Indian Neuroscience delegations participate at SBMT’s  21st Annual World Congress in LA

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Los Angeles, CA: The Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT) held its 21^st Annual World Congress on March 14-17, 2024, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where 900 presenters, including several Indian-American and Indian-origin physicians and scientists from around the world discussed on topics such as neurosciences, neurology, spine and cerebrovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, regenerative medicine, stem cell research, neuro-oncology, and alzheimer’s disease.

Founding Chairman of SBMT, and President of World Brain Mapping Foundation, Dr. Babak Kateb told News India Times, “It’s an honor to have our Indian delegation here including neurosurgeons, neurologists, psychiatrists, and neuroscientists. We had 900 presenters and about 50 Indian delegations supported us through this consortium of scientists globally.” Noting that Indian delegations are part of Neuroscience20 or N20 of the G20 Summits, Dr. Kateb said, “We are working together to advance neuro technology innovation not only in the United States, but also in India and Asia Pacific.”

Dr. Abilash Haridas, a neurosurgeon from Los Angeles, and the incoming president for SBMT in 2025, told News India Times “SBMT is a very unique organization that embraces the field of neurosciences and brings together doctors, scientists, engineers, and psychiatrists,” adding “We have to have these types of interdisciplinary collaborations to really create new technologies, new innovations, especially in the biotechnology industry…”

As part of N20 during the 2023 New Delhi G20 Summit, he said, “We brought our team to share how we can help India in some of its problems with the neurosciences, and the burden that it’s giving to the society.”

“We want to have an impact in the entire world,” said Dr. Haridas adding SBMT will participate in N20 during the G20 Summit in Brazil. An immigrant from India, he added, “We have a unique opportunity because we have a lot of Indian doctors in the United States…” while stressing his goal is to strategize “how can we leverage our innovation to help not just people in America but even people in India. And more importantly, how can we leverage our technology to make low-cost solutions to high impact problems.”

Founder of the Sunder Foundation, Dr. Keerthy Sunder from California said, “The Foundation is actively collaborating with SBMT in research as well as in endeavors such as the Ukraine humanitarian mission, and N20 every year.”

As the Chair of the Psychiatry Committee for SBMT’s Annual World Congress, Dr. Sunder pointed out, “We are very excited to continue this collaboration and bring cutting edge treatments which are interdisciplinary between neurosurgery, neurology, neuroimaging, neuroradiology, psychology, and psychiatry to come together for breakthrough treatments in resistant disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.”

On March 15^th, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine, Nataliia Kalmykova participated virtually in a keynote session moderated by Dr. Kateb of SBMT, which has been supporting Ukraine through its Global Physicians and Scientists initiative. SBMT also has a Bioskills Hands-on Cadaver Lab with many Indian-American neurosurgeons, led by Dr. Namath Hussain, and Dr. Haridas. This year, Synaptive Medical Inc, Stryker, and Centinel Spine participated as SBMT’s key partners.

Senior VP, Clinical Development and Drug Safety of Celularity, Dr. Sharmila Koppisetti from New Jersey, said the purpose for her attending SBMT 2024 is to provide some insight into some of her company’s stem cell therapies in multiple sclerosis, ALS, neuromuscular diseases, and also in oncology indication.

Dr. Abhidha Shah from Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, India said she presented on the topic of intra axial brain tumors. She told News India Times, “I presented on my work on white fibers and the anatomy of white fibers and how it helps me during intra axial brain tumor surgery,” adding, “Also, on our concepts of surgery on Gliomas and how to get a maximal resection and preserve function without causing any neurological deficit to the patient.”

Director of Neurosurgical Anesthesia, Loma Linda University (LLU) School of Medicine, California, Dr. Rashmi Vandse spoke about anesthetic management for patients undergoing endovascular thrombectomy for stroke. “There’s been significant debate regarding general anesthesia versus conscious sedation for patients who are undergoing endovascular thrombectomy” Dr. Vandse told News India Times adding in the past, “We used to think conscious sedation was better based on the outcome from some of the retrospective and observational studies.”

But in the last few years, she added, “We have had about nine randomized studies. And now the overall conclusion is that we can do either general anesthesia or conscious sedation, but the hemodynamic control of blood pressure is very important” and that she participated in the Congress to share this experience with her colleagues and neurosurgeons.

Director of Endovascular Cerebral Vascular Surgery at LLU, Dr. Promod Pillai, said he presented on the role of venous angioplasty in patients with benign intracranial hypertension. “It’s a unique disease process where we have very limited treatment options and often patients fail medical as well as conventional surgical treatments,” he added.

Indian Physician Dr. Kevin Morris, Dr. Joe Bolanos, Dr. George Perry, Dr. David Baron, and Ira Soebroto-Bullo received the Golden Axon Leadership Award, on March 15^th, at The World Brain Mapping Foundation’s 21^st Annual “Gathering for Cure” Awards Gala held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Several others were also presented awards in different categories for their significant achievements.