Brain Health Executives: A Transdisciplinary Workforce Innovation-A Commentary

Harris A Eyre^{1

2

3

4

5}, Michael Berk^{1

2

3

4

5}, Erin Smith^{1

2

3

4

5}, Jeffrey Cummings^{1

2

3

4

5}, Mark Heinemeyer^{1

2

3

4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Dr. Eyre and Mr. Heinemeyer are co-founders of the PRODEO Institute. Dr. Eyre is with the PRODEO Institute in San Francisco, California; the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) and School of Medicine at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia; the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at the University of California, San Francisco; the Department of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas; Trinity University in Dublin, Ireland, and Neuroscience-inspired Policy Initiative at the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France.
² Dr. Berk is with IMPACT and School of Medicine at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia; the University of Melbourne's Department of Psychiatry, Orygen Youth Health, and The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health in Victoria, Australia; and the Brainstorm Laboratory for Mental Health Innovation at Standord University in Palo Alto, California.
³ Ms. Smith is with Stanford University in Palo Alto, California; the GBHI at the University of California, San Francisco; and OECD in Paris, France.
⁴ Dr. Cummings is with the Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience, Department of Brain Health, and the School of Integrated Health Sciences at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada.
⁵ Mr. Heinemeyer is with the PRODEO Institute in San Francisco, California.

PMID: 34980980
PMCID: PMC8667705

Editorial

Brain Health Executives: A Transdisciplinary Workforce Innovation-A Commentary

Harris A Eyre et al. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2021 Apr-Jun.

. 2021 Apr-Jun;18(4-6):24-27.

Authors

Harris A Eyre^{1

2

3

4

5}, Michael Berk^{1

2

3

4

5}, Erin Smith^{1

2

3

4

5}, Jeffrey Cummings^{1

2

3

4

5}, Mark Heinemeyer^{1

2

3

4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Dr. Eyre and Mr. Heinemeyer are co-founders of the PRODEO Institute. Dr. Eyre is with the PRODEO Institute in San Francisco, California; the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) and School of Medicine at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia; the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at the University of California, San Francisco; the Department of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas; Trinity University in Dublin, Ireland, and Neuroscience-inspired Policy Initiative at the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France.
² Dr. Berk is with IMPACT and School of Medicine at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia; the University of Melbourne's Department of Psychiatry, Orygen Youth Health, and The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health in Victoria, Australia; and the Brainstorm Laboratory for Mental Health Innovation at Standord University in Palo Alto, California.
³ Ms. Smith is with Stanford University in Palo Alto, California; the GBHI at the University of California, San Francisco; and OECD in Paris, France.
⁴ Dr. Cummings is with the Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience, Department of Brain Health, and the School of Integrated Health Sciences at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada.
⁵ Mr. Heinemeyer is with the PRODEO Institute in San Francisco, California.

PMID: 34980980
PMCID: PMC8667705

Abstract

Given the rapidly evolving landscape of technologies, social, health, and consumer trends, the development of effective Brain Health Executives is a key workforce innovation. Convergence Brain Health involves the integration of scientists, clinicians, bioinformaticists, global health experts, social scientists, engineers, technology entrepreneurs, medical educators, caregivers, and consumers. Synergy between government, academia, and industry is also vital. The discipline of Brain Health Executives provides a novel workforce approach to ensure we have individuals who can meet the demands of Convergence Brain Health. The optimal persona of an effective Brain Health Executive will include these core elements: a certain mindset, sufficient clinical experience to understand clinical realities and research experience to understand methodology and process, business experience in critical functional areas, informed perspectives on platform design and deep technologies in brain health, fluency with novel funding mechanisms, a progressive interest in the emerging fields across brain health, the ability to see where point solutions fit within broader product symphonies and the brain health landscape, and the facility to apply proven business and commercialization practices from not only other fields of medicine, but other industries. Promising initiatives for training and workforce development, such as Stanford University Brainstorm Mental Health Innovation Lab and the Global Brain Health Institute, may serve as predicates for the novel Brain Health Executive model. Small, agile, highly collaborative, and emotionally intelligent teams may help form the ideal Brain Health Executives in the short-term. This commentary explores the discipline of convergence of science and its role in addressing the current global brain health crisis.

Keywords: Brain health; entrepreneurship; innovation; leadership; management; mental disorders; neuroscience; psychiatry; technology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

DISCLOSURES: MB is supported by a NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship (1059660 and 1156072).

References

1. Eyre HA, Ellsworth W, Fu E et al. Responsible innovation in technology for mental health care. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020;7(9):728–730. - PMC - PubMed
1. Smith E, Au R, Mossé M et al. Rebooting late-life mental health innovation and entrepreneurship eith convergence science. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2020;28(6):591–596. - PubMed
1. Eyre HA, Lavretsky H, Forbes M et al. Convergence science arrives: how does it relate to psychiatry? Acad Psychiatry. 2017;41(1):91–99. - PMC - PubMed
1. Smith E, Ellsworth W, Renolds CF, III et al. Convergence mental aealth: a new pathway for transdisciplinary innovation and entrepreneurship. Psychiatr Times. 2020;37(7)
1. Koralnik IJ, Tyler KL. COVID-19: a global threat to the nervous system. Ann Neurol. 2020;88(1):1–11. - PMC - PubMed

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Brain Health Executives: A Transdisciplinary Workforce Innovation-A Commentary

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Brain Health Executives: A Transdisciplinary Workforce Innovation-A Commentary

Authors

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Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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