Center For BrainHealth Toasts Its Board Members, Staff And Plans For A Heady Future

While private parties were in high gear and many like the “robins” (Robin Bagwell and Robin Robinson) were doing the “hit-and-run” so they could make the SMU-Michigan basketball game at Moody Coliseum on Tuesday, December 8, the Center for BrainHealth brainiacs were putting their sweet heads together to wish happy holidays and look forward to the year and years to come.

While blonde BrainCenter Founder/Chief Director Sandi Chapman greeted all at the Dallas Country Club, Debbie Francis and Linda Robuck were doing the scene solo. Seems Jim Francis was still recovering from a bout of Thanksgiving pneumonia and Joel Robuck had a nasty head cold that he didn’t want to share.

Midway in the evening Sandi and Debbie thanked the crowd that included Kay and Jim Hammond, Jennifer and Coley Clark, Ramona Jones, Barbara Daseke, Billie Leigh Rippey, Laurie and Phil Evans, Ellen and John McStay, Biddy Jordan and Stacey Branch.

Debbie got the evening’s program underway by thanking the board members and staff for all their help. She then introduced Sandi, who told how the Center was “busting at the seams” with “115 scientists/research clinicians all focused on brain health.” She then told of their future plans that included BrainHealth RAPID (Revolution to Accelerate Progress through Interdisciplinary Discovery). Well, just that name alone received a whoop and laughter among the crowd.

She then had former State Senator Dan Branch speak to the group about the importance of brain health. He is the son, brother and uncle of neurosurgeons. He told how his father, the late neurosurgeon Dr. Charles Branch, had a special interest in “brain health.” When his father died two years ago, he arranged to have his professional collection given to the Center.

Dan proudly recalled that after University of Texas Chancellor Bill McRaven met with the BrainHealth gang, he placed it as a major goal for the UT system.

Debbie then introduced Brain Performance Institute Executive Director Eric Bennett, who in turn described his three-pronged strategy:

1. During the first year of the Institute’s Smart Training three years ago, they worked with 56 military veterans. This past year that number was 1,800 in 18 states with just 20 people.
2. They’ve just recently brought on board Dianna Purvis Jaffin, who has more than “10 years’ experience at the Department of Defense at the Walter Reed Hospital doing human performance for warriors and their families.”
3. The building of the Institute for Brain Performance is underway and the facility will be open in April 2017.