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Celebrating the Next Generation of Brain Health Innovators
Help inspire bold student ideas through passionate community support.
Gain meaningful insights from this event with our BrainHealth Week Takeaways.
The inaugural Brain Health Prize showcased the creativity, resilience and ingenuity of college students redefining brain health on their campus. Check out our student gallery showcasing proposals from the winners and finalists
Help expand access to our science-backed programs with a gift to support the creation of brain-healthy habits within our next generation of scholars. Shape a brain-healthy future
College students today face unprecedented pressures — social, academic, emotional, digital. And their well-being directly impacts the future of our communities, workplaces and world.
Attendees amplified the work of these visionary students and:
- Heard the contest's most forward-thinking, student-generated ideas for transforming brain health on campus.
- Interacted with the winning team and other contestants as they share their ideas and the stories behind them.
- Met inspiring speakers who are shaping the future of mental performance, resilience and well-being.
- Became part of the national movement to bring this award — and its impact — to campuses across the country.
- Showed support for young leaders who are driving meaningful change.
Tessy Ojo, CBE, CEO of The Diana Award
Keynote Address
How to Become a Change Maker
An inspirational and creative leader, Tessy Ojo, CBE, has over two decades of experience working with young people around the world. She played a founding role in the building and sustainability of The Diana Award in the United Kingdom, the only charity that bears the name of Diana, Princess of Wales. Through this work, Ojo has developed internationally recognized programs that give young people skills to thrive and create positive change.
At the heart of her work is the belief that, with the right support and investment, young people are the best instigators for achieving sustainable change for both themselves and society.
Retired U.S. Army Colonel, Dr. Geoffrey Ling, Jean Ann Brock Distinguished Chair, Co-Leader BrainHealth Project
Building Your Brain: Why It Matters
Pharmacologist, physician and retired U.S. Army Colonel, Geoffrey Ling, MD, PhD, served as the founding director of the Biological Technologies Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). A serial entrepreneur, he has successfully led strategic partnerships and investment strategies for several companies, leading concepts through FDA approval and commercialization to significantly enhance enterprise value.
At Center for BrainHealth, he guides the growth of The BrainHealth Project and continues to influence approaches and strategies to keep brain health "left of boom" for communities across the country.
Students may have come for the food, but they stayed for the inspiration. Individuals across the UTD community explored a lively showcase of the most creative, forward‑thinking ideas from students.
Even if those who didn’t enter the contest, saw real solutions created by your peers, got inspired (and considered the possibility of participating next year) and met new people.
It was a relaxed, energizing event designed for students seeking a break from the usual routine — and wanting to be part of something meaningful happening on campus.
UT Dallas Campus Events ☄️
DRAWINGS, PRIZES, FUN EVENTS
BrainHealth Sleep Care Kit | SU 1st floor
BrainHealth Knitting Social Café | SU Galaxy Room B
BrainHealth Game Night Out | Drafthouse at Northside
New Addition to Comet Cupboard
BrainHealth Shelf Labeling
No one understands campus life better than college students.
This new contest empowers college students to transform life on their campus by making proactive brain health part of the conversation. The 2026 contest sought the most innovative implementable plan to change the mindset around optimal stress on a college campus.
The Brain Health Prize is powered by the Brain Healthy Campus Collaborative — a first-of-its-kind initiative that brings together innovative organizations, students, faculty, and administrators to build brain-healthy campuses across the U.S.
The winning student/team was announced at the event and will receive a $5K award (half personal stipend; half implementation funds) with the potential to create a lasting legacy.
Stress is inevitable around college campuses, so students need to know not all stress is bad.
Neuroscience shows the right amount of stress can actually sharpen your focus, boost motivation and fuel productivity. Plus, we ALL have the power to manage our stress when it gets out of control by understanding our triggers and equipping ourselves with the right tools.
The 2026 Brain Health Prize theme was "Stress in Action," with the contest focusing on the concept of eustress, the optimal stress level for motivation and efficiency. Contest participants were challenged to understand where they fall on the stress curve, based on the Yerkes-Dodson Law of Arousal and Performance. The stress curve (see graph) shows that too little – as well as too much stress – can inhibit brain performance. But leveraging your optimal stress level can be a tool for growth.