The Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) advances brain health equity through leadership, education, research, and collaboration.
As one of the two founding sites of the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program, GBHI at UCSF prepares experienced professionals from diverse disciplines to address the growing global challenges of brain health and dementia. The program brings together clinicians, researchers, artists, policymakers, public health professionals, and advocates who are committed to improving brain health in their communities and beyond.
Grounded in the clinical and research excellence of the UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center, part of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, the fellowship combines interdisciplinary learning, mentorship, and leadership development with opportunities for clinical observation and research engagement. Together, these experiences help fellows translate knowledge into action and create lasting impact around the world.
History
GBHI was established in 2015 through a transformational gift from Chuck Feeney’s Atlantic Philanthropies, with founding sites at UCSF and Trinity College Dublin.
The institute was created in response to the growing global impact of dementia and the belief that complex brain health challenges require leaders who can work across disciplines, sectors, cultures, and countries. Since then, GBHI has grown into a global community advancing brain health equity through education, research, mentorship, and lifelong collaboration.
The Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program is one of seven Atlantic Fellows programs that connect leaders worldwide working to advance equity and create positive social change.
GBHI at UCSF
GBHI at UCSF is based within the Fein Memory and Aging Center, one of the world’s leading centers for behavioral neurology, dementia care, and brain health research.
The Fein Memory and Aging Center brings together clinicians, scientists, educators, and trainees to improve the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and care of people with neurodegenerative diseases. Fellows benefit from this dynamic environment through clinical observations, grand rounds, faculty seminars, research meetings, and interdisciplinary collaboration that connect scientific discovery with person-centered care.
Located within the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, GBHI also draws on a broader ecosystem of expertise in neuroscience, neurology, psychiatry, imaging, genetics, public health, implementation science, and health equity.
Education, Research, and Leadership
GBHI at UCSF is committed to developing leaders who can translate knowledge into action.
The fellowship integrates graduate-level education, clinical learning, research engagement, leadership development, and mentorship within a global hybrid learning model. Fellows build a strong foundation in brain health while developing the skills to lead change, foster collaboration, and implement innovative approaches in their professional and community settings.
Because fellows arrive with different backgrounds and experiences, the program is designed to meet participants where they are. It expands clinical knowledge for those new to brain health while giving experienced clinicians and researchers opportunities to deepen their expertise and collaborate across disciplines.
People
Atlantic Fellows, faculty, and staff form a diverse community working across disciplines to advance brain health equity.
The program values the perspectives fellows bring from medicine, public health, research, the arts, policy, and other fields. That diversity strengthens the learning environment and helps build a cohort that learns from one another while developing lasting professional relationships.
Learning Experience
The fellowship is structured around five interconnected components: curriculum, leadership, mentorship, clinical and research learning, and pilot project development.
Together, these experiences provide fellows with the knowledge, skills, networks, and confidence to become collaborative leaders advancing brain health equity worldwide.
Curriculum
The fellowship curriculum combines structured online learning, weekly interactive class sessions, international learning intensives, and a residential learning experience at UCSF.
Using a flipped classroom model, fellows engage with course materials before participating in interactive discussions led by faculty and enriched by their peers' diverse experiences. Coursework spans neuroscience, dementia, behavioral neurology, health equity, public health, epidemiology, ethics, health policy, health economics, leadership, and communication.
The curriculum is intentionally interdisciplinary, recognizing that advancing brain health requires collaboration across professions, sectors, and cultures.
Leadership
Leadership development is woven throughout the fellowship experience.
Through leadership retreats, small-group learning, reflective practice, communication workshops, and the GBHI Annual Conference, fellows strengthen their ability to lead collaboratively, navigate complexity, and create meaningful change. Grounded in GBHI’s values of Authenticity, Fairness, Openness, Respect, Courage, and Empathy (A FORCE), the program encourages fellows to lead with curiosity, humility, and purpose.
Mentorship
Mentorship is a cornerstone of the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program and supports fellows throughout their leadership journey.
Each fellow is paired with a UCSF faculty mentor who provides academic guidance, professional development, and support throughout the fellowship year. Fellows also work with a regional mentor, typically a respected leader in their home community or professional field, who helps connect the fellowship experience to long-term goals and local impact.
Together, these mentors help fellows expand their networks, refine their ideas, and develop projects that continue beyond the fellowship year.
UCSF faculty mentors bring expertise spanning behavioral neurology, dementia, neuroscience, neuropsychology, public health, epidemiology, implementation science, neuroimaging, genetics, health equity, caregiving, and the arts.
Clinical Learning and Research
The UCSF fellowship offers fellows opportunities to learn within one of the world’s leading centers for dementia care and brain health research.
Throughout the fellowship, fellows participate in clinical observations, grand rounds, faculty seminars, laboratory meetings, and interdisciplinary discussions that connect scientific discovery with real-world practice. These experiences provide meaningful exposure for fellows new to clinical brain health while offering experienced clinicians and researchers opportunities to deepen their expertise.
Examples of learning opportunities include:
- Clinical observations at the Fein Memory and Aging Center
- Fein Memory and Aging Center Grand Rounds
- Faculty Seminars and Professor Rounds
- Research laboratory meetings
- Community and lived experience learning opportunities
Certificate Award
Atlantic Fellows at UCSF earn a Certificate in Equity in Brain Health through a graduate-level program that combines coursework, leadership development, mentorship, clinical learning, and mentored project work.
The certificate recognizes successful completion of an interdisciplinary program designed to prepare leaders to advance brain health equity across diverse professional and community settings.
Pilot Projects
A defining feature of the fellowship is the opportunity to develop a pilot project that extends learning beyond the fellowship year.
Fellows may apply for competitively awarded Pilot Awards for Global Brain Health Leaders, supported in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association and Alzheimer’s Society (UK). These awards support innovative projects that improve brain health outcomes in fellows’ home communities while strengthening leadership development and long-term collaboration.
Cross-Site Collaboration and Alumni Network
Building a global community of alumni working together to address inequities in brain health is central to the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health.
The program begins by building connections within the UCSF cohort, then links fellows with colleagues at the Trinity College Dublin site through shared learning and collaboration. As the year progresses, fellows engage with the wider alumni network and the Atlantic Institute, becoming part of a global community committed to advancing brain health equity.