BHM Steering Committee

Claudio Bassetti has been full professor and chair of neurology at the University Hospital in Bern since 2012. He received his medical degree in Basel and trained in neurology in Bern and Lausanne. In 2000, he became professor and vice-chair of neurology in Zurich. In 2009 he founded the Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland.

His major scientific interests are the relationship between sleep and neurological disorders, narcolepsy, and the teaching of general neurology. He uses clinical and experimental approaches and has published more than 560 articles and 10 books.

Prof. Bassetti has previously served as president of the European Neurological Society, European Sleep Research Society and Swiss Neurological Society, and founded the Swiss Federation of Clinical Neurosocieties. He served as president of the European Academy of Neurology from 2020 to 2022 and was appointed dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Bern in 2020.

Paul Boon is Senior Full Professor of Neurology and Director of Neuroscience at Ghent University, Belgium. He is also Chair of the Division of Head, Movement and Senses, as well as professor of Neuromodulation, at Eindhoven University of Technology. As a board member and former chair of the EAN Programme Committee, he has actively contributed to the annual EAN congresses. He has also previously served as co-chair of the EAN Scientific Panel on Epilepsy, member of the European Journal of Neurology Editorial Board, and as a member of the EAN Scientific Committee. He is a Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology (FEAN).

Prof. Boon’s main neurological interests are clinical epilepsy, neurological sleep disorders, quantitative EEG and MEG analysis, neuromodulation and functional neuroimaging. He founded the 4Brain Laboratory for Clinical and Experimental Neurophysiology, Neurobiology and Neuropsychology at Ghent University.

Elena Moro is Professor of Neurology at Grenoble Alpes University in Grenoble, France. She graduated in medicine at the University of Trieste, Italy, and completed her residency in neurology at the Rome Catholic University. After receiving her PhD in neurosciences, she joined the Division of Neurology at Toronto Western Hospital, Canada, as medical director of the surgical program for movement disorders. In 2012, she moved to Grenoble where she is currently Director of the Movement Disorders Center, Division of Neurology, and the Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Neurology, Neurological Rehabilitation and Forensic Medicine at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Grenoble.

Her main research is focused on restoring brain function in movement disorders patients, especially with deep brain stimulation. To date, she has published more than 200 papers based on clinical research in movements disorders. She has previously served on the EAN Board as Treasurer (2018-20), Secretary General (2020-22), and President-elect (2022-2024).

Matilde Leonardi is Director of Neurology and Public health Unit and Coma Research Centre at IRCCS National Neurological Institute Besta, Milan. Her activity in the field of disorders of consciousness allows her team to have one of the largest epidemiological databases on such patients worldwide. She is a WHO expert on neurology, rehabilitation, disability and ageing, member the WHO Functioning and Disability Reference Group and Director of the Italian WHO Collaborating Centre Research Branch. WFNR Presidium member and Flying Faculty, Italian Society of Neurology Board member and co-coordinator of the Italian Brain Health Strategy. Coordinator and partner on several EU- and non-EU-funded research projects. Has more than 300 scientific publications. Professor locum of Neurology and Public health at Catholic University Milan, Scientific Director of Disability Management Course at Ukrainian Catholic University, Lviv. She is a consultant on public health, UNCRPD monitoring and disability policy development for several Governments.

Professor Marson graduated from Liverpool Medical School in 1990 and entered neurology training in 1994, shortly after which he was a research fellow for three years funded by The Wellcome Trust, during which he gained research skills as well as clinical skills in epilepsy and general neurology. After completing his clinical training in Neurology at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, he was appointed as a Senior Lecturer an Honorary Consultant in 2003, was promoted to Professor in 2008, and to Executive Dean of the University of Liverpool Institute for Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology in 2025.

Professor Marson has gained significant experience in managing epilepsy across the patient pathway, and he is now an international authority on the treatment of epilepsy. He has experience of managing people with first seizures, through to people with complex treatment refractory epilepsy, including those being considered for surgery, complex cases transferring from paediatric services, and those with complex multi-morbidity. Professor Marson was also the past Secretary General of the EAN for the 2022-2024 term.

Barbara Casolla is full Professor of Neurology at Nice University Hospital, France. Her clinical activity is the management of patients with cerebrovascular diseases. Her research is focused on prognosis of severe stroke, including intracerebral haemorrhage, and evaluation of clinical and neuroimaging predictors of long-term outcome. She has experience in fundamental research, she is local PI in international clinical trials on acute phase stroke treatments and secondary prevention, and she leads translational and clinical research projects funded by French National Agency. She is involved in educational activity, including simulation training at Nice Faculty of Medicine, Cote d'Azur University. She is chair of working group “teaching and communication” within the French National Stroke Research Network « StrokeLink », she is member of the ESO Board of Directors, Chair of the ESO Simulation Training Committee, member of the editorial team of the European Stroke Journal and of the STroke Education Platform (eSTEP). She is also member of the French College de l'Académie Nationale de Médecine. In 2025, she has been elected as co-chair of the Brain Health Mission of the European Academy of Neurology.

Elena Ruiz de la Torre is one of the world's leading patient advocates and researchers. She is a tireless and passionate champion for people with headache disorders in the workplace and beyond, with her advocacy career beginning in her native Spain, founder of the Spanish Headache Patient Association, and then expanding to Europe, joining the EMHA Board as Executive Director, and now the world. Elena leads the European Migraine and Headache Alliance, a nonprofit patient umbrella group that represents 33 patient groups from across the continent. She also opened and enlarged the EMHA to a broader net of international associates as part of the organization to be aligned in messages and exchange best practices worldwide.

She has also authored and co-authored several publications, and her list of current advocacy work is extensive, including the “Eurolight”, “My Migraine Voice Survey”, “Migraine at Work”, “Access To Care”, “Migraine Friendly Workplace”,  “Stigma Project”, and more.

Geert Dom is Professor of psychiatry at the University of Antwerp and Medical Director of the psychiatric center Multiversum, Boechout, Belgium. With teaching interest and research focus on addiction psychiatry and public mental health, Prof. Dom is the Past President of the European Federation of Addiction Societies (EUFAS), the Flemish Association of Psychiatry and of the Belgian Professional Association of Medical Specialists in Psychiatry.

Jean Georges has been the Executive Director of Alzheimer Europe since 1996. He oversees the organisation’s operations, including project management, financial matters, and stakeholder engagement. A recognised expert in dementia policy and research, Mr Georges has co-authored academic papers and spoken at international conferences. He has led Alzheimer Europe’s participation in EU-funded projects, including IMI, IHI, FP7, and Horizon2020, and coordinated multinational surveys on dementia care and public perceptions.

He supervises Alzheimer Europe’s Yearbooks on dementia policies and reports on ethical issues. He has also contributed to EAN and EFNS guidelines on dementia management. Mr Georges has held leadership roles in European patient organisations, including as Secretary General of the European Federation of Neurological Associations and a patient representative on the EMA’s Management Board. Before Alzheimer Europe, he worked as a parliamentary assistant and journalist. He holds a BA in English and European Literature from the University of Essex.

Walter Paulus is Emeritus Professor of Clinical Neurophysiology and former Clinical Director at this Department at the University Medical Centre Göttingen, Germany. He trained in neurology in Düsseldorf, London, Essen, and Munich before his appointment in Göttingen in 1992. Since retiring in 2021, he continues research at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich on EU-funded projects.

He served as Chairman of the European and African Chapter of the IFCN (2014–2018) and President of the IFCN (2018–2022). His numerous awards include the European Career Achievement Award for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (2024) and the International Brain Stimulation Award (2025). A highly cited researcher (H-index 125), Professor Paulus pioneered transcranial electrical stimulation techniques (tDCS, tACS, tRNS) and explored brain plasticity, state dependency, and neuromodulation. His work has shaped modern approaches to non-invasive brain stimulation, influencing both research and clinical applications in neurology and psychiatry.