2026 Summit

Join us for our 3rd Annual NJAM Neurotech Justice Summit 2026

Neurotech in Your Pocket: The Ethical and Legal Challenges of Treating and Researching the Brain with AI-Enabled Smart Devices

Hosted by the Neurotech Justice Accelerator at Mass General Brigham (NJAM), a Dana Foundation Center for Neuroscience & Society 

Smart phones, watches, and other devices to monitor and modify physical and mental activity could improve health and legal outcomes, but they could also exacerbate inequities and sacrifice privacy. This year’s Neurotech Justice Summit will offer students and trainees a unique opportunity to learn from a diverse array of experts about the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI-enabled smart devices as deployed in clinic and courtroom. 

Overview

Neurotechnology and artificial intelligence are rapidly transforming how we understand the brain, mental health, and human cognition. The Neurotech Justice Summit brings together researchers, advocates, technologists, and community leaders for a dynamic day of conversation and interactive breakout sessions. Together, we will explore digital neurotechnology and the intersection of technology, ethics, law, policy, and lived experience through an intersectional lens. Through collaborative discussions and hands-on activities, participants will examine how emerging neurotechnologies may affect different communities for better and worse, and will learn about opportunities to build more just, inclusive, and community-centered neurotech futures. 

2026 Summit Registration Form-Click Here

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Friday, June 12, 2026
8 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET

Agenda

The Neurotech Justice Summit is the flagship annual convening of the Neurotech Justice Accelerator (NJAM) at Mass General Brigham, a Dana Center for Neuroscience & Society. The grant is being led by neurosurgeon Theresa Williamson, neuroethicist Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz, and law and neuroscience professor Francis Shen.  

The Neurotech Justice Summit brings together clinicians, legal scholars, ethicists, industry, researchers, and community leaders to examine the ethical, legal, and societal dimensions of neurotech innovation.  

The 2026 summit theme is: “Neurotech in Your Pocket”. 

A distinguishing feature of the Neurotech Justice Summit—and of NJAM’s broader mission—is the mentorship and development of the next generation of neuroscience and society scholars, practitioners, and changemakers. Through intentional training, collaboration, and leadership opportunities, the Summit creates space for emerging voices to shape the future of neurotechnology with accountability and community at the center.  

8:00am-9:00am: Registration & Networking / Breakfast 

9:00am-9:05am: Welcome & Introduction 

• Kailyn Price, PhD, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Neurotech Justice Accelerator at MGB 

9:05am-9:15am: Dana Foundation Leadership Remarks  

• Caroline Montojo, PhD, President & CEO, Dana Foundation 

• Ishan Dasgupta, JD, MPH, Director, Dana NextGen Program  

9:15am-9:35am: ​Keynote: A New Approach to Youth Mental Health, Dr. Kevin Simon 

Dr. Kevin Simon is Boston’s first Chief Behavioral Health Officer appointed by Mayor Michelle Wu. A physician-scientist, healthcare policy expert, inspirational teacher, and noted writer, in this keynote talk Dr. Simon will talk about innovative methods and technologies to improve youth mental health. 

• Kevin Simon, MD, MPH, Chief Behavioral Health Officer, City of Boston; Physician-Psychiatrist-Scientist, Boston Children’s Hospital; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School 

9:35am-9:50am: Q&A with Dr. Simon 

• Nachelle Duque, Clinical Research Coordinator, Neurotech Justice Accelerator at MGB 

After the keynote, audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions in this session moderated by NJAM trainee Nachelle Duque. 

9:50am-10:45am: Neurotech in Your Pocket: The Science, Ethics, and Legal Implications of Digital Mental Health Tools 

In this session we will explore the future of portable neurotechnology through discussion with industry leaders developing new digital tools to improve brain health, wellness and mental health. Dr. Theresa Williamson, neurosurgeon and NJAM Co-Director, will moderate and invite audience participation in the discussion. 

• Panelist: Elsa Friis, PhD, Msc-GH, VP of Product & Clinical, Alongside Care 

• Panelist: Rob Baldoni, CEO & Co-Founder, dannce.ai 

• Moderator: Theresa Williamson, MD, Co-Director, Neurotech Justice Accelerator at MGB; Director, Center for Minimally Invasive and Endoscopic Spinal Surgery, and Director, Center for Innovative Neurotechnology for Neural Repair, Brown University; Co-Chair, Surgical Ethics Working Group, HMS Center for Bioethics

10:45am-11:00am: BREAK 

11:00am-11:30am: The Trajectory of Neurotechnologies: Too Fast or Too Slow? When to say yes, no, or maybe later. 

The history of neuroscience in society is filled with examples where scientific tools exacerbated inequities by being adopted too early or too late. Will the latest wave of neuroscience technology be different? What steps need to be taken to ensure that neuroscience promotes justice? Sociologist of neuroscience Dr. Oliver Rollins will discuss these questions in this session with Dr. Theresa Williamson.  

Theresa Williamson, Panelist: Oliver Rollins, PhD, Associate Professor of Science, Technology, and Society (STS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Panelist:  Oliver Rollins, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of American Ethnic Studies, University of Washington

Moderator: Theresa Williamson, MD, Co-Director, Neurotech Justice Accelerator at MGB; Director, Center for Minimally Invasive and Endoscopic Spinal Surgery, and Director, Center for Innovative Neurotechnology for Neural Repair, Brown University; Co-Chair, Surgical Ethics Working Group, HMS Center for Bioethics

11:30am-11:50am: Navigating the Uncertain Future of Neurotech Justice: An Introduction to NJAM’s Neurotech Mismatch Analysis Framework, Dr. Francis Shen 

How can we know when a particular neurotechnology is ready for a particular clinical or courtroom use? In this session NJAM Co-Director Dr. Francis Shen will introduce NJAM’s new Neurotech Mismatch Analysis Framework, a practical tool which can be used to answer this question. Your feedback during lunch and throughout the day will help to shape this tool. 

• Dr. Francis X. Shen, JD, PhD, Co-Director, Neurotech Justice Accelerator at Mass General Brigham; Director, Dana Foundation Career Network in Neuroscience & Society; Chief Innovation Officer, MGH Center for Law, Brain & Behavior; Professor of Law & Faculty Member, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota; Member, Harvard Center for Bioethics 

11:50am-12:20pm: Lunch  

12:20pm-1:00pm: Lunch Working Session – Neurotech Justice Case Studies 

During lunch, NJAM Post-Doctoral Fellows will lead discussion and a short interactive exercise to see how the Neurotech Mismatch Analysis Framework can be applied to real cases in law and in medicine.  

Moderator: Emmanuel Mensah, MD, MPH, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Neurotech Justice Accelerator at Mass General Brigham; 

Moderator: Javier Mesa, JD, PhD, Dana Foundation Neurotech Justice Fellow at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School; Post-Doctoral Fellow, Neurotech Justice Accelerator at Mass General Brigham;  

1:00pm-1:45pm: Interactive Breakout Sessions 

Neurotech Justice Summit attendees will work together in small groups to apply the Mismatch Analysis Framework as they critically examine social applications of neuroscience and consider both the perils from moving too fast and the lost opportunities from moving too slow to adopt neurotech. 

1:45pm-2:00pm: Closing Remarks from NJAM Leadership 

• Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz, PhD, JD, Associate Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital; Co-Director, Neurotech Justice Accelerator at MGB  

• Francis X. Shen, JD, PhD, Dr. Francis X. Shen, JD, PhD, Co-Director, Neurotech Justice Accelerator at Mass General Brigham; Director, Dana Foundation Career Network in Neuroscience & Society; Chief Innovation Officer, MGH Center for Law, Brain & Behavior; Professor of Law & Faculty Member, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota; Member, Harvard Center for Bioethics 

• Theresa Williamson, MD, Co-Director, Neurotech Justice Accelerator at MGB; Director, Center for Minimally Invasive and Endoscopic Spinal Surgery, and Director, Center for Innovative Neurotechnology for Neural Repair, Brown University; Co-Chair, Surgical Ethics Working Group, HMS Center for Bioethics

2:00pm-3:00pm: NJAM Ice Cream Social

Mass General Brigham welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions, please contact us at njam@mgh.harvard.edu in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance, if possible. Please note that we will make every effort to secure services, but that services are subject to availability.