"Brain Health, Equity, and Our Shared Planet" Spotlighted as GBHI Celebrates a Decade of Leadership, Research and Impact

The Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at Trinity College Dublin this week hosted the inaugural Chuck Feeney Lecture, marking ten years of leadership, innovation and global impact in brain health.

^{Left to Right: Christopher G Oeschli, former President and CEO, Atlantic Philanthropies; Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland; Juno Gerolmo-Feeney; Micheál Martin, Taoiseach; Helga Feeney; Dr Linda Doyle, Provost, Trinity; Prof. Iracema Leroi, GBHI Site Director, Trinity. Photos: Paul Sharp.}

On June 10, global leaders, researchers and innovators gathered at Trinity College Dublin to explore how new thinking and emerging research are reshaping our understanding of brain health — not simply as the absence of disease, but as central to how individuals and societies function and thrive.

Speakers, at the inaugural Chuck Feeney Lecture, included Iracema Leroi, MD GBHI Site Director at Trinity; Micheál Martin, An Taoiseach; Dr Linda Doyle, Provost, Trinity; Christopher G. Oechsli, former President and CEO, Atlantic Philanthropies; Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland.

The event also featured contributions from the wider Trinity and GBHI communities, including GBHI Founding Directors at Trinity, Ian Robertson, PhD, and Brian Lawlor, MD; Atlantic Fellow Kimberley Benjamin; and Rupa Marya, MD, Adjunct Professor of Land, Food and Medicine at Trinity's School of Medicine.

Centered on the theme of “brain health, equity, and our shared planet”, the lecture explored how brain health reflects a lifetime of social and environmental conditions, many of which are shaped by inequality. There was additional focus on some of the emerging threats to brain health arising from our environments and social systems — from food and climate to inequality and human rights – and on how pressures such as climate anxiety, inequality, exclusion, and chronic stress accumulate to affect the brain, shaping mental health, ageing, and disease.

Dr Linda Doyle, Provost, Trinity, said: “The 10th anniversary of the founding of GBHI, with the support of Atlantic Philanthropies, stands as a fitting testament to the living legacy of Chuck Feeney’s extraordinary generosity.

“Chuck Feeney understood the value of research, the importance of evidence-informed policy, and the power of international cooperation. Today, these very principles are under attack in a world increasingly dominated by populism and polarisation.

“Chuck Feeney's generosity crossed oceans and borders, and the international character of GBHI, grounded in rigorous academic research, offers an excellent model for the way we must continue to work: collaboratively, across disciplines and nations, in the pursuit of knowledge for the good of people.”

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, TD, said: “Chuck Feeney had a deep and sincere belief in humanity. He believed that, to achieve a high standard of living in a society, investment in advanced research was not an option, it was essential. And there are few more important public health issues than brain health. It affects our ability to think, learn work, connect, and contribute to society. The Global Brain Health Institute empowers people with an understanding of their personal agency with brain health. This is the extraordinary legacy Chuck Feeney has left for the people of Ireland.”

Mary Robinson said: “The challenges we face — climate change, inequality, and their impact on human health and wellbeing — are deeply interconnected. Effective responses must come from communities themselves, reflect local realities, and recognise that there are no global solutions without local voices.”

^{Equity, Environment, and Brain Health panel disucssion. From left to right: Mary Robinson, Dr Rupa Mayra, Kimberley Benjamin, Ian Robertson and Iracema Leroi.} 

Speakers also reflected on Chuck Feeney’s vision and legacy, including his impact on Ireland and Trinity, and his commitment to building fairer, more equitable societies — a legacy that includes the establishment of GBHI and the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program.

Christopher G. Oechsli said: “Chuck Feeney’s Giving While Living philosophy and actions have generated a living legacy that will extend for generations. His investments in institutions, buildings, and people – like the final investments in the Atlantic Fellows - will have lasting influence and impact to improve the human condition. Equally significant, Chuck’s example reinforces what is best in all of us and nurtures our shared aspiration for fairer, healthier, and more inclusive societies.”

About The Chuck Feeney Lecture Series

Over the past decade, GBHI’s global community of Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health has grown to more than 300 fellows from over 65 countries, dedicated to advancing brain health and equity worldwide.

None of this would have been possible without Chuck Feeney’s extraordinary vision and generosity, which have made an immeasurable difference not only to GBHI, but also to Trinity, Ireland, and the countless people around the world whose lives his philanthropy has touched.

In honour of this legacy, GBHI at Trinity is establishing The Chuck Feeney Lecture Series as an annual platform for knowledge sharing, discussion, and leadership at the intersection of equity, brain health, and society.