological and lifestyle factors interact may open new pathways toward more precise prevention,” said Dr. Stéphanie Blum-Sperisen, CSO Global BHP Trust.

Updates on the NeuroArts  featured in the discussions as a potential non-pharmaceutical approach to cognitive, mental and emotional women health.  Verena Herzog-Pohl, CEO of Lumeus, announced plans for “the first clinical intervention study to explore the potential of an emotional intervention following a positive Alzheimer’s diagnosis, with aim of strengthening the evidence base for emotional and arts-based approaches in Alzheimer’s care.”

The Lausanne Action Agenda

The Global BHP Working Group will be issuing a roadmap to define priority actions, accountable leaders, partners, funding needs, milestones and measurable outcomes with the goal of translating promising solutions into scalable actions for women by 2030.

About the Global BHP BrainTrust

The Global BHP BrainTrust connects international leaders across science, health care, policy, business, philanthropy and advocacy to accelerate practical solutions for women’s brain and mental health.