Dementia expert awarded Atlantic Fellowship for Equity in Brain Health

Professor Tuan Anh Nguyen, Principal Research Fellow in the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI), has been awarded the Atlantic Fellowship for Equity in Brain Health for the 2025–26 cohort.

Hosted by the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) — a partnership between Trinity College Dublin and the University of California San Francisco — the fellowship is a highly selective 12-month residential program that brings together a global network of emerging leaders that, through interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation and training, are committed to tackling disparities in brain health and dementia care.

Commencing later this year, Nguyen, who will be based at Trinity College Dublin, will focus on developing and implementing innovative, community-led strategies to support underserved populations affected by dementia. In doing so, he will build on his recently Medical Research Future Fund-funded iSupport Digital project — to support family carers of people with dementia from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Australia.

“I am honoured to be selected for the Atlantic Fellowship,” Nguyen said. “This opportunity will allow me to work alongside world-leading experts, deepen international partnerships, and bring back innovative strategies to improve brain health outcomes in vulnerable populations including culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Australia.”

Nguyen’s work, NARI said in a statement, “aligns closely with GBHI’s mission to reduce the global burden of neurodegenerative diseases”. NARI also said that Nguyen is a “leading expert in ageing and dementia at NARI” and “has been at the forefront of efforts to improve brain health equity for vulnerable populations”.

“His selection for the Atlantic Fellowship underscores NARI’s commitment to global leadership in dementia research, and to driving evidence-informed, equitable solutions for older people in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region,” the NARI statement read. Nguyen has also been elected Programs Chair of the Health Policy Professional Interest Area (PIA) Executive Committee within the International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) — the professional society of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“In addition to the Fellowship, Professor Nguyen’s recent election as Programs Chair of the ISTAART Health Policy PIA Executive Committee further reflects his growing influence in shaping the future of dementia policy and practice worldwide,” NARI’s statement read. “In this leadership role, he will help steer global conversations and initiatives aimed at translating research into effective policy to address the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.”