image: Admiral William McRaven (ret.) speaks at Center for BrainHealth, part of The University of Texas at Dallas.
Credit: Center for BrainHealth
Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas has received a second major match gift commitment from retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral and former University of Texas System chancellor William McRaven and his wife Georgeann. Adm. McRaven was a recipient of the 2024 Bezos Courage & Civility Award, presented by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez.
The $1 million challenge grant – like the previous $2 million challenge grant announced last fall – supports the Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters program. By making this a matching gift and inviting the public to contribute, its impact will be doubled.
“I know that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are thrilled to be supporting the incredible work that the Center for BrainHealth is doing on behalf of our veterans and active-duty service members,” said Adm. McRaven. “Georgeann and I are equally honored to be partnering with you for this great cause.”
Working with active-duty military, spouses and veterans, Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters provides critical training for proactive brain health and introduces essential tools to measure and track change over time, especially improvement. The program helps those with traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS) and similar issues, as well as building resilience ahead of deployment.
“We thank Admiral and Mrs. McRaven for continuing to place their trust in our science-backed approach to proactive brain health, and for helping us scale up our results-based experience working with all branches of the military,” said Center for BrainHealth chief director Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD.
Meeting An Urgent Need
Active duty and veteran warriors routinely face challenges related to the high-pressure, intense nature of their professions, including how to transition to their time off. Interrelated health and functional impairments can emerge, such as the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS), sleep disturbance, long-term pain, addiction, depression and suicide, among others.
Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters capitalizes on neuroplasticity to continually optimize brain performance and build cognitive reserve prior to any brain-related event, AND to enhance resilience that helps the individual rebound more quickly.
“Military operators never stop training so they can stay physically fit and constantly ready for action,” said director of programs Jennifer Zientz, MS, CCC-SLP. “Our brain training brings a similar, proactive approach to motivate brain fitness, with proven effectiveness.”
A Timely Challenge to Donors
Building on Our Strong Track Record
This new $1 million gift follows a $2 million challenge grant that was met in record time thanks to private philanthropy. In addition to Adm. and Mrs. McRaven, major supporters of this initiative to date include Beverly and Don Freeman, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, The Eugene McDermott Foundation, Margot B. Perot, The Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr. Foundation, and the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation.
With the new challenge grant, the center will be raising funds to be matched through July 31, 2026.
If interested in making a donation, please contact Gail Cepak at gail.cepak@utdallas.edu or 972-883-3408.
About Center for BrainHealth Center for BrainHealth®, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving, and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting the continual growth of cognition, well-being and social connections in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations leverage 1) the BrainHealth Index, a proprietary measure that uniquely charts one’s upward (or downward) holistic brain health trajectory whatever their starting level; and 2) Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™) brain training, a strategy-based toolkit developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades.