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In alphabetical order of surnames
Associate Professor, Brain & Mind Research Center, Nagoya University, Japan
Epifanio Bagarinao is currently an associate professor of the Brain and Mind Research Center, Nagoya University in Japan. His research includes investigating the effects of healthy aging in the brain's structure and function. He is also actively involved in the development and applications of real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Prior to joining Nagoya University, he was a research associate at the Systems Neuroscience and Pain Lab in the Division of Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine,where he did research on the development of a real-time fMRI system and its application to pain management. He was also actively involved in the analysis of neuroimaging datasets from different pain-related studies including the use of machine learning algorithms to detect chronic pelvic pain and analysis of resting state functional MRI to characterize neuropathic pain. Previously, he also worked at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan and did research on topics related to real-time fMRI, advance medical applications of grid technology, pattern classification using support vector machines, and the use of nonlinear dynamics theoretic approach to time series analysis.
National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines - Diliman, Philippines
Dr. Johnrob Y. Bantang is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Physics, UP Diliman. He leads research on interacting complex systems such as living systems, including neuronal tissue systems. He mentors students in applied physics, and collaborates on brain-image data analysis with SLMC through the NEUROMAP-PH Project. He is a member of the Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas (Physics Society of the Philippines) and in UP Diliman became the director of different computer centers and a proponent of the PhD Data Science program. He is currently the Deputy Director for Facilities of the UP Intelligent Systems Center, overseeing the UP Data Commons infrastructure.
Assistant Professor (Scientist-D) and DBT Ramalingaswamy Re-entry Fellow, Department of Neurophysiology, NIMHANS, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, India
Dr. Bhattacharjee’s research focuses on personalised non-invasive brain stimulation to understand and modulate brain networks underlying cognition, language, and behaviour. She has pioneered computational approaches and clinical trials in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for neurorehabilitation, including primary progressive aphasia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. With a PhD from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and prior training in medicine and human physiology, she has authored numerous high-impact publications in JAMA Network Open, Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, and Brain Stimulation. She has held visiting research roles at Johns Hopkins University and King Saud University and has delivered invited lectures internationally. Her research aims to advance precision therapeutics for neurorehabilitation, bridging neuroscience, computation, and clinical practice to improve patient outcomes and inform evidence-based interventions.
Professor of Psychology, CRADLE, LKCMedicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Annabel Chen, Ph.D., is President’s Chair Professor of Psychology at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, with joint appointments in the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and the National Institute of Education. Trained as a clinical neuropsychologist, her research integrates neuroimaging, neuromodulation, and cognitive neuroscience to investigate neuroplasticity in cognition, bilingualism, and aging. She directs the Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE) and co-directs the Cambridge–NTU Centre for Lifelong Learning and Individualised Cognition (CLIC). Her work advances the Science of Learning through large-scale interdisciplinary projects, translating research into interventions and strategies that promote cognitive reserve, resilience, and brain health.
Eva Maria C. Cutiongco - De La Paz
National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines
Dr. Eva Maria C. Cutiongco-de la Paz is Research Professor of the Institute of Human Genetics, National Institutes of Health and Clinical Professor, Affiliate, Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, UP College of Medicine - Philippine General Hospital. She is the current Head of the PGH Center for Precision Health and Medicine. She served as Vice-Chancellor for Research of UP Manila from 2014-2019 and as Executive Director of the National Institutes from 2014 to 2025. She also served as the Director of the Health Program of the Philippine Genome Center from 2018 to 2024. Dr. Cutiongco-de la Paz finished her Doctor of Medicine degree from the UP College of Medicine in 1989 and completed her Pediatric residency at the Philippine General Hospital in 1992. She had her research fellowship in Molecular Genetics at the International Center for Medical Research at the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan and took her subspecialty training in Clinical Genetics at The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Canada. She was board certified as a fellow by the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists in 2000. Dr Cutiongco-de la Paz was a Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardee for the field of Genetic Medicine in 2002 and was also recognized by the National Academy of Science and Technology as one of The Outstanding Young Scientists (OYS) in the same year. She was also awarded as one of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) for Medicine in 2007. She has received the 2011 UP Manila's Outstanding Researcher and the Professorial Chair for Excellence in Teaching and Research in pediatrics and genetics. She also received the Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial Award for Research given by the Philippine Medical Association on May 2012. In 2017, she was awarded as the UP Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Awardee for Health Research in Genomics to Advocacy. She was given the Dangal ng Bayan Award by the Honors Awards Program of the Civil Service Commission for her significant and sustained contributions in the field of genetics in the country in 2018 and the Metrobank’s Outstanding Filipinos, Outstanding Teachers Category, in 2019. In 2024, she received the Philippine Pediatric Society’s Outstanding Pediatrician in Research award and the UP College of Medicine Dr. Solita Camara-Besa Academic Distinction for her work in genetics and genomics. She also served as a member of the IATF Task Force COVID-19 Variants and was given the Presidential Merit Award - Order of Lapu-Lapu Rank of Magalong Medallion conferred by the President of the Philippines for extraordinary acts of service and exceptional contribution to the country.
Ludwig Damian
St. Luke's Medical Center Institute for Neurosciences, Philippines
Dr. Damian is a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 1990. He completed his residency in neurology and fellowship in clinical neurophysiology and neuromuscular diseases at the University of Chicago. He is currently the Assistant Head of the Section of Neurology, St Luke's Medical Center in QC and Director of the Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory at St Luke's Medical Center QC and GC. He is a Governor Elect of the Board of Governors of the Philippine Neurological Association and the immediate past president of the Clinical Neurophysiology Society of the Philippines. Fields of interest and specialization include EMG/NCV, Evoked Potentials, Autonomic Testing, Intraoperative Monitoring, Nerve and Muscle disease and Neuroimmunology. He recently initiated and runs the first repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) program in the Philippines at SLMC-BGC.
Jacqueline Dominguez
St. Luke's Medical Center Institute for Neurosciences, Philippines
Dr. Dominguez is a Professor at the St. Luke's Medical Center William H. Quasha Memorial and Head of the Memory Center at the Institute for Neurosciences, St. Luke’s Medical Center - BGC. She trained as a visiting fellow under Prof. John Morris at the Washington University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. She established the Marikina Memory and Aging Project (MMAP), a community based longitudinal cohort of 1,400 elderly to study the epidemiology of cognitive impairment in aging, genetic risks, and early non-pharmacological interventions. She leads NEUROMAP-PH, a project that applies multimodal imaging on the cohort to study brain changes in aging and identify potential markers of cognitive impairment. The MMAP contributes data to COSMIC, an international consortium of longitudinal cohorts, to study various factors for dementia in diverse populations. and cognitive decline. Being an anthropologist, she is keen on the underpinnings of culture and dementia care, and expanding her research interest is on interventions that are culturally appropriate and sustainable at the community level including ballroom dance. Dr. Dominguez is an active member of the executive committee of the Asian Society Against Dementia (ASAD) which fosters collaborations in the region.
Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness at Taipei Medical University, Taiwan
Dr. Duncan studied pharmacology and philosophy at the University of Glasgow. He then continued to complete a PhD in neuroscience at Carleton University in Canada. Since 2005, Dr Duncan has been a member of faculty at the Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness at Taipei Medical University, Taiwan. Dr Duncan is interested in how the brain's functional dynamics are shaped. As part of this, he has worked on various psychiatric and neurological conditions. In particular, he has been interested in the brain changes underlying disorders of consciousness and the challenge of understanding how it is that we experience consciousness at all.
Physical Education and Sports Science (PESS) Academic Group at National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Alicia is currently an Assistant Professor at Physical Education and Sports Science (PESS) Academic Group at National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Alicia studied exercise and sports science and majored in psychology at Deakin University, Australia. She went on to obtain her PhD in exercise neurophysiology from Deakin University in 2016. Following her PhD, she worked as a senior research officer at Australian Catholic University and honorary research fellow at the Centre for Medical Research (Royal Melbourne Hospital), University of Melbourne. Alicia moved to Singapore joining the Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE) and Clinical Brain Laboratory at NTU in 2018. As an Assistant Professor PESS, her current research focuses on the role of exercise to optimise brain health. Alicia's research employs neurophysiological techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to study the functional brain adaptations (neuroplasticity) that underpin motor and cognitive performance following a variety of interventions. She is interested in the application of these techniques to examine how modifiable health-related lifestyle characteristics impact neuroplasticity and associated behavioural outcomes. Alicia is also interested in the application of neuroscience research to learning and education.
Head of Brain Health Lab, Chair, Department of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biomedical Engineering, International University, Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Huong Ha obtained her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Stanford University in 2018. While at Stanford, she studied the molecular mechanisms and network deficits associated with autism and epilepsy. Her major dissertation work led to a significant understanding of the interplay roles between zinc and Shank proteins on AMPAR development. Upon returning to Vietnam, she was struck when recognizing how rapidly the population is aging, how relevant mental illnesses are among the population, and how outdated, inadequate the whole mental healthcare system is. This recognization motivated her to establish the first neuroscience research group in Vietnam, named Brain Health Lab in 2018. Brain Health Lab focuses on (1) developing novel, efficient and accurate methods to diagnose and monitor neurodegenerative disorders and all stress-related illnesses, and (2) unraveling the risk factors that influence the rate of disease progression for all brain aging- or stress-induced conditions in order to design appropriate intervention programs. Her lab employs an interdisciplinary approach, using a wide range of toolkits such as molecular techniques, EEG, fNIRS in combination with machine learning analysis.
Roland Dominic G. Jamora
Institute for Neurosciences, St. Luke's Medical Center, Philippines
Department of Neurosciences, University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital
Dr. Roland Dominic G. Jamora is a physician-scientist specializing in neurology and movement disorders, with a Ph.D. in Health Sciences. He currently serves as a Board of Governor of the Philippine Neurological Association, Editor-in-Chief of the Philippine Journal of Health Research and Development, and Chair of the Publication Assistance Committee at UP Manila, where he is also an Associate Professor 4. He sits on the editorial board of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders and is a review editor for Frontiers in Neurology.
He trained in Movement Disorders at the National Neuroscience Institute Singapore and has led neurology services at St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global City and Cardinal Santos Medical Center. His award-winning research covers Parkinson’s disease, X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism, dementia care, brain imaging AI, and COVID-19 neurological outcomes. He is currently the Project Leader of the PCHRD-funded “Developing Immersive Gamification Technology System for Rehabilitation Management of Adult Patients with Parkinson’s Disease (Phase I Trial),” a groundbreaking ₱7M initiative.
Neuromodulation Lab, Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
Dr. Lu currently works as Assistant Professor and Core Member of Neuromodulation Lab and Dementia Research Unit at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is also the Co-Director of the Centre for Neuromodulation and Rehabilitation at the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Dr. Lu’s research interests focusing on the development of personalized imaging phenotypes (e.g., brain age model), and using image-guided non-invasive brain stimulation to decode complex cognitive functions and treat brain disorders. From 2018, Dr. Lu initiated LANDSCAPE project (http://thebrainx.com/landscape/) to investigate how MRI-based geometric features impact on the electric fields induced by brain stimulation (e.g., TMS, tDCS, tACS) through computational simulation. Dr. LU has published more than 40 SCI papers as first and corresponding author, including JNNP, J Neuroeng Rehabil, JAD. Studies from her lab wined the Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards (2023). Results from her studies have received the Best Presentation Prize awarded by International Conference of Alzheimer's Disease, Gold Prize awarded by the Committees of the 17th Asian Oceanian Congress of Neurology, Young Education Scholarship (YES) awarded by the Organizing Committees of the 19th Asian Oceanian Congress of Radiology and Fellowships awarded by the Japan Radiology Society (JRS).
Ma. Cristina Macrohon-Valdez
Institute for Neurosciences, St. Luke's Medical Center, Philippines
Dr. Ma. Cristina Macrohon-Valdez is the current Head of the Stroke Service at St. Luke’s Medical Center. She completed her residency in Neurology and fellowship in Stroke at the same institution. She also trained as a visiting fellow in Stroke Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and in Acute Stroke and Neurocritical Care at the University Hospital in Cincinnati. Dr. Macrohon-Valdez holds a Master’s degree in Stroke Medicine from Danube University Krems in Austria. Currently, she serves as the President of the Stroke Society of the Philippines. She has contributed to several landmark clinical trials in stroke, including the SOCRATES and PICASSO trials.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati
Dr. Makoto Miyakoshi is an EEG researcher at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. With a PhD in experimental psychology and postdoctoral training in MRI and EEG signal processing, he specializes in EEG (pre)processing, particularly approaches using independent component analysis. Formerly at UCSD’s Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience for 11 years, he is also an experienced coder. In neuroscience, he has recently published a hyper-extralemniscal model of Fragile X Syndrome.
Jaime Montoya
Executive Director, DOST-PCHRD
Dr. Jaime C. Montoya is an internationally recognized infectious disease expert and Executive Director of the DOST-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development. He holds medical and graduate degrees from the University of the Philippines, University of London, and Juntendo University in Japan. A professor at the UP College of Medicine and President of the National Academy of Science and Technology, he also leads regional health research efforts as founder of the ASEAN Network for Drugs, Diagnostics, Vaccines, and Traditional Medicine Innovation (ASEAN-NDI). Dr. Montoya was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as one of 15 scientists to prepare the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report. His numerous honors include the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award, the Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award for Research, and the Professional Regulation Commission’s Most Outstanding Physician Award. His career reflects a deep commitment to public health, medical research, and science-informed policy, benefiting both national and global interests.
Eminent Professor, Graduate School of Dentistory, Osaka University, Japan
Toshiharu Nakai is also the director of Institute of Neuroimaging & Informatics, Aichi. He received his PhD degree in bioimaging from the Graduate School of Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Japan in 1992. After post-doctoral researches in Lucas MRS/MRI Center at Stanford University, he started basic neuroimaging studies using fMRI. He is recently attempting to evaluate the early change of brain activity to evaluate the outcome of cognitive training using neurofeedback techniques. He is one of the charter members of BrainConnects. He is a member of International Societies for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine(ISMRM / emeritus member), Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM), International Neuroinformatics Coordination Facility (INCF) and IEEE (BME / senior member).
Rohani Navarro
National Institutes of Health
Dr. Rohani Cena-Navarro is a Research Faculty and Principal Investigator at the Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, National Institutes of Health, UP Manila. In 2021, she established the first rodent model of addiction in the Philippines to develop novel pharmacological and behavioral treatments to overcome withdrawal and craving for substance abuse disorder. Her work is funded by the Department of Science and Technology. Dr. Navarro’s work is ultimately geared towards the translation of animal findings into clinical applications addressing societal problems in the Philippines. In 2025, Dr. Navarro was awarded as a UP Scientist by the University of the Philippines System.
Dr. Tomohisa Okada, MD, PhD. graduated from Kyoto University, Japan, where he earned his degrees and held various academic positions there, including Associate Professor at the Human Brain Research Center. He currently leads the Support Unit for fMRI at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science, where he focuses on developing and applying high-field MRI technologies (3T and 7T) for non-invasive studies of brain structure and function in both humans and animals. His research encompasses advanced MRI techniques, neurochemical measurements using MRS including studies of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, and moyamoya disease. He has contributed to over 200 peer-reviewed publications, promoting the latest MR imaging into clinical practice and neuroscience.
Gregory Quirk
National Institute of Health, University of the Philippines Manila
Gregory J. Quirk, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health at UP-Manila. He spent 25 years in Puerto Rico, most recently as a Professor of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. His research in Puerto Rico focused on how the prefrontal cortex modulates learned fears, using rodent models. A former Fulbright Fellow, he has promoted neuroscience research and mentoring throughout Latin America. He has published over 100 scientific articles on the brain mechanisms of fear, anxiety, and addiction. In 2001, he joined NIH -UP-Manila to promote the use of animal models in neuroscience and mentor young faculty. Later this year, Quirk will receive the Julius Axelrod Prize by the U.S. Society for Neuroscience, for his career of mentoring and research in Neuropharmacology.
Angelito A. Silverio
Nuvoton Technology Singapore
Engr. Angelito A. Silverio, Ph.D. received his B.Sc in EcE degree from the University of Santo Tomas, M.Sc. EcE degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and the Ph.D. in Microelectronics Engineering degree from Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan, ROC. He is currently a Staff Design Engineer at Nuvoton Technology Singapore, Pte. Ltd working on battery management integrated circuit solutions for electrical mobility and large energy storage systems. He was formerly affiliated to the Department of Electronics Engineering of the University of Santo Tomas as both a faculty member and a resident researcher. He made researches mainly on biomedical engineering such as wearable technology for fall detection and physiological signs monitor, smart sweat patch, and multi-energy scavenging mechanism. His research interests include CMOS Mixed Signal IC Design, Sensor Interfacing Design, Biomedical ICs, Bio-Impedance Studies, Renewable Energy, Energy Harvesting Technologies, Brain Machine Interfacing, and AI applications. He is currently a regular member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Dr. Ibet Sih
St. Luke's Medical Center, Manila, Philippines
Dr. Sih is a neurosurgeon who obtained her residency training from the Philippine General Hospital and Spine Fellowship at the National Neuroscience Institute of Singapore. She is currently the Program Director for Neurosurgery of St Luke's Medical Center Institute for Neurosciences, Quezon City, an Associate Professor III at the UP-PGH and a Medical Specialist II at Philippine Children's Medical Center. She has numerous publications in spine surgery.
Professor and Director, Centre for Diagnostic Nuclear Imaging, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Professor Dr. Subapriya Suppiah is a dual board-certified nuclear medicine physician and clinical radiologist at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia and a Fellow of the Asian Nuclear Medicine Board. She is also the Director of the Centre for Diagnostic Nuclear Imaging, also known as PPDN UPM. She is currently the President and Founder of the Malaysian Neurocognitive Clinical and Behavioural Imaging Society (NeuroCoB Society Malaysia), and she is also the Vice President (Nuclear Medicine), College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine Malaysia. Her research interests include neuroradiology, molecular imaging in brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, oncology imaging, and theragnostics. She has initiated the use of PET with MRI fusion for neurodegenerative disorders in Malaysia and 99mTc-TRODAT SPECT-CT imaging for Parkinson’s disease. She has also pioneered the utilisation of newer radiotracers such as 99mTc-PSMA for staging prostate cancer using SPECT-CT imaging in Malaysia. She has widely published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has also written books/chapter in books related to diagnostic imaging.
Prof. Lourdes Tanchanco
Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, Philippines
Dr. Lourdes Bernadette S. Tanchanco is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, Functional Medicine practitioner, and Professor at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Medicine and Public Health, where she also serves as Director of the Center for Research and Innovation. She is a Fellow of the Philippine Pediatric Society and the Philippine Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, and a consultant in developmental pediatrics. Her clinical and research expertise spans autism, child development, mental health, and functional medicine.
She has led numerous research projects and grants, including studies on neurocognitive outcomes, universal healthcare, and pandemic-related child development. She is currently the Program Leader of the DOST-funded “Molecular and Clinical Approaches in Autism Spectrum Disorder (Phase II),” a pioneering initiative supported with over ₱44 million. Dr. Tanchanco has authored peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including works on
inclusive education and fragile X syndrome, underscoring her commitment to advancing child health and development.
National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
Fan-Pei Gloria Yang is an associate professor and the founding director of Center for Cognition and Mind Sciences at the National Tsing Hua University. She integrated diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and fMRI approaches to study patients’ neural connectivity, and expanded her research methods to magnetoencephalography (MEG). Her current research interest is to study the neural basis for metaphor, neural plasticity, interactions of language and other cognitive functions in healthy adults, patients, elderly and bilinguals with multimodal
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