Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health

The scale and complexity of brain health challenges call for new ways of working—bringing together diverse disciplines, sectors, and perspectives to drive meaningful and lasting change. Atlantic Fellows respond to a critical global need: collaborative leaders who can translate knowledge into action and advance brain health equity around the world.

Grounded in the clinical and research excellence of the UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center, the fellowship combines graduate-level education, leadership development, mentorship, clinical learning, and research engagement within a global hybrid learning model.

Designed for experienced professionals from diverse disciplines, the program meets fellows where they are. Whether entering the field from medicine, public health, research, the arts, policy, or another profession, fellows deepen their understanding of brain health while strengthening the skills and relationships needed to create lasting impact in their communities.

Learning Experience

The fellowship is structured around five interconnected components: curriculum, leadership, mentorship, clinical and research learning, and pilot project development.

Together, these experiences provide fellows with the knowledge, skills, networks, and confidence to become collaborative leaders advancing brain health equity worldwide.

Curriculum

The fellowship curriculum combines structured online learning, weekly interactive class sessions, international learning intensives, and a residential learning experience at UCSF.

Using a flipped-classroom model, fellows engage with course materials before participating in highly interactive discussions led by faculty and enriched by the diverse experiences of their peers. Coursework spans neuroscience, dementia, behavioral neurology, health equity, public health, epidemiology, ethics, health policy, health economics, leadership, and communication.

The curriculum is intentionally interdisciplinary, recognizing that advancing brain health requires collaboration across professions, sectors, and cultures.

Leadership

Leadership development is woven throughout the fellowship experience.

Through leadership retreats, small-group learning, reflective practice, communication workshops, and the GBHI Annual Conference, fellows strengthen their ability to lead collaboratively, navigate complexity, and create meaningful change. Grounded in GBHI's values of Authenticity, Fairness, Openness, Respect, Courage, and Empathy (A FORCE), the program encourages fellows to lead with curiosity, humility, and purpose.

Mentorship

Mentorship is a cornerstone of the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program and supports fellows throughout their leadership journey.

Every fellow is paired with a UCSF faculty mentor who provides academic guidance, professional development, and support throughout the fellowship year. Fellows also work with a regional mentor—typically a respected leader in their home community or professional field—who helps connect the fellowship experience to long-term goals and local impact. Together, these mentors help fellows expand their networks, refine their ideas, and develop projects that continue beyond the fellowship year.

UCSF faculty mentors bring expertise spanning behavioral neurology, dementia, neuroscience, neuropsychology, public health, epidemiology, implementation science, neuroimaging, genetics, health equity, caregiving, and the arts. Working closely with fellows throughout the year, they connect participants with learning opportunities, collaborators, and resources across UCSF and the broader GBHI network.

Meet the faculty at UCSF

Clinical Learning & Research

The UCSF fellowship offers fellows opportunities to learn within one of the world's leading centers for dementia care and brain health research.

Throughout the fellowship, fellows participate in clinical observations, grand rounds, faculty seminars, laboratory meetings, and interdisciplinary discussions that connect scientific discovery with real-world practice. These experiences provide meaningful exposure for fellows new to clinical brain health while offering experienced clinicians and researchers opportunities to deepen their expertise.

Examples of learning opportunities include:

• Clinical observations at the UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center
• Fein Memory and Aging Center Grand Rounds
• Faculty seminars and Professor Rounds
• Research laboratory meetings
• Community and lived experience learning opportunities

Certificate Award

Atlantic Fellows at UCSF earn a Certificate in Equity in Brain Health through a graduate-level program that combines coursework, leadership development, mentorship, clinical learning, and mentored project work.

The certificate recognizes fellows' successful completion of an interdisciplinary program designed to prepare leaders who can advance brain health equity in diverse professional and community settings.

Pilot Projects

A defining feature of the fellowship is the opportunity to develop a pilot project that extends learning beyond the fellowship year.

Fellows may apply for competitively awarded Pilot Awards for Global Brain Health Leaders, supported in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association and Alzheimer's Society (UK). These awards support innovative projects that improve brain health outcomes in fellows' home communities while strengthening leadership development and long-term collaboration.

Cross-Site Collaboration and Alumni Network

Building a global community of alumni working together to tackle inequities in brain health is central to the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health.

The program begins by building connections within the UCSF cohort, before linking fellows with colleagues at the Trinity College Dublin (Trinity) site through shared learning and collaboration. As the year progresses, fellows engage with the wider alumni network and the Atlantic Institute, becoming part of a global community committed to advancing brain health equity.