The 2026 Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Think Tank meeting takes place in Gainesville, FL on September 16-18, 2026 with a theme of Navigating New Frontiers: Emerging Neural Circuits in Modern Neuromodulation.
Zoom registration link coming soon!
Select recordings will be available for some sessions following the event.
Wednesday, September 16
Pre-Tank Networking 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Session: Neuromodulation of the cerebellum
Moderator: Coralie deHemptinne, Ph.D.
Marta San Luciano, M.D., Ph.D.
Suneil Kalia, M.D., Ph.D.
Cleveland Clinic
Ken Baker, Ph.D.
Presentation Title: Cerebellar Deep Brain Stimulation
Coffee Break 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Session: Neuromodulation of mood and cognition
Moderator: Casey Halpern
Casey Halpern, M.D.
Nanthia Suthana, Ph.D.
University of Utah
Cory Inman, Ph.D.
Presentation Title: Capturing and Enhancing Episodic Memories Made in the Wild
Dismiss for Social Night
Thursday, September 17
Breakfast 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Session: sEEG guided neuromodulation
Moderator: Sameer Sheth
Baylor College of Medicine
Sameer Sheth, M.D., Ph.D.
Presentation Title: DBS for Psychiatric Disorders
Jonathon Parker, M.D., Ph.D.
University of California, San Francisco
Prasad Shirvalkar, M.D., Ph.D.
Presentation Title: Bespoke DBS for Chronic Pain: Tuning the Adaptive Knobs
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Session: Industry Blitz
Moderator: Jeff Herron
Lunch & Networking 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Session: Electrophysiology guided neuromodulation
Moderator: Todd Herrington
Todd Herrington, M.D., Ph.D.
Oxford University
Ashwini Oswal, DPhil
Presentation Title: Harnessing Neural and Behavioral Biomarkers for Closed-Loop Neuromodulation
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Esther Florin, Ph.D.
Presentation Title: Neurophysiological Network Effects of DBS to Optimize Clinical Outcome
Coffee Break 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Session: Ethics of neuromodulation
Moderator: Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz
Gabriel Lazaro-Munoz, Ph.D., J.D.
MetroHealth System, Case Western Reserve University
Cynthia Kubu, Ph.D., ABPP-CN
Presentation Title: TBD
Weill Cornell Medicine and Yale Law School
Joseph Fins, M.D., MACP, FRCP
Presentation Title: Neuroethics and Neuromodulation
6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Keynote Dinner & Presentation
Keynote Speaker: Mahdi Azizian
Friday, September 18
Breakfast 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Session: Digital health guided neuromodulation
Moderator: Ray Dorsey
Atria Research and Global Health Institute
Ray Dorsey, M.D.
Presentation Title: The Parkinson’s Plan
University Hospital Tuebingen, Germany
Alireza Gharabaghi, M.D.
Presentation Title:
Digital DBS Across the Treatment Pathway: Precision Surgical Planning, Remote Programming, and Machine-Learning-Based Outcome Prediction
University of florida
Diego Guarin, Ph.D.
Presentation Title:
Video-Based Derived Measures to Evaluate and Optimize DBS Programming in Parkinson’s Disease
Coffee Break 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Session: Advanced imaging in neuromodulation
Moderator: Nico Dosenbach
Nico Dosenbach, M.D., Ph.D.
Mayo Clinic Florida
Erik Middlebrooks, M.D.
Presentation Title: Advanced imaging in neuromodulation
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Mallory Hacker, Ph.D., MSCI
Presentation Title:
Deep Brain Stimulation in Early-Stage Parkinson’s Disease: Is Connectivity the Key to Disease Modification?
12:30 PM Adjourn and box lunches for those leaving and staying to network