Sloka Iyengar Ph.D., PMP

Sloka Iyengar Ph.D., PMP is the co-chair of the Mental Health sub-working group. Iyengar has a track record of excellence in projects spanning major pharmaceutical clients, non-profit organizations, and academia. For her PhD, she worked with adults and children with refractory epilepsy to develop better therapeutic strategies. This work led to the approval of cannabidiol (CBD) for certain epilepsy syndromes.

In the recent past, Sloka realized the impact that science and effective science communication can have, and the critical need for science geared towards public good. To do this, she worked with collaborators in India and the US in the focus areas of mental health and substance abuse (including the use of arts and dance to promote positive mental health), aging and palliative care, and neurological disorders.

Sloka Iyengar is also an award-winning Bharatanatyam performer and practitioner and believe that the arts have an important role to play in society. As a practitioner of dance and science, she has created productions that explore the many points of convergence between dance and neuroscience.