Houston’s potential to lead on brain health in focus at Baker Institute event

The Colloquium on Brain Capital Dec. 5 brought together experts from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the university’s Office of Innovation to discuss Houston’s potential to lead brain health research.

Harris Eyre, fellow in brain health at the Baker Institute, argues that brain health is a critical aspect of well-being; it affects cognitive abilities, socioemotional stability and overall quality of life. The economic burden of brain and mental health-related disorders — along with the need to fuel creativity and innovation so the U.S. can economically outperform near-peer competitors — has prompted the need for a brain science-inspired industrial strategy that will build America’s brain capital, he said.

“This event was a tremendous success,” Eyre said. “We managed to break down silos between diverse disciplines and Texas Medical Center organizations in the pursuit of healthy brains globally. There is significant appetite now for Houston to lead the world in brain capital innovation across science, clinical care, technology, policy and investing. Houston must lead this as it has all of the assets, is the city of the future and is known for taking risks with new and big ideas.”