UT Dallas students Shreeyalaxhmee Rao and Riya Acharya won the $5,000 grand prize.
Overview
Encouraging innovative approaches to brain health during BrainHealth Week 2026, UT Dallas and Center for BrainHealth awarded the first-ever Brain Health Prize to recognize student innovation focused on how college campuses can help improve mental well-being across their communities. Half of the cash award is designated for implementation, and the other half as a personal stipend.“”
“As part of a university, working with students and young adults is part of our DNA. Research is continually expanding the tools and strategies that can help people thrive in every stage of life. By bringing brain-healthy practices to college campuses, we are not just educating but also empowering and equipping the next generation to prioritize their brain health and optimize their brain performance to fuel their success.”
— Lori Cook, PhD, CCC-SLP
Director of Clinical Research
Center for BrainHealth
The winning proposal, Resilience Neighborhoods, envisions a campus-wide system designed to build stress resilience through in-person advocates and gamified connections. Runners-up include The Rewrite Project by Elena Tran and Project Perihelion by Alekya Tanikella, Aiswarya Saravanan, Isha Rojanala, and Jyotsna Tera.“”
“The college campus provides the perfect environment to learn that brain health is not something separate you do, it’s part of everything you do. Access to proactive brain health supports wellbeing and academic success, and will shape the future of work. ... “Through these initiatives, we are leveraging the expertise from our Center for BrainHealth to benefit the entire UT Dallas community.”
— Adam J. Woods, PhD
Dean, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
The University of Texas at Dallas.
This opportunity was launched by the Brain Healthy Campus Collaborative, whose founding members include: Seth Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity, RADical Hope, Waves and Center for BrainHealth. UT Dallas piloted the prize in 2025. Read more at DCEO
