Training the Brain Health Workforce of Tomorrow: The Role of Trainees in Shaping Integrated, Preventive, and Equitable Brain Care

The concept of Brain Health is transforming the neuroscientific landscape, promoting an integrative and preventive approach to care under a unifying vision. This position paper, developed by Swiss junior societies in neurology and psychiatry, presents a trainee perspective on how Brain Health should be addressed from the earliest stages of postgraduate training. It explores current gaps in postgraduate training, including the continued separation of neurology, psychiatry and other specialties involved in brain disorder care, limited interdisciplinary and interprofessional exposure, and gaps in leadership, public health, and advocacy skills. We highlight promising models such as Switzerland’s integrated training components and the proposed “brain medicine” framework, inspired by internal medicine. Additionally, we examine innovative initiatives from trainee associations that promote collaborative learning, advocacy, and Brain Health awareness through academic and creative channels. The paper also stresses the importance of equitable global access to training, the integration of research into clinical education, and the urgent need to address burnout and working conditions among early-career professionals. By reframing trainees not as passive learners but as active agents of change, we call for systemic reforms that support their role in advancing Brain Health. Ultimately, we advocate for the development of international core competencies, adaptable curricula, and structured interdisciplinary pathways that embed Brain Health into every level of medical training. Only through this comprehensive approach can we equip the next generation of clinicians to promote lifelong Brain Health across specialties, systems, and populations.