Celebrating a decade of impact, GBHI welcomes the 2025–26 cohort of Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health.
Ten cohorts. More than 300 leaders. One shared mission: advancing equity in brain health worldwide.
The Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) proudly welcomes the new cohort of Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health, marking a decade of championing changemakers across disciplines and regions.
These fellows represent 25 countries, four of which—Bangladesh, Barbados, Malaysia, and Namibia—are joining the GBHI network for the first time. They bring a wealth of experience from the arts, medicine, science, and public health, ready to tackle the most pressing challenges in brain health locally and globally.
Meet the 2025–26 Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health
“It is an honor to welcome our milestone 10th cohort of Atlantic Fellows,” said Iracema Leroi, GBHI Site Director, Trinity College Dublin. “Their diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives will genuinely enrich our community. Only by working across disciplines, cultures, and communities can we confront urgent brain health challenges and deliver crucial change worldwide.”
The Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program provides twelve months of innovative training, mentorship, and collaboration opportunities at GBHI’s founding sites—University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Trinity College Dublin. Fellows work across disciplines to address local and global brain health challenges, with a focus on dementia prevention, public awareness, policy change, and evidence-based interventions.
“As this new group joins more than 300 Atlantic Fellows worldwide, I’m encouraged by the change our alumni are already making—improving care, raising awareness, and influencing policy,” said Victor Valcour, GBHI Site Director, UCSF. “I look forward to seeing how these fellows build on that momentum in their own communities.”
Since its inception in 2016, GBHI has built a global network of fellows who merge science, creativity, and cultural understanding to address the social and environmental factors that influence brain health. This approach fosters innovation and helps develop practical solutions for real-world challenges.
Worldwide, more than 55 million people are currently living with dementia, most in low- and middle-income countries. According to the 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care, research suggests that approximately half of dementia cases could be prevented by addressing risk factors such as limited access to education, social isolation, and physical inactivity across the life span. Fellows are leaders in their regions and are well positioned to guide approaches that are tailored and culturally appropriate to the communities they serve.
With the addition of the 10th cohort, GBHI’s global community is better equipped than ever to confront brain health challenges. By sharing knowledge, forging partnerships, and taking action across borders, fellows are working toward a world where healthy brains are within reach for all.
