Short Biography
Dr Sonu Bhaskar, MD, PhD, PHF, FANA, is an internationally acclaimed neurologist and physician-scientist specialising in vascular neurology and neuroradiology. He has over 200 peer-reviewed publications (H-index of 70 on Google Scholar, with more than 60,000 citations), ranking in the top 0.3% of the most cited research in neurology globally (Stanford/Clarivate Rankings 2025). Dr Bhaskar has delivered over 150 invited talks, including teaching lectures in neurology and global health, health systems leadership courses, and training programmes, and has chaired sessions at major national and international meetings. His publications appear in respected journals such as Nature Aging, The Lancet Neurology, Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, BMC Neurology, European Journal of Neuroscience, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, and Journal of Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery.
Dr Bhaskar is the founder and director of the Global Health Neurology Lab (Institute), which focuses on addressing disparities in neurological care and promoting health equity worldwide. He leads a multidisciplinary team of over 50 professionals in global health research. He is also the visionary behind the world’s first NSW Brain Clot Bank in Sydney, housed within NSW Health Pathology. The NSW Brain Clot Bank is pioneering transformative research focused on the prevention and treatment of strokes, setting a new benchmark in cerebrovascular health innovation.
Dr. Bhaskar has several years of leadership and governance experience in initiating and delivering systems change in senior leadership and executive roles at academic, healthcare, and research organizations, as well as not-for-profit boards and international consortia. Dr Bhaskar leads national and international initiatives on reducing health disparities with a focus on vulnerable populations and under-resourced settings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Bhaskar led the Pandemic Health System REsilience PROGRAM (REPROGRAM) international consortium (> 150 members from > 25 countries) of international healthcare physicians, researchers, and policymakers formed to champion the safety of healthcare workers, policy development, and advocacy for global pandemic preparedness and action. Dr. Bhaskar is a founding member, chair, and co-manager of the "Global Health and Migration" Community of Practice with the Berlin-based Global Health Hub Germany, championing interdisciplinary collaborations to address health challenges and promote equitable solutions for migrant populations worldwide. He serves on the editorial board of several leading journals, including PLOS One, BMC Neurology, BMC Medical Research Methodology, Frontiers in Stroke, Frontiers in Ageing, and Frontiers in Public Health. Dr Bhaskar has been featured on the Sydney Morning Herald, 9 News, Reuters Health/Medscape, Rotary Down Under, and ABC News-MSN.
Currently on sabbatical as Visiting Director at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Centre in Osaka, Japan (2023-25), Dr Bhaskar's research and leadership have informed and shaped healthcare policy not only within the Asia-Pacific region but also on a global level. His accolades include the European Academy of Neurology Investigator Award (2019; two-time winner), the Rotary Vocational Excellence Award (2020), election as a Fellow of the American Neurological Association (2022), the Australian Global Talent Award (2023), full membership of Sigma Xi (one of the world's most prestigious research honour societies), the JSPS International Fellowship (2023-25), and the TouchNeurology Future Leader (2025), among others.
