Have Any Question?

(310) 500-6196

Our Working Hours?

Mon - Sat: 9.00 - 5:00pm

Visit Us Daily

860 Via De La Paz, Suite E-1
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

This Year's Nominees

The World Brain Mapping Foundation (WBMF) is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s awards. These awards recognize outstanding achievements in brain mapping research, education, and service.

WBMF-monochrome-white

This Year's Nominees

The Beacon Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary courage and dedication for increasing awareness about neurological diseases, and for patients and their families who have exceeded expectations in fighting a neurological disorder with unprecedented courage. The Beacon Award identifies remarkable individuals who set the highest standards for increasing awareness of, and fighting, neurological diseases.

The Humanitarian Award is given to physicians and scientists who have contributed significantly to survival and quality of life of patients across the Globe.

The Pioneer in Technology Award is presented to the trail blazing companies and their CEOs/presidents who have facilitated the development of pioneering technologies through interdisciplinary approaches that have impacted diagnostics, treatment, and healthcare delivery in unprecedented ways.

The Pioneer in Medicine Award is presented to individuals who have significantly contributed to the scientific advancement in the fields of medicine and image guided therapy through a multidisciplinary approach. Their groundbreaking contributions have made development of state-of-the-art technology and scientific discovery a reality.

The Pioneer in Healthcare Policy Award is presented to lawmakers who have demonstrated visionary and crossdisciplinary approaches to introducing laws that have contributed to the advancement of science, technology, education, and medicine. They have paved the way to better integration of such advancements in other fields, like medicine and neuroscience. These lawmakers champion better healthcare for all.

The Golden Axon Leadership Award is presented to individuals outside of the medical community who inspire with good will and an enthusiastic interest in science, technology and medicine. Named for the neuron cell fiber that carries outgoing messages to other target cells, the founding principle of the Axon Award is to recognize a highly regarded individual in the public sector who helps raise awareness and funding of WBMF and its mission in the community via fundraising event(s) and activities.

The WBMF Young Investigator’s Initiative is designed to recognize promising young scientists performing work in the brain sciences relevant to the World Brain Mapping Foundation. While this year’s awardees will not be receiving any financial incentives, this recognition will be a stepping stone for future recognition within and beyond the WBMF’s wide ranging collaborative partners.

The WBMF Student Service and Leadership Award is given to recognize excellence and commitment to dedicated fellows, interns, and students who have contributed to the advancement of medicine, specifically the neurosciences.

Late Robin Sidhu (1988 – 2015), a young ebullient science driven and information technology (IT) savvy person, died of an accident at an early age. His mission to accomplish in-depth understanding of human mind and health remained incomplete due to his early departure but his legacy will remain through supporting young innovative minds in science through this award.

Beacon of Courage and Dedication Award

Sharon Stone

January 4, 2025

Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a nomination for an Academy Award. She was named Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France in 2005 (Commander in 2021).[1]

After modeling in television commercials and print advertisements, Stone made her film debut as an extra in Stardust Memories (1980) and played her first speaking part in the horror film Deadly Blessing (1981). In the 1980s, she appeared in such films as Irreconcilable Differences (1984), King Solomon’s Mines (1985), and Above the Law (1988). She had a breakthrough with her part in Paul Verhoeven‘s science fiction film Total Recall (1990), before rising to international recognition when she portrayed Catherine Tramell in Verhoeven’s erotic thriller Basic Instinct (1992), for which she earned her first Golden Globe Award nomination.

Selma Blair

January 4, 2025

Selma Blair, an American actress, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2018. MS is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, causing inflammation and damage to nerve fibers. 

Blair has been open about her diagnosis and has shared her experiences with the disease, including the challenges and treatments she faces. She has also spoken about the importance of advocating for herself and others with MS. 

In 2021, Blair announced that she was in remission from MS. However, she continues to manage the effects of the disease and has stated that she still experiences pain and fatigue. 

Blair’s journey with MS has been an inspiration to many, and she continues to raise awareness about the disease and the need for research and support. 

Humanitarian Award

No results found.

Pioneer in Technology Award

No results found.

Pioneer in Medicine Award

No results found.

Pioneer in Healthcare Policy Award

Eric Swalwell

January 4, 2025

It’s not something Democrats typically say about themselves, but Congressman Eric Swalwell was raised by Republicans.

His father was a cop, and his mother ran a small business. They brought him into the world in Sac City, Iowa, then raised him in Dublin, California, the oldest of four boys. His childhood was about family, sports, and hard work – from running a paper route at the age of 10, to sanding and installing window frames as a teenager. A Division One soccer scholarship allowed him to become the first in his family to go to college.

While attending the University of Maryland as an undergrad, Eric served as an intern on Capitol Hill for Representative Ellen Tauscher. After graduating from the University of Maryland School of Law, he became a prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, where he led the Hate Crimes Unit. In 2010, Eric was elected to be a city councilmember in his hometown of Dublin.

This experience served as perfect preparation for representing the people of California’s 14th Congressional District in the East Bay.

As a representative in Washington, Eric served eight years on the House Intelligence Committee where he was the chairman and ranking member overseeing the CIA. On the Intelligence Committee, Eric helped lead the House Investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, and later, the first and second impeachments of Donald Trump. As a member of the House Democrats’ leadership team, Eric was on the House Floor on January 6. A week after the attack, Eric was appointed as a House Impeachment Manager for the former president’s Senate trial.

Eric currently serves on the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees. He is also Chairman Emeritus and founder of Future Forum, a group of young Democratic members focused on issues and opportunities for millennial Americans. Eric is also founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Critical Materials Caucus, and Personalized Medicine Caucus. Every day Eric strives to make sure if you work hard it adds up to doing better for yourself and dreaming bigger for your family.

Eric and his wife Brittany, a small business owner in hospitality, are the happy parents of three young children: Nelson, Cricket, and Hank. The kids are growing up as Democrats.

Judy Chu

January 4, 2025

Judy Chu was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2009.  She represents the 28th Congressional District, which includes Pasadena and the west San Gabriel Valley of southern California.

Rep. Chu currently serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over legislation pertaining to taxes, revenues, Social Security, and Medicare. In that Committee, Rep. Chu is a member of the Subcommittees on Health, Worker and Family Support, and Oversight, giving her oversight over healthcare reform and crucial safety net programs.

She also serves on the House Small Business Committee, which has oversight of the Small Business Administration.

In 2011, Chu was elected Chair of the  Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, which advocates for the needs and concerns of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community across the nation. She helps lead the Tri-Caucus, a joint effort with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Chu founded and co-chairs the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus, which advocates for the copyright protections of those in the creative industries, such as music, film and visual arts.  She also serves in leadership of the House Democratic Caucus as a Member of the Steering and Policy Committee.

Some of Rep. Chu’s proudest accomplishments in Congress include: introducing and passing a Congressional resolution of regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882; working with President Obama to declare the San Gabriel Mountains a national monument; requiring the Department of Defense to address military hazing; helping entrepreneurs by establishing two new Small Business Development Centers in the San Gabriel Valley; and helping small businesses refinance old, expensive real estate loans by reviving the Small Business Administration’s 504 loan refinance program.

Chu was first elected to the Board of Education for Garvey School District in 1985.  From there, she was elected to the Monterey Park City Council, where she served as Mayor three times.  She then was elected to the State Assembly and then California’s elected tax board, known as the State Board of Equalization.  In 2009, she became the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress in history.

Chu lives with her husband, Michael Eng, in the city of Monterey Park, where they have been residents for over 30 years.

Golden Axon leadership Award

Turker Tekin Erguzel

January 4, 2025

Prof. Dr. Turker Tekin Ergüzel was born in 1978. He graduated from Marmara University, department of Computer and Control Education. He studied “Web Based Application of Data Structures” as his master thesis. He got his both bachelor and master degree with 1st class honours. He completed his PhD on “ Process Control Using Genetic-Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm”. His main studies focused on artificial intelligence covering system modelling, feature extraction, feature selection and fuzzy controllers. He has more than 50 published papers indexed in WoS database mostly covering neuroscience topics.

Dr. Ergüzel has been working as a faculty member at Üsküdar University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences since 2012. Specializing in systems modeling, neuroimaging, deep learning fuzzy logic and optimization under the title of artificial intelligence, Dr. Ergüzel’s work in this field is neuroscience-focused big data analysis, and he focuses on developing diagnostic and prognostic models using deep learning algorithms and neuroimaging data. Dr. Ergüzel has two children, Ayşe Nil and Kerim Mete.

David Keyser

January 4, 2025

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences | USUHS · Department of Military & Emergency Medicine

Ph.D.

Abilash Haridas

January 2, 2025

Abilash Haridas is a Neurosurgery expert in Los Angeles, California. Haridas has been practicing medicine for over 23 years and is rated as an Experienced expert by MediFind in treating Spinal tumors. According to our data, he is also highly rated in 2 other conditions. His top areas of expertise are Stroke, Moyamoya Disease, Tieche-Jadassohn Nevus, Cerebral Artery Bypass Surgery, and Extracranial-Intracranial Bypass Surgery. Haridas is currently accepting new patients.

His clinical research consists of co-authoring 17 peer-reviewed articles in the past 15 years. In particular, he has co-authored 1 article in the study of Spinal Tumor.

He is the Founder and CEO of Astra Neurosurgical Institute, Los Angeles, specializing in Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery.

Qifa Zhou

January 2, 2025

Qifa Zhou received his Ph. D. degree from the Department of Electronic Materials and Engineering of Xi’an Jiaotong University, China in 1993. He is currently Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology in the USC Keck School of Medicine as well as the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California.

He is also one of the leading principle investigators at the NIH Resource Center on Medical Transducer Technology. Dr. Zhou has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles in journals including Nature Medicine, Scientific Reports and Progress in Materials Science, and is a fellow of the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).

He is a member of the Technical Program Committee of the IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, and is an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control. He was the co-author of a paper that received the best student paper competition award at the 2010 IEEE IUS conference and the best poster paper in photoacoustics plus ultrasound at the 2015 SPIE Photonics West conference.

Marcos Wagner de Souza Porto

January 2, 2025

Giulio Maria Passineti

January 2, 2025

He is currently the Program Director of the NIH funded Mount Sinai Center for Molecular Integrative Neuroresilience and the Chief of the Brain Institute Center of Excellence for Novel Approaches to Neurodiagnostics and Neurotherapeutics. He is also a Professor of Psychiatry, of Neuroscience, and of Geriatrics and Adult Development. Dr. Pasinetti is the recipient of several academic awards including the prestigious Zenith and Temple awards from the Alzheimer’s Association. Most recently, Dr. Pasinetti was awarded ”The Faculty Council Award” for academic excellence at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and “The Charles Dana Alliance for Brain Research Award” from Dana Foundation, recognizing productivity and worldwide leadership in his field of expertise, which further emphasizes his standing as an academic role model.


Neurology, PROFESSOR | Psychiatry, PROFESSOR | Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, PROFESSOR | Neuroscience
Research Topics

Aging, Alzheimer’s Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Epigenetics, Genetics, Genomics, Inflammation, Memory, Microglia, Molecular Biology, Neuro-degeneration/protection, Neurobiology, Neurology, Neuroscience, Obesity, Oxidative Stress, Parkinson’s Disease, Psychiatry, Transcriptional Activation and Repression, Transgenic Mice

Young Investigator Award

No results found.

Student Service and Leadership Award

Shiva Rampersand

January 4, 2025

Antonina Wiewior

January 4, 2025

Maria Bilorosiuk

January 3, 2025

Robin Sidhu Memorial Young Scientist Award

No results found.