Iranian Dana Alliance for Brain

History :

Efforts of the neuroscientists in understanding of the underling mechanisms of brain behavior via progress in methodology caused accumulation of considerable data by nineties; 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 USA; 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 2 decades; 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 “Norouz” 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.  

Definition and aim of the Brain Awareness Week (BAW) initiative

BAW initiative defined and aimed facilitate communication between scientists; which improves their research; and encourages young scientists for further research. Transfer of scientific finding to the charitable public may also promote further research via scientific meetings.  And then final outcome of the scientific research improves the life spin as well as life style and of the mankind in return. BAW is a good example of collaboration as well as understanding of research workers and charity for gaining further knowledge; and improvement of human life via charity. This means that BAW is a charity-academic event; which aimed to promote brain research; encourage education of young generation; and reach to the public to improve health via scientific finding in neuroscience. Public recognition of importance of knowledge of brain may also encourage companies, industries, and peer charity organizations to support brain research for further progress in data gathering; in turn these data gathering enhance the knowledge of brain; and improve wellbeing of mankind all over the world.

Iranian Brain Awareness Week (BAW) star at year 2002 under the partnership of European Dana Alliance for Brain (EDAB) by Dr. A. Vahabzadeh ex-student of late Dr. Marianne Fillenez frontier in Neuroscience at Oxford; with encouragement that we received from Professor Colin Blakemore; for which we express our gratitude to him. Although this international neuroscientific charity event never interrupted by now; there was some fluctuations within these 16 years until 2007 in the method, quantity, and quality due to the NGO nature of the events. Iranian BAW team for many years has to travel all over the area to organize BAW events at academic as well as public institutions and/or organizations; using a limited media facilities. Also this event experienced lack of international support from Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), replacement of academic team, location as well as restrictions at some time period. However, the exclusive partnership never changed; and discontinued neither.

Recent progress in the Social Media provide reasonable tool; which we practiced Telegram as well as Instagram last year (BAW 2016); with some restrictions.  Due to the legal availability this year Iranian BAW used Telegram facilities to rich to the young students as well as public in the very busy days of last month of Iranian calendar, Noroz celebration, and New Year; mainly via our archives. We find this available tool reasonably successful; and hope to extend to the faster and popular social media next year; improving the content, quality, as well as quantity of the BAW events.

The Iranian BAW 2017 event covered all 7 days of the week carried on after the registration and approval; according the announced week program and content. This international events in this area was in the local language; either as an audio-video or in printable material. For clearing the position of the Neuroscience as an inter-disciplinary science of the brain especially for young students the event focused in definitions in content; and went on by presenting the up to date data in an understandable format to introduce the Brain in health and disease; including the mental health.

Iranian BAW 2017 made all available efforts to organize this international humanistic event without any support; however, it seems that was not able to rich to the large number of public in early experience of social media within the busy days of the local calendar year. After all we are doing our best to improve this international medical science event in our area. Recent events of the week is accessible at: https://t.me/iranianbaw2017