Jul 22, 2025 02:00 PM London

Register

The adult brain is essentially shaped by the myriads of experiences that the child’s brain undergoes during the most rapid stage of development i.e. the first 1000 days of life that are the most critical for brain development. During this time, millions of neural connections form, shaping learning, health, and behavior for life. Early brain injury, malnutrition, and lack of care can have lifelong adverse consequences. It is estimated that more than 200 million children under 5 years fail to reach their potential in cognitive development because of poverty, poor health and nutrition, and deficient care. Whereas the most disadvantaged children are seen in Sub Saharan Africa, the largest numbers live in South Asia.

On this World Brain Day let us get together and advocate for protecting and stimulating the child’s brain and for ensuring that every child’s brain gets the right environment to develop to its maximum potential. The ICNA webinar will highlight why protecting children’s brain health matters, and how professionals and paraprofessionals around the world can work together to ensure that every child has the best possible start. This needs to be a shared responsibility across various sectors and professionals and health care providers. By raising awareness, supporting families, and investing in prevention, we can help build a healthier future for all.

Defending Children's Brain Health

Children’s brain development is shaped by prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors. Prenatal risks include congenital infections and alcohol exposure; perinatal issues may involve birth-related insults; and postnatal challenges include poor nutrition and environmental stressors.

Prof wang Tso Lee (Speaker)
professor and superintendent, National Taiwan University Children’s Hospital
professor of Department of Pediatrics and Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

Preventing Neonatal Brain Injury Before Birth: Strategies for Safe Pregnancy
Phillip L. Pearl, M.D. (Panelist)
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA USA

Preventing neonatal brain injury before birth involves maximizing prenatal care and specific interventions aimed at reducing neurologic morbidity in both preterm and term deliveries. A genetic-environmental approach, taking into account the exposome, genetic and epigenetic factors, and the maternal-placental-fetal triad is being advanced conceptually to improve the neurologic outcomes of successive generations.

Protecting Children’s Brains: How to Prevent Pediatric Brain Injury

Biju Hameed MRCPI FRCPCH PhD (Panelist)
Head of Paediatric Neurosciences. M42
Consultant Paediatric Neurology & Neurodisability

Why Advocacy Begins With Us?
Dr. Ozlem Ersoy
Pediatric Neurology Consultant
Mersin City Training and Research Hospital

In this talk, we will emphasize how young doctors can participate in advocacy actions, cope with challenges in the community, and defend brain protection for every child. Illustrative vignets from our daily practise from prenatal period education programs to growing children’s safety issues and the stigmas that our patients encounters will be discussed.

As early career professionals let’s move together for a global initiative for protecting children’s brain. Even small advocacy moves can lead significant changes for a child-being.