Efforts of the neuroscientists in understanding of the underling mechanisms of brain behavior via progress in methodology caused accumulation of considerable data by ninties.; which encouraged International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) to nominate 1990s the decade of brain.
Accordingly in 1998 at Cold Spring Harbor Neuroscience Meeting Charles Dana donate a foundation to organize a week as “Brain Awareness Week” (BAW). BAW first organized in US; Dana’s homeland. Then Europe joined the organization by 2000. Later 41 countries around the world joined BAW via Dana Partners around the world.
Year 1998 Dr. A. Vahabzadeh as an Iranian partner for Dana was a postgraduate in the Neuroscience Department at Oxford University; where Professor Blakemore was acting as Head of Department. Professor Blakemore established “European Dana Alliance for Brain initiative (EDAB) year 2000 at London.
Iran was first Middle East country that organized BAW same year as Europe via ex-student for Professor Blakemore; and present partner for EDAB. For 5 years Iranian BAW was organized via EDAB; then via IBRO; and later via Dana Foundation so called Dana Alliance for Brain Initiative (DABI) for another 13 years.
The turn point from EDAB to DABI was the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting at San Diego 2007. Although there were variety of changes and turbulences within these 18 years; the BAW partnership in the format of charity-academic continued.
Within these 18 years Iranian BAW organized via BAW Partner and BAW Team at different schools as well as city holes; and covered by media. However, due to the clash with last days of last month of Iranian year as well as “Norooz” celebration we turned to the social media as it developed. The social media save time to audience; also reach to a vast majority of public in different ages.
