Sebastian F. Winter, M.D. Ph.D.

Policy Work

Technical Consultant, World Health Organization (WHO), 2024 - current

Brain Health Unit (BRH), Department of Mental Health, Brain Health and Substance Use (MSD), World Health Organization Headquarters
Supporting the Unit's workstream on implementing WHO’s Intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders (IGAP) 2022-31, including the development of normative guidance and technical products, country work, partnership development, and global brain health advocacy and promotion/prevention strategies.

Head of Policy and Research, International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE), 2022 - 2024

I worked with an interdisciplinary team committed to make epilepsy a global public health priority and improving the lives of over 50 million people living with epilepsy worldwide.
Building capacity for 150 IBE Chapters in 100+ countries, developing and implementing policy advocacy programs (featured in The Lancet Neurology), coordinating inter-agency projects, managing strategic partnerships, organizing multistakeholder conferences on WHO/UN policy frameworks, and leading technical publications on global health and policy issues.

Policy Research

Winter, H.M.E.*, Turk, A.M. & Winter, S.F.* Meaningful work in peril? Preserving self-efficacy in the age of artificial intelligence. AI Ethics (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-025-00717-5*equal author contributions.
Winter, S.F., Walsh, D., Catsman-Berrevoets, C., Feigin, V., Destrebecq, F., Dickson, S.L., Leonardi, M., Hoemberg, V., Tassorelli, C., Ferretti, M.T. and Dé, A., 2024. National plans and awareness campaigns as priorities for achieving global brain health. The Lancet Global Health, 12(4), pp.e697-e706.Impact factor 2024: 34.3
Winter S.F., Walsh D., Grisold W., Jordan J.T., Singhi P., Cross J.H., Guekht A., Hawrot T., Destrebecq F., Feigin V.L., Kariuki S.M. et al. Uniting for global brain health: Where advocacy meets awareness. Epilepsy & Behavior. 2023 Aug 1;145.Impact factor 2022: 2.6
Winter, S.F. IGAP Unpacked: A Practical Guide to the World Health Organization’s Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders 2022 - 2031. International Bureau for Epilepsy, January 2023.
Winter, S.F., Walsh, D., Amos, A., Secco, M., Sofia, F., Baker, G.A. The WHO intersectoral global action plan and epilepsy cascade target: Towards a roadmap for implementation. Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy, 103 (2022) 148–150.Impact factor 2020: 3.184
Winter, S.F., Angeler, D.G., Dawson, W.D., et al. Brain health-directed policymaking: A new concept to strengthen democracy. The Brookings Institution, November 2022.
Winter, S.F. and Winter, S.F., 2018. Human dignity as leading principle in public health ethics: a multi-case analysis of 21st century German health policy decisions. International journal of health policy and management, 7(3), p.210.Impact factor 2020: 5.007
The Division of Health Systems and Public Health, WHO Europe, 2015. Ambulatory care sensitive conditions in Germany. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; December 2015.