Improving Outcomes for Neurological Disorders Worldwide

Northwestern University celebrates World Brain Day

By Caroline Gebczak and Dylan R. Rice 

Members of Northwestern’s Center for Global Neurology at the World Brain Day inaugural event in Chicago.

Neurological disorders are now the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting people in every country and health care system. More than 3.4 billion people (over 40% of the global population) were living with a neurological condition in 2021, and more than 80% of neurological deaths and health loss occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).¹ As the burden of neurological disease continues to grow, improving brain health will require stronger international partnerships, research collaborations, and investments in the neurological workforce and its next generation.

With these priorities in mind, Northwestern University, based in Chicago, recently established the Center for Global Neurology, a joint effort between the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health and the Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology at Northwestern University. 

Building upon six years of growth as a program for global neurology, the center was formally launched in June 2026 with Farrah J. Mateen, MD, PhD, serving as its inaugural director. The center succeeds the Program for Global Neurology founded in 2020 by Igor Koralnik, MD, whose leadership helped Northwestern establish international collaborations in neurovirology, education, and global health.

The center was created around a simple yet ambitious mission: to improve the outcomes of people living with, or at risk for, neurological disorders worldwide, with particular attention to vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The center will serve as a multidisciplinary hub that connects clinicians, scientists, trainees, and global partners working across a variety of neurological subspecialties. 

To date, the center has grown to include more than 100 members, including students, staff, residents, and fellows as well as 18 dedicated faculty members. They are all committed to addressing issues related to neurological disorders in global settings. The center faculty collaborates with colleagues in 18 countries, including 15 LMICs, spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. 

From left to right: Kate Klein, administrative director of the Havey Institute for Global Health, Dr. Roxanna Garcia, center faculty member, Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of the Havey Institute for Global Health, Dr. Sandi Lam, center faculty member, and Dr. Farrah Mateen, director of the center.

Faculty members are adult and pediatric neurologists, adult and pediatric neurosurgeons, physiatrists, and scientists in epidemiology and laboratory sciences. These partnerships are founded on long-term relationships, reciprocal learning, and a shared commitment to strengthening neurological care, education, research, and advocacy.

The center organizes its work around four interconnected themes: global brain health, global neuro-technologies, global neuro-infections, and capacity building in LMICs. Together, these themes reflect the growing recognition that neurological disorders cannot be addressed through isolated efforts alone. Instead, they require collaboration across disciplines, countries, and health systems. Examples of this work are already underway.

Dr. Mateen leads several initiatives in the Republic of Guinea, underscoring the center’s commitment to sustainable partnerships and capacity building. The Guinea Epilepsy Project has over the span of 10 years developed one of the region’s largest prospective epilepsy cohorts while providing access to anti-seizure medications and physician training. 

Building upon this infrastructure, new collaborative studies are evaluating innovative approaches to diagnosing neuromyelitis optica (NMO). These approaches include filter paper-based aquaporin-4 antibody testing that could expand access to diagnosis in resource-limited settings. These projects are designed not simply to answer research questions, but to strengthen long-term neurological care and research capacity alongside local Guinean collaborators.

In Nigeria, Dr. Philip Gorelick, MD, MPH, and colleagues are working with Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital to evaluate scalable, low-resource stroke unit models that can improve stroke outcomes throughout sub-Saharan Africa. He also directs the Multidisciplinary NeuroAIDS Research and Training Program, which mentors early- and mid-career investigators at the University of Ibadan through research training focused on HIV-associated neurological disorders, stroke, and related conditions. These initiatives reflect the center’s emphasis on developing sustainable research leadership alongside improvements in acute and rehabilitative neurologic patient care.

Under the leadership of Dr. Koralnik, investigators have established international collaborations examining the neurological manifestations of long COVID across Colombia, India, Nigeria, and the United States. Comparative studies from his research team have demonstrated that sociocultural factors, health care access, and differences in perceptions and reporting of mental health and cognitive symptoms may contribute to variations in the experience of long COVID across countries.²

Dr. Sandi Lam discusses remote-mentored distributed care for multidisciplinary surgical treatment of epilepsy in Uganda.

The center also supports innovative investigations into neurological infections: Dr. Rafal Sobota, MD, leads studies in Blantyre, Malawi, examining molecular markers of cerebral malaria to identify biomarkers that distinguish severe disease and improve prediction of neurological outcomes. Such work illustrates how advances in laboratory science may ultimately improve diagnosis and treatment for some of the world’s most disabling neurological diseases.

Beyond faculty research projects, education remains central to the center’s mission. Since the inception of the Program for Global Neurology, Northwestern neurology residents participate in a month-long elective at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, where they are mentored and taught by local Zambian-based neurologists, in inpatient and outpatient settings, who generously educated Northwestern’s neurologists-in-training. 

Also, the McGaw Global Health Clinical Scholars Program is a two-year Northwestern University program that offers residents and fellows training in clinical care delivery in resource-limited settings worldwide. These opportunities emphasize long-term institutional partnership rather than short-term international experiences. The center also collaborates with the Roberta Buffett Institute and the Division of Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology, which have hosted the center’s first four undergraduate student interns.

As the Center for Global Neurology continues to grow, it will serve as a home for students, residents, fellows, and faculty interested in global neurology. Through seminars, mentorship, collaborative grant development, and interdisciplinary programming, it aims to foster a growing community committed to advancing neurological health worldwide.

Celebrating World Brain Day 2026

Attendees at the World Brain Day inaugural event.

The center officially celebrated its launch by hosting its inaugural World Brain Day event on July 22, 2026, joining colleagues around the world in recognizing the annual initiative led by the World Federation of Neurology (WFN).

The event brought together more than 150 members of the Northwestern University community, including faculty, trainees, students, and staff, for an afternoon dedicated to promoting brain health from a global perspective. The event featured a Pecha Kucha symposium, a dynamic presentation format originating in Japan in which speakers present 20 slides for 20 seconds each. This fast-paced style allowed participants to share a diverse range of ideas, experiences, and perspectives on global neurology and brain health. 

Presentations highlighted stroke prevention, biomarkers of cerebral malaria, global neurosurgery, refugee sleep health, neurovirology, exercise and brain health, community neurology, and innovations in neurological care delivery. Together, the presentations reflected the diversity of expertise across the center’s members while reinforcing the common message: Improving brain health requires collaboration across specialties, institutions, and countries.

As the inaugural event of the Center for Global Neurology, World Brain Day acted not only as a celebration of brain health for all, but also as a statement of the center’s commitment to the global community.

Future Plans

Dr. Hrayr Attarian discusses sleep health among refugees.

Looking ahead, the Center for Global Neurology is planning several events to continue engaging the Northwestern and broader community in global health efforts. In September 2026, Northwestern will host a screening and discussion of Medical Stories — Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder: Blindsided Within, a World Health Organization-recognized documentary featuring patient-advocate Sumaira Ahmed, founder of The Sumaira Foundation. The screening and discussion will highlight the importance of patient advocacy, public engagement, and international awareness for rare neurological diseases.

Although formally established only this year, the Center for Global Neurology builds upon years of international collaboration. As neurological disorders continue to represent one of the greatest global health challenges of our time, progress will depend upon further collaboration across borders. Northwestern’s Center for Global Neurology looks forward to working alongside colleagues, institutions, and organizations — including the WFN — to advance equitable neurological care and improve brain health for populations worldwide.

For more information about the Center for Global Neurology, visit the Northwestern University Center for Global Neurology website or reach out via email at centerforglobalneurology@northwestern.edu. •

Caroline Gebczak is a clinical research coordinator, and Dylan Rice is a clinical research project manager in the Department of Neurology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Both are coordinators for the Center for Global Neurology at the Havey Institute for Global Health. 

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