Francis X. Shen

Why every story is a brain story

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About Francis X. Shen

Francis X. Shen is committed to building the new field of law and neuroscience, and conducts empirical, legal, and ethical research to examine how insights from neuroscience can make the legal system more just and effective. In his role as Director of the Shen Neurolaw Lab, his motto is “Every story is a brain story.” Francis is also the Executive Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Law, Brain, and Behavior; an Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School, and an Associate Professor of Law, McKnight Presidential Fellow, as well as a faculty member in the Graduate Program on Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. Francis has published extensively on a range of neurolaw topics.

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About This Talk

In this powerful TEDMED 2020 Talk, Neurolaw Rebel Francis X. Shen makes a compelling case for merging the field of neuroscience with the legal system to move our society constantly closer to the truth. Neuroscience aids the informed decision making of attorneys and judges to use brain evidence for more effective criminal sentences, helps us protect individuals with cognitive disabilities from predatory financial scams, and so much more.

Francis believes that in the law “every story is a brain story”. The law and neuroscience revolution will lead to many discoveries that will inform our pursuit of justice in law and policy. Watch his talk "Why every story is a brain story".


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