Bridging Ancient Wisdom with Modern Science: SIP x WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit

Nations often track "Brain Drain"—the loss of talent to foreign shores. At the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit in New Delhi, SIP and WHO addressed a more silent, pervasive crisis: "Brain Strain."

When burnout and anxiety hollow out our collective potential, talent doesn't leave the country; their potential simply evaporates. This invisible haemorrhage of "Mental Capital" costs the global economy $1 trillion annually. At Social Innovation Park (SIP), we believe in democratizing health and resilience. Our collaboration with the World Health Organization was designed to demystify meditation and holistic practices through science, towards creating a layer of strategic public infrastructure.

The Milestone: SIP was proud to curate The "Meditation and Brain" Space at the WHO GTMS Expo, "bringing science to meditation." By curating a group of international scientists and experts, and utilizing advanced EEG technology to visualize brain activity in real-time, we demonstrated that meditation and mindfulness are not “fluff”, passivity and inactivity—they create measurable neurological and biological shifts.

The significance of this work was highlighted by the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit and at the Summit’s Expo site, signaling a global momentum towards science-backed holistic well-being.

SIP's thought leadership on WHO GTMS Plenary: 

“Impact of meditation on health – restoring balance from individual to social and ecological well-being.”

SIP Founder Hon. Penny Low was invited as an esteemed speaker alongside the Dr. Sylvie Briand, WHO Chief Scientist and top global experts. She delivered a visionary call to action: just as we fight the climate change of our planet, we must address the "Internal Climate Change"—the rising temperature of our minds, as the world grapples with mental health challenges. She proposed that governments treat meditation as a "public good" and a mental health "vaccine" for the 21st century, and a call for more scientific research and application.

It was a privilege to share the stage and advance this dialogue with fellow panelists:

• Professor Sara Lazar (Harvard Medical School)

• Professor Dr. Holger Cramer (University of Tübingen)

• Dr. Marcelo Demarzo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo)

• Dr. Olga Klimecki (University of Jena/Dresden)

• Dr. Gururaj Mutalik (WHO)

Gratitude for an Impactful Partnership 

Our deepest gratitude to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for your appreciation of our work and your openness to continued collaboration.

Special thanks to WHO Chief Scientist Dr. Sylvie Briand, Prof. Benoit Dubuis, President of Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW and President of INARTIS Foundation, Tan Le, Founder of EMOTIV, and dedicated partners and team: Geetha Krishnan, Andres De Francisco, Thidar Pyone, Lori McDougall, Catalin Iacobescu, Aditi Bana, Mayank Bansal, Kim Old, Prof. Giorgio Carta, Federica De Nardi, Alessandro De Vita Zublena, Christian Burgos, Giovani Florek.

Let's join hands to co-build a more inclusive, sustainable and mindful world.