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Unparalleled Giving Ignites Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters

Admiral William McRaven (ret.) and his wife Georegann, and Linda and Joel Robuck.

Center for BrainHealth

Center for BrainHealth, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, rallied donors for North Texas Giving Day2024 North Texas Giving Day inspired donors across the country to generate more than $566,435 in support of Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters, an initiative led by Center for BrainHealth to provide active-duty military, families and veterans with essential brain health tools, helping those affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS) and similar issues, as well as building resilience ahead of deployment.The nonprofit translational research institute, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, rallied more than 100 donors, including BrainHealth staff and advisory board members, to contribute by the event’s closing on September 19 – a strong start for ongoing fundraising to provide on-site and mobile brain health metrics, training and coaching for military service members, including United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) operators, families and veterans.Longtime BrainHealth supporters Linda and Joel Robuck kickstarted the fundraising efforts by providing a $20,000 challenge matching gift. Fundraising efforts also leveraged a $2 million challenge match from retired Navy four-star admiral William McRaven and his wife Georgeann.

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A recent recipient of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award, Adm. McRaven hopes “this matching challenge will encourage others to step forward and help us continue this vital mission.”
Funds raised for this program will continue to be matched through July 31, 2025Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters incorporates military-specific applications and transition tools into the BrainHealth App, granting operators and veterans continual access to online training and habit reinforcement. 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.

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Adm. William H. McRaven (Ret.)

Four-Star Admiral (retd.) U.S. Navy


Related Information

Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters

Optimizing Cognitive Rehabilitation of the Injured Warfighter

Presented at the 2023 International Neuropsychological Symposium, this study recruited participants with a history of TBI from a military treatment facility, exploring Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (SMART) brain training as a novel alternative to traditional cognitive rehabilitation.