Brains, conflict, and democracy with Dr. Sebastian F. Winter, MD [Ep. 12]

In this episode Laura interviews Sebastian F. Winter, a physician-scientist working at the intersection of public health policy, medicine, and academia with a vision to shape healthcare and inspire a lasting social impact. 

He is currently Head of Policy and Research at the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE), where he works with an interdisciplinary team committed to make epilepsy a global public health priority and improve the lives of over 50 million people living with epilepsy worldwide.

Beyond previous roles in clinical medicine and research, he co-founded and co-lead a social venture that promotes mental health and peace-building among refugee communities. A globally trained MD-PhD with exposure to various healthcare systems across four continents, he is passionate about public health and education policy (past projects at WHO Europe and UNESCO), as well as academic research, including projects in neurotoxicity, oncology, refugee mental health, brain health, NCD prevention, and public health ethics.

His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Neuro-Oncology, Neurology, the European Journal of Cancer, The Brookings Institution Press, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, and the International Journal of Health Policy and Management, and he has gathered substantial experience as a public speaker at international conferences and platforms including TEDx.

An alumnus of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung) and affiliate researcher at the MGH Cancer Center at Harvard Medical School, he holds a Ph.D. (summa cum laude; '22) and M.D. (Distinction; '20) from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and a B.Sc. (1st Class Honours; '13) in Neuroscience from King’s College London, UK.

The brain health paper can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Brain-health-directed-policymaking_Final.pdf

Additional links:

• https://www.sfwinter.com/
• https://twitter.com/SebastianWinter
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianfwinter/