CAS in Brain Health

Scope and structure

The CAS programme comprises a total of at least 15 ECTS credits. It is made up of four modules, each worth 3-5 ECTS credits.
The programme covers the following topics:

• Introduction to Brain Health
• Brain Disorders
• Risk Factors, Protective Factors and Interventions
• Brain Health Implementation.

Goals of the course

The participants

• understand the determinants of brain health, including physical, psychological and social factors, and can analyse their effects on brain function
• develop a sound knowledge of various brain diseases and disorders in order to understand and apply diagnostic, preventive and treatment strategies
• learn intervention techniques and strategies to promote brain health and can apply these to support patients' cognitive abilities and well-being
• develop individualised action plans for improving brain health based on the knowledge and skills learnt to bring about sustainable changes in quality of life.

Didactic principals

The programme uses various teaching methods to optimally support the transfer of learning and knowledge and to ensure a lively learning culture.
In addition to imparting theory- and practice-orientated knowledge and skills, the courses offer space for reflection and discussion. The content and form of the events take into account the needs and wishes of the participants. Their specialist knowledge and experience as professionals are incorporated into the teaching and learning process.

Language

All courses, exams, and course materials are in English.

The CAS Brain Health is structured modularly. It is comprised of 4 modules:

Module 1 – Introduction to Brain Health

• Start Event (David Tanner, Simon Jung, Switzerland)
• What is Brain Health? (Claudio Bassetti, Switzerland)
• Brain evolution from an anthropological perspective (Alain Froment, France)
• Brain anatomy (Michael Oberholzer, Switzerland)
• Sleep and wakefulness (Markus Schmidt, Switzerland)
• Learning and memory (Iris Penner, Switzerland)
• Emotional system (Chantal Martin Sölch, Switzerland)
• Attention and Executive functions (Mathias Lüthi, Switzerland)
• Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) (Andrea Humm, Switzerland)
• Brain-Heart interactions (Jan Scheitz, Germany)
• Brain-Muscle interactions (Christoph Handschin, Switzerland)
• Brain-Gut interactions (Bruno Bonaz, France)
• Brain-Hormone interactions (Petra Stute, Switzerland)
• Sex and gender differences in neurological and psychiatric illnesses (Mariapaola Barbato, Switzerland)
• Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) (Corina Greven, Netherlands)
• Neuroplasticity - use it or lose it (Adrian Guggisberg, Switzerland)
• The aging brain: Plasticity and Cognitive Reserve (Yaakov Stern, USA)
• Immunosenescence (Robert Hoepner, Switzerland)
• Genetic epidemiology (Zoltan Kutalik, Switzerland)
• What is environment? (Jacques Reis, France)
• Developmental origin of health and disease (DOHaD) (Michael Ross, USA)
• Exposome (Robert Barouki, France)
• One Health (Jakob Zinsstag, Switzerland)

Module 2 – Brain Disorders

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) (Michaela Bonfert, Germany)
• Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) (Daniel Daneshvar, USA)
• Stroke (Cheryl Bushnell, USA)
• Neurodegenerative disorders (Bogdan Draganski, Switzerland)
• Epilepsy (Kaspar Schindler, Switzerland)
• Gait disorders & falling (Tatiana Bremova, Switzerland)
• Parkinson's disease (Elena Moro, Italy)
• Autoimmune disorders (Xavier Montalban, Spain)
• Tropical Infections (Alfred Njamnshi, Cameroon)
• Neuropediatric disorders (Alexandre Datta, Switzerland)
• Sleep disorders (Claudio Bassetti, Switzerland)
• Headache Disorders (Christoph Schankin, Switzerland)
• Functional Neuronal Diseases (FND) (Selma Aybek, Switzerland)
• Developmental disorders (Karen Lidzba, Switzerland)
• Depression (Tobias Bracht, Switzerland)
• Myalgic encephalomyelitis / Chronic fatique syndrome (Avindra Nath, USA)
• Bipolar disorders (Andrea Fiorillo, Italy)
• Adjustment disorders (Astrid Habenstein, Switzerland)
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (Leila Soravia, Switzerland)
• Substance abuse (Marcus Herdener, Switzerland)
• Obesity and eating disorders (Patrick Pasi, Switzerland)
• ADHD / ADD in children and adolescents (Susanne Stronski, Switzerland)
• Anxiety (Christian Imboden, Switzerland)
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (Kevin Swierkosz-Lenart, Switzerland)
• Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD (Thomas Müller, Switzerland)
• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) & other personality disorders (Mario Speranza, France)
• Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders (Sebastian Walther, Germany)
• Burnout (Thomas Berger, Switzerland)

Module 3 – Risk Factors, Protective Factors and Interventions

• Preserving prenatal health & healthy birth (Salome Kurth, Switzerland)
• Brain health from birth to adolescence (Alexandre Datta, Switzerland)
• Preserving mental child health (Elizabeth Buimer, Netherlands)
• Education & Cognitive Reserve (Prashanthi Vemuri, USA)
• Resilience and emotional regulation (Andrea Samson, Switzerland)
• Humor (Andrea Samson, Switzerland)
• Preserving mental activity (Barbara Studer, Switzerland)
• Social Connectedness (Julianne Holt-Lunstad, USA)
• Sexual health (tbd)
• Sleep Health (Albrecht Voster, Germany)
• Stress Management (Sonia Lupien, Canada)
• Mindfulness Based Interventions (Pascale Weber, Switzerland)
• Healthy use of digital media (tbd)
• Healthy use of artifical intelligence (tbd)
• Physical activity & physical health (Barbara Tettenborn, Switzerland)
• Physical activity & mental health (Simon Rosenbaum, Australia)
• Healthy diet (Hakan Sarikaya, Switzerland)
• Nutritional psychosomatics (Roger Adan, Netherlands)
• Smoking cessation (Debbie Robson, UK)
• Prevention & treatment of infections (Matthias Klein, Germany)
• Prevention of environmental neurodegenerative disease (Peter Spencer, USA)
• Air pollution (Meltem Kutlar, Switzerland)
• Water pollution (Bruce Lanphear, Canada)
• Noise pollution (Martin Röösli, Switzerland)
• Light (Russel Foster, UK)
• Climate change & neurological disorders (Sanjay Sisodiya, UK)
• Climate change & psychiatric disorders (Kristina Adorjan, Switzerland)
• Neuroprotection Strategies (Mark Mattson, USA)
• Pharmacological cognitive enhancers (Barbara J. Sahakian, UK)
• Brain-Computer Interfaces: Applications (Dan Rubin, USA)
• Neurostimulation (Indrit Bègue, Switzerland)
• Vagus nerve stimulation (Bastian Volbers, Switzerland)
• Music and art therapy for mental health (Saoirse Finn, UK)
• Wearable Technologies for Brain Health (Simon Bachmann, Switzerland)
• Neurorehabiliation (Jesse Dawson, UK)

Module 4 – Brain Health Implementation

• Assessment of brain health (Albrecht Voster, Germany / Tobias Monschein, Austria)
• Public health essentials (Verena Biehl, Switzerland)
• Nurses' contribution to Brain Health (Zeliha Tulek, Turkey)
• Health communication theories and models (Sara Rubinelli, Switzerland)
• Argumentation, rhetoric and persuasion (Sara Rubinelli, Switzerland)
• Neurobiological Aspects of Nutrition Regulation (Tobias Esch, Germany)
• Strategies for health education (Tim Foxx, USA)
• Strategies for social health (Tracey Crouch, UK)
• Strategies for healthy environment: green and blue cities (Erin Sharp-Newton, USA)
• Well-being and the physical environment (Nélida Quintero, USA)
• Strategies for work health (Reiner Rugulies, Denmark)
• Migraine friendly work place (Susanne Wegener, Switzerland)
• Strategies for healthy lifestyle (Dariush Mozaffarian, USA)
• Longevity (tbd)
• Strategies for early detection of psychiatric disorders (Chantal Michel, Switzerland)
• Strategies for suicide prevention (Michael Kaess, Switzerland)
• Strategies for mass vaccination (tbd)
• trategies to avoid digital addiction and substance abuse (Michael Kaess, Switzerland)
• Example of a Brain Health Programme (Mika Pyykkö, Finland)
• Example of a Mental Health Programme (Kristina Adorjan, Switzerland)
• Brain capital and brain economy (Harris Eyre, Australia)
• Brain health for skill-based transitions (Rym Ayadi, UK)
• Ethical and psychological aspects of self-responsibility for healthy lifestyle (David Lyreskog, UK)
• Ethics and responsible innervation (Pawel Swieboda, Belgium)
• Future Directions in Brain Health (Urs Fischer, Switzerland)

Subject to alterations.

The CAS in Brain Health is operated by the University of Bern and the Department of Neurology, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern.

Organising committee

• Simon Jung (Programme Director, Neurology)
• David Tanner (Director of Studies)
• Franka Theile (Programme Administrator)

International Faculty

• Emiliano Albanese, Switzerland
• Astri Arnesen, Norway, President EFNA
• Claudio Bassetti, Past President EAN, Chair of International Faculty, Switzerland
• Thomas Berger, Austria
• Indrit Bègue, Switzerland
• Paul Boon, President EAN, Belgium
• Suzanne Dickson, President EBC, Sweden
• Geert Dom, President EPA, Belgium
• Raphael Guzman, President SSNC, Switzerland
• Peter Falkai, Past-President EPA, Germany
• Andrea Fiorillo, President SIPS, Italy
• Antoine Flahault, President SSPH+, Switzerland
• Giovanni Frisoni, Switzerland
• Wolfgang Grisold, President WFN, Austria
• Annette Hackenberg, President SSNP, Switzerland
• Albert Hofmann, USA
• Peter Kelly, Ireland, President ESO
• Matilde Leonardi, Italy
• Karl-Olof Loevblad, Past-President SSNR, Switzerland
• Anita Lüthy, Past-President SSN, Switzerland
• Marco Medina, Past-President PAFNS, Honduras
• Elena Moro, President-elect EAN, France
• Mayowa Owolabi, Nigeria
• Irena Rektorova, Czech Republic
• Jacques Reis, Co-Chair WFN-ENSG, France
• Hakan Sarikaya, Switzerland
• Peter S. Spencer, Chair WFN-ENSG, Oregon Health & Science University, USA
• Barbara Tettenborn, Switzerland
• Susanne Wegener, Switzerland
• Corina Wirth, President Public Health Switzerland, Switzerland
• Thomas Zeltner, Past-President BAG, Switzerland
• Tobias Esch, University Witten/Herdecke

Local Faculty

• Simon Jung (Programme Director, Neurology)
• David Tanner (Director of Studies)
• Kristina Adorjan (Psychiatry)
• Marcel Arnold (Neurology)
• Lia Bally (Endocrinology)
• Tatiana Brémovà Ertl (Neurology)
• Bogdan Draganski (Neurology)
• Tanja Belser (Neurology)
• Annika Frahsa (Social and Preventive Medicine)
• Urs Fischer (Neurology)
• Mirjam Heldner (Neurology)
• Michael Kaess (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
• Andrea Klein (Neuropediatrics)
• Stefan Klöppel (Geriatric Psychiatry)
• Claudio Nigg (Sport Science)
• Iris Penner (Neuropsychology)
• Julia Schmid (Sport Science)
• Adrian Vatter (Political Science)
• Anna Maria Vicedo Cabrera (Social and Preventive Medicine)
• Claudia Weiss (Swiss Association of Nursing Science)
• Roland Wiest (Neuroradiology)
• Matthias Wilhelm (Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine)

Prerequisites for admission to the Certificate programme are

• a (university) degree and
• professional experience in the healthcare sector

Target group:

• Doctors with or without specialisation
• General practitioners
• Psychologists and neuropsychologists
• Sport scientists
• Nurses
• Physical, occupational and speech therapists
• Health care providers
• Public Health Specialists
• Engineers

Exceptions regarding admission requirements may be approved by the programme director «sur dossier». 

Permission to participate in the course is decided by the programme administration upon application by the course management. There is no automatic entitlement to admission.

Application deadline

The application deadline is October 31st, 2025. The official application deadline has passed. However, the form is still open, and applications are still possible. Please register as soon as possible if you wish to start with us in 2026.

Tuition fees

The fees are CHF 6'000. Scholarships are available.

Scholarships

Personal sponsor:

We encourage you to find your personal sponsor for your tuition fee. Your employer might take over some of the costs.

EAN scholarships:

The European Academy of Neurology offers different scholarship types for participants:

• who are residents from EAN member countries and corresponding member countries
• who come from low, lower-middle or upper-middle income countries*: 3 partial scholarships (4.000 CHF)
• who come from high-income countries*: 3 partial scholarship (2.000 CHF)

* as defined by the World Bank

To be considered for an EAN scholarship, please read the EAN scholarship information for CAS in Brain Health programme.

Sponsors and Partners

We gratefully acknowledge the support of our partners and sponsors, whose contributions make this work possible.

• European Academy of Neurology (EAN)
• Swiss Neurological Society (SNS)
• University Psychiatric Services Bern (UPD)
• Swiss Brain Health Foundation (SBHF)
• Swiss Federation of Clinical Neuro-Societies (SFCNS)
• Angelini Pharma

All content is developed independently; financial support from sponsors does not influence editorial decisions or scientific content.