Friends of BrainHealth donor circle awards coveted grants to fuel innovative research

(Press-News.org) The 2024 Ramona Jones Friends of BrainHealth Luncheon on September 30, 2024 continued the 25th anniversary celebration of Center for BrainHealth – part of The University of Texas at Dallas – and the second year this annual event has been sponsored by founding Advisory Board member Ramona Jones and her family.

Staged “Shark Tank”-style” at the Dallas Country Club, the event featured a competition between emerging scientists pitching novel research proposals and vying for $20,000 in seed funding. Event co-chair Nikki Kapioltas opened the event, calling attention to a milestone year, including record-breaking luncheon attendance and a fundraising total of $600,000 to support the growth of early-career scientists. “After they complete their study and their findings are published, they can take this and move forward to gain more funding,” Kapioltas explained. “These emerging scientists can change the world.”

Center for BrainHealth Chief Director Sandi Chapman, PhD, welcomed UT Dallas’ newly appointed dean of the School of Behavior and Brain Sciences, cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Adam Woods. Thanking BrainHealth’s volunteer leaders, she asserted “gratitude catapults brain health,” extending special appreciation and birthday wishes to 96-year-old Ramona Jones, in attendance, as “the poster girl for BrainHealth.”

BrainHealth Director of Clinical Research Lori Cook, PhD, CCC-SLP, moderated a panel discussion with research finalists Micaela Andreo (from Dr. Chandramallika Basak’s lab), Tracy Brown (from Dr. Francesca Filbey’s lab), and Ashley Campos (from Dr. Bart Rypma’s lab).

After a live audience Q&A, attendees voted to select Andreo as the recipient of this year’s “Audience Choice” Award for her proposal, Improving the Effectiveness of Cognitive Training in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Social Networks to Improve Cognitive Networks. The pilot study will investigate the impact of social networking on the efficacy of previously developed computerized training for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This was Andreo’s second year as a finalist and first award from Friends of BrainHealth.

Audience members also heard project concepts from three predetermined “Visionary New Scientists,” who also expressed gratitude to their respective award sponsors:

Thanks to Beverly and Don Freeman – Dr. Jessica Kraft (from Dr. Kristen Kennedy’s lab) will explore cognitive aging trajectories in a novel longitudinal project, Structural and Functional Metrics of Brain Aging and Cognitive Decline; Thanks to Lyda Hill Philanthropies – Jessica Ma (from Dr. Bart Rypma’s lab) will study the brain-basis for cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neuropsychological testing, Flowing in and out of the Brain: Understanding Blood Flow Between Networks as a Predictor of Cognitive Decline in Multiple Sclerosis; Thanks to Kay and Will Beecherl – Hulon Sherard (from Dr. Bart Rypma’s lab) will seek to identify new biomarkers and treatment approaches in the first whole-brain examination of function with consideration to aging and Alzheimer’s, Exploring the Genesis of Alzheimer’s Disease Using Whole-Brain Metrics. In closing remarks, event co-chair Sarah Schoellkopf shared the excitement of seeing “so many old and new faces” in the crowd. Celebrating the growing influence of BrainHealth research over the years, Schoellkopf announced the incoming Friends of BrainHealth chairs Pam Busbee and Emilynn Wilson, who will lead the 2025 campaign.

Dedicated to supporting emerging researchers with grants to fund innovative new studies, the donor circle has raised nearly $5 million since its inception, providing more than 50 seedling grants to emerging researchers. Members who join Friends of BrainHealth at any level receive an invitation to attend the annual luncheon and lend their voice to the future of BrainHealth research.

ABOUT CENTER FOR BRAINHEALTHCenter for BrainHealth, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving, and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting the continual growth of cognition, well-being and social connections in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to thrive and unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations leverage 1) the BrainHealth Index, a proprietary measure that uniquely charts one’s upward (or downward) brain health trajectory whatever their starting level; and 2) Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™) brain health training, a strategy-based toolkit developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades.

END