The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) returned to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos last week with a clear mission: to help shape a rapidly growing global movement that recognizes brain health and brain skills as essential economic infrastructure.
For the second consecutive year, UTMB leaders joined international conversations on workforce resilience, artificial intelligence, healthy aging, and societal well-being, topics that are increasingly converging around what is now widely referred to as the brain economy.
Dr. Jochen Reiser, UTMB President and CEO of the UTMB Health System, represented the institution alongside senior leaders in neuroscience and research, reinforcing UTMB’s long-term commitment to advancing brain health at scale.
Reiser emphasized that the university's continued presence at Davos reflects both the early stage of the brain economy movement and the responsibility of anchor institutions to help shape its direction.
“This work is still in its early stages, which is exactly why it’s so important for anchoring institutions to show up and help shape it,” Reiser said. “UTMB was the only health-related institution participating at the World Economic Forum, and that distinction matters. Academic medical centers—especially those with integrated health systems—are uniquely positioned to advance the brain economy because we touch every stage of life, from educating the next generation to caring for patients and supporting healthy aging. That combination of academic depth and clinical reach makes UTMB an essential contributor, and it’s why we believe showing up and leading these conversations is part of our responsibility.”
A Broader, More Integrated Global Conversation
While brain health discussions at last year’s meeting were largely concentrated within The Brain House, this year’s conversations were far more distributed, spanning multiple venues and intersecting with themes in AI, architecture, workforce development, and community design. The shift reflects growing recognition that cognitive health affects not only health care systems, but also economic productivity, innovation, and long-term societal resilience.
“What changed this year is that brain health was no longer confined to one space or one discipline,” Reiser said. “It’s now part of business strategy, workforce design, and how communities are built. That evolution confirms we’re moving from awareness to implementation.”
As the only academic health system deeply engaged in these discussions, UTMB brought a distinctive perspective, connecting research, clinical care, education, and community impact across the full human lifespan.
Just last week, UTMB made two major announcements related to its current and future role in shaping brain health and the brain economy. On Wednesday, UTMB unveiled the Global Brain Economy Initiative (GBEI), a global effort launched in partnership with Rice University and the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative to position brain capital—defined as brain health and brain skills—as essential economic infrastructure in the age of artificial intelligence. On Jan. 19, UTMB also announced it had become the first organization in the world to make building brain capital a core strategic priority across research, clinical care, community engagement, innovation, and the workforce, embedding brain health and cognitive performance into every dimension of the institution.
Together, the announcements reflect UTMB’s comprehensive, action-oriented approach to advancing the brain economy, leveraging its strengths as an academic health system to align science, policy, and practice in ways that strengthen workforce resilience, support innovation, and improve long-term societal and economic outcomes.
Texas Leadership and DPRIT on the Global Stage
UTMB’s leadership at Davos builds on significant momentum in Texas, including the creation of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), a landmark statewide investment in brain health research and prevention. The initiative, championed by state leaders and Texas voters, has positioned Texas as a national leader in addressing Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative conditions.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, whose support was instrumental in advancing DPRIT, also attended the World Economic Forum this year, reinforcing the state’s growing engagement in global conversations around brain health, innovation, and economic resilience. UTMB leaders noted that DPRIT reflects how Texas is translating policy leadership into real-world impact, creating new opportunities for discovery, prevention, and care that align closely with the global priorities discussed in Davos.
Central to UTMB’s presence was the work of the Moody Brain Health Institute at UTMB (MBHI), which integrates discovery science, data and AI, clinical translation, and community-based prevention. Leaders emphasized that academic health systems are uniquely positioned to implement brain-economy principles because they serve patients, train future professionals, and generate new knowledge—often simultaneously.
Dr. Giulio Taglialatela, Vice President for Brain Health and Director of the Moody Brain Health Institute, highlighted how conversations at Davos underscored the urgency of this moment for UTMB and MBHI to engage at a global level.
“One of the strongest messages from Davos was that brain health is increasingly recognized as essential economic infrastructure,” Taglialatela said. “Issues like neurodegenerative disease, workforce burnout, and cognitive resilience are now seen as critical to productivity and societal stability. This made it the right moment for UTMB and the Moody Brain Health Institute to engage globally, as our work directly addresses these challenges at the intersection of neuroscience, data science, community engagement, and emerging clinical brain health.”
He added that another key takeaway was the growing emphasis on cross-sector collaboration.
“A major takeaway was the need for collaboration across sectors—academia, health care, industry, and policy—to meaningfully advance brain health,” Taglialatela said. “There was also strong emphasis on leveraging data and AI responsibly while keeping ethics, equity, and human impact at the forefront. These conversations reinforced the unique role UTMB plays as an academic health sciences center and affirmed the relevance and urgency of the work being built through the Moody Brain Health Institute.”
Collaboration Over Competition
Rather than positioning itself as a standalone leader, UTMB used Davos to emphasize partnership, linking its work with universities, health systems, industry leaders, advocacy organizations, and global policymakers, including Rice University, the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, McKinsey Health Institute, West Health, the Wyss Institute, Blue Zones and others.
Conversations with groups focused on AI, aging, and workforce well-being reinforced the need for cross-sector alignment to translate ideas into action. UTMB also highlighted collaborations that extend beyond medicine, including work with community-focused partners that address how lifestyle, environment, and social connection support long-term cognitive and mental health.
UTMB leaders left Davos with momentum—and a roadmap. Plans are already underway to deepen partnerships, expand national and global engagement, and elevate the role of health systems in shaping the future of the brain economy. As these conversations continue in Texas and beyond, UTMB’s leadership at Davos reinforces its position as a global anchor institution helping define how brain health drives economic and societal resilience.
“This work is just beginning—but the signal from Davos was clear,” Reiser said. “Brain health is no longer optional. It’s foundational to the future.