by Matilde Leonardi, EAN Communication Committee Chair
Dear Colleagues, Friends, and Fellow Members of EAN,
Let me begin with a story, because what I feel today cannot be fully understood without it.
In 1992, I launched and founded the WHO Neurology and Public Health initiative, presenting for the first time the conceptual and scientific foundations for the union of these two pillars of my profession. I wrote a book on it. I believed, with the certainty that only a young and perhaps reckless passion can produce, that neurology could not remain confined to the clinic—that it had a public responsibility, a political duty, a population-level destiny. From that moment, I defined myself as a neuropolitician: someone who combines rigorous neuroscience research—particularly in disorders of consciousness for which I am founder and director of the Coma Research Centre at National Neurological Institute Besta in Milan—with the principles of public health applied to the full breadth of neurological disease.
For thirty years, I carried that conviction through institutions, through international corridors, through moments of doubt and moments of extraordinary possibility. And then, in May 2022, at the World Health Assembly, something happened that I had not dared to take for granted: the approval of the WHO Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders — the IGAP. A revolution, quietly ratified in Geneva. For the first time in the history of global health, neurology was formally declared a public health issue, and brain health was enshrined as a new goal for global health. The dream of a young, passionate neurologist had become true.
And then, as if the story had its own design, I was elected Chair of the Communication Committee of EAN. For me, this was not simply a role. It was the moment I had been preparing for, without knowing it, since the beginning of my international career. To be part of an organisation of this stature, representing the best of European neurology, and to be entrusted with its voice—this was the chance to finally, concretely, implement everything I had been building: the principles of public health, brain health, and neuropolitics that had guided my entire professional life.
As my mandate now draws to a close, I find myself pausing to reflect—not on the work itself, but on the extraordinary people who made it meaningful.
I had the privilege of serving across the presidencies of three remarkable leaders, each of whom shaped this mandate in their own way. I began my journey alongside Claudio Bassetti at the close of his tenure; a founding encounter that set the tone for everything that followed. Then came the honour of serving as Communication Committee Chair under Paul Boon, during whose presidency we launched the articulation of brain health as the EAN’s north star, the founding of the Brain Health Mission, and the G7 event on Brain Health in Ancona; a moment that brought neurology to the international political stage and embodied everything the neuropolitician in me had long believed possible. And it has been a particular honour to conclude this chapter with my second mandate alongside Elena Moro, under whose presidency we achieved two landmark milestones: the Enhancing Neurology in Europe Initiative and the Brussels Neurology Declaration; bold, historic statements of what European neurology stands for and where it must go.
None of this would have resonated beyond our walls without the tireless dedication of the whole EAN staff in Vienna who amplified every message, every initiative, every milestone. I want to express my deepest personal gratitude to Benedetta Bodini, eanNews Editor, and Letizia Leocani, EAN Website Editor, two exceptional colleagues who gave voice and visibility to our work with professionalism, warmth, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Together with all my colleagues on the Communication Committee, we strove every single day to speak about the EAN as what it truly is: the home of neurology.
Within the EAN, we also began together the vital work of implementing all the work of our Scientific Panels and the IGAP across our 48 member countries. Each of us carries that mandate forward, to turn global commitment into national reality, and national reality into better lives for people living with neurological conditions across Europe and beyond.
To my fellow members of the Communication Committee: you were the engine. Your creativity, dedication, and willingness to go beyond what was asked turned ideas into initiatives, and initiatives into impact. Every campaign, every publication, every digital outreach effort carried your fingerprints and I am endlessly grateful.
To the EAN Board: serving alongside you has been a privilege I will never take for granted. Your trust gave me the freedom to lead boldly, and your support gave me the confidence to stay the course. Being part of this board was not simply a position—it was a calling, and I embraced it with my whole heart.
To the EAN Head Office team: thank you for your patience, your professionalism, and your quiet dedication to keeping everything running beautifully behind the scenes.
And to the broader EAN community, the neurologists, researchers, patient advocates, and collaborators across Europe and beyond: you are the reason this work matters for me. Every word we crafted, every message we amplified, was always in service of you and the patients you champion.
The work I carry forward from this role is perhaps the most ambitious yet: Brain Health for all of Europe and beyond. Brain health is not a specialty concern, it is a human right and a civilizational priority. I have dedicated my life’s work to making that case, and I will continue to do so with everything I have, across borders, across systems, and across generations.
I am proud of what we built together. I believe we moved the needle. I believe we raised the voice of European neurology in ways that will echo well beyond my tenure. And yes. I believe we made a difference.
Handing over this role is bittersweet, but I do so with deep gratitude and full confidence in what comes next. The foundation is strong. The momentum is real. The mission, the worldwide IGAP implementation, brain health, the neuroscience developments, neurology as a public health imperative, continues, and each of us owns a part of it.
Thank you. from the bottom of my heart, for the honour of this journey.
With warmth, admiration, and lasting gratitude,
Matilde Leonardi
Chair, EAN Communication Committee and EAN Board
Founder, WHO Neurology and Public Health Initiative (1992)
Co-Author, WHO Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders (WHOIGAP)
Director Neurology, Public health Disability and Coma Research Centre, FINCB Besta, Milan
