When Mayor Eric Johnson proclaimed February 19-24 “BrainHealth Week” in Dallas, the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas mounted a week-long series of events to mark the occasion. They ranged from a free community fair for more than 700 registrants and an expo of innovative technology companies in brain health to a powerhouse summit with celebrities and thought leaders including will.i.am, Arianna Huffington and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Here’s a report from the field:
There was something for brain health enthusiasts of all ages at the Center for BrainHealth the week of February 19-24, proclaimed by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson as “BrainHealth Week.” The second-annual BrainHealth Week also kicked off the center’s 25th anniversary year.
On Tuesday, Feb. 20, Dallas-area artists, leaders and community members gathered for the Art of BrainHealth, an invigorating evening of creativity and connection sponsored by Bank of Texas. Host committee members — including Laurel Bush, Benjamin Vann, Grace Cook, Bora Laci, Adriana de Urquidi, and Maria Vehslage — convened several hundred young professionals for a networking reception and art exhibit and competition. The evening started with cocktails and mocktails, as well as delicious food catered by FGF Catering, and ended with an incredible showcase from young student artists from Dallas College and UTD. Judges Joshua King of Aurora, Dr. Ben Rein, a neuroscientist from Stanford, and David Gappa, a renowned local glass artist whose work is featured at the center, awarded the Grand Prize to Noelle Allen from Dallas College. Madison Hermann, a UT Dallas student, won the People’s Choice award.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the center hosted approximately 200 changemakers from across the country for the Brain3 Summit, sponsored in part by HKS. This first-of-its-kind, invitation-only gathering showcased visionary thinking on the power of proactive, preventive brain health. Presenters and panelists included international celebrities like will.i.am, acclaimed thought leaders like Arianna Huffington, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Adm. William McRaven, executives such as Jesus Manta from IBM and Kana Enomoto from McKinsey Health Institute, and local leaders such as former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, Eric Bennett with Tolleson Wealth Management, Yolanda Lewis with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute and Michael Phillips with TDJ Enterprises, among many others.
On Day One of the Summit, the center’s deputy director Dr. Dan Krawczyk set the stage with a “cold open” that took attendees through a fascinating 3-D visualization of the brain. Later that morning, Tom Leppert led a panel discussion of the state of brain health across the generations, which was brought to life by a powerful short film, “Lived Experiences”, produced by award-winning filmmaker Quin Mathews. The day also featured a unique showcase and expo of innovative technology companies in the brain health space.
At the end of the first day, Sammye Myers chaired a dinner at the Crown Room at Reunion Tower, allowing out-of-towners and Dallasites alike — including Jason Garrett, Mary Cook, Dan Patterson, Kay and Will Beecherl, and Sarah Dodd — to enjoy 360-degree views of the Dallas skyline on a spring-like February evening from the iconic “big ball.” After firing up the crowd with her enthusiasm for the outcome of the day’s events, BrainHealth founder and Chief Director Dr. Sandi Chapman turned the podium over to City Councilman Chad West, who read the Mayor’s BrainHealth Week proclamation. Adm. McRaven remarked on the growth in the “BrainHealth ecosystem” he and his wife, Georgeann, have witnessed since they became national spokespersons for The BrainHealth Project in 2018. He congratulated Dr. Chapman on bringing together diverse groups of people with their own platforms and businesses, with a shared desire to improve brain health.
On Day Two of the Summit, Krys Boyd interviewed Dr. Ian Robertson, T. Boone Pickens Distinguished Chair and Co-Leader of The BrainHealth Project, on the topic of confidence for her popular KERA program, Think. Later, attendees enjoyed a surprise guest during a conversation on Creativity + Technology led by IBM global director Jesus Mantas: Grammy award-winning musician and AI entrepreneur will.i.am joined the event live from London! The day culminated with a lively workshop led by design gurus Bruce Mau and Bisi Williams, co-founders of Massive Change Network. Participants were inspired to “think exponential” about ways in which proactive brain health can become a priority in education, healthcare and the workplace. The Summit ended on a high note, with will.i.am’s hit song “Let’s Go” filling the center with joy and dynamism.
On the Friday of BrainHealth Week, BrainHealth hosted an invitation-only luncheon to bestow its highest science honor — the Dr. Charles L. Branch BrainHealth Award — to Mark D’Esposito, MD. Keana and Representative Morgan Meyer chaired the event that brought together members of the Branch family plus BrainHealth supporters and board members, including Stacey and Dan Branch, Dianne Cash, Debbie Francis, Eric Bennett, Cher and David Jacobs, Gano Ehlers, Chuck Eisemann, Claudia Stool, and Carol Heller. Dr. D’Esposito kept the audience’s rapt attention in sharing his insights on the brain’s frontal lobes in a fireside chat-style conversation with Dr. Charles Branch Jr., son of the groundbreaking neurosurgeon for whom the award is named.
To engage the youngest of brain health enthusiasts, the week wrapped with a BrainHealth Family Fair, a free community event with more than 700 registrants. The center joined forces with more than 40 community partners to provide arts and crafts, activities, free food from the Ruthie’s food truck (sponsored by Frost Bank), a gaming truck from the YMCA and a TECH truck from the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Kid-friendly speakers included Dr. Jeff Rich, an astronomer from Carnegie Observatories; Mallory Mbalia, a storyteller from Fred Rogers Productions; and Shamonn Wise with the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, who was joined by Nestor Mercado-Garcia from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
* Photo provided by Grant Miller Photography