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Inaugural BrainHealth Week Empowers People to Thrive With Better Brain Health

Logo for BrainHealth Week 2023.

Center for BrainHealth

BrainHealth Week (Feb. 20-24) Celebrates Brain’s Ability to Get Stronger

Free activities feature Daily Text Challenge and in-person events.Center for BrainHealth® is taking a bold new step to empower people of all ages to learn daily habits that are healthy for the brain and can change the trajectory of their lives, by announcing the inaugural BrainHealth Week, to take place February 20-24, 2023. This will be a five-day, free interactive experience filled with expert speakers, engaging activities, access to brain health insights, and support for brain-healthy habits that can become part of a daily routine. "Decades of research demonstrate that intelligence, memory, cognitive function and even mental health can be impacted by how we use our brains each day – during BrainHealth Week, we will be showing people how transformative it can be and how easy it is to get proactive,” said Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD, chief director of Center for BrainHealth and professor at The University of Texas at Dallas.Five days of FREE brain-healthy activities and insightsProgramming is free and will feature three kinds of daily engagement opportunities all week: - A Daily Text Challenge (text BRAIN to 888-844-8991) - On-site and live-streamed events - Curiosity-building content and activities that can be accessed onlineEach day will focus on a brain-healthy theme and will feature at least one public activity (with prior registration):
  • Growth mindset (Monday) – Enjoy a Family Fun Fair at the center, with engaging activities for kids of all ages in collaboration with multiple community partners. The day will also feature a special appearance by Steven Lee from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, a sneak peek of a new children’s mindfulness podcast from KERA, and an interactive moment to practice mindfulness with a sound immersion experience from a member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Youth Musicians.
  • Clarity and culture (Tuesday) – Attend a virtual conversation between Dr. Kara Allen, chief impact officer at Spurs Sports & Entertainment; Katie Edwards, chief impact officer of the Dallas Mavericks; and Dr. Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College.
  • Meaningful connections (Wednesday) – Join rising leaders from Dallas in a special happy hour at the center; experience the impact that art and connection (to people and purpose) can have on the brain; and hear from special guests Steven and William Ladd – brothers and creators of the Scrollathon® community art initiative.
  • Emotional balance (Thursday) – Learn from Dr. Tom Insel, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, who will share his insights about a better way forward from his book Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health.
  • Impact (Friday) – Practice your possibility thinking by imagining the far-reaching impact of better brain health across all sectors of our community. Tune in to a live-streamed panel conversation about the community impact of better brain health, featuring leaders from Baylor Community Care Clinics, Big Thought Institute, Community Does It, D Magazine Partners and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.
Easy access, simple steps Empowering people is as critical as raising awareness. A recent national survey of 1,000+ people confirmed that while the vast majority (95% of respondents) believe that they can change their brains, fewer than 3 in 10 know where to turn to get started. "At Center for BrainHealth, we are uniquely devoted to discovering and applying the latest scientific findings about the brain’s ability to change based on how we use it," added Chapman. "What good is science if people don’t know how to use it to make their lives better?"The Daily Text Challenge will fill that critical gap. Each morning, participants will get a daily habit to try out, as well as an insight about how incorporating it into their daily routine can help improve their overall brain health. The challenges are designed to be simple steps that anyone can do, with the ultimate goal of showing people how easy it is to become empowered. Transformative impact amplified by community involvement Cognitive neuroscience suggests that the trend of worsening brain outcomes – decline, disease, mental health disorders, despair, loneliness, brain fog – can be reversed. Healthier brain habits can change life trajectories. Intelligence, memory, cognitive function and even mental health can be impacted by how we protect and train our brains: in a groundbreaking study with 187 adults of all ages, 80% of participants saw an improvement in their BrainHealth Index scores (a scientifically validated measure of the brain’s holistic health and fitness). Participants who engaged the most with proactive brain health strategies experienced the largest gains.

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"A focus on better brain health can empower people and improve their quality of life. And for our communities, it can be transformative," said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. "Dallas is fortunate to have the leadership and cutting-edge science of The University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for BrainHealth in our own backyard. Together, we can build healthier and more vibrant communities for generations to come. That is why I am pleased to proclaim February 20-24, 2023, as BrainHealth Week in Dallas, Texas."
We are tremendously thankful for the active engagement of more than 30 community partners and sponsors to help make this inaugural BrainHealth Week a great success,” continued Chapman. "We especially appreciate KERA, Bank of Texas and The Container Store." For sponsorship opportunities or more information about the week’s programming, event sign-up and text challenge registration, visit brainhealthweek.org. CONTACT Stephanie Hoefken 972.883.3221 stephanie.hoefken@utdallas.eduABOUT CENTER FOR BRAINHEALTH Center 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 cognition and emotion 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 unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations build on Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™), a proprietary methodology developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades.

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Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD

Chief Director Dee Wyly Distinguished Professor, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences Co-Leader, The BrainHealth Project

Stephanie Hoefken

Director of Communications and Marketing

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