Brain Awareness Week 2025
10-14 March 2025 | Free resources from leading experts
Brain Awareness Week 2025 has now ended. Subscribe below to stay in the loop for next year’s event!
Brain Awareness Week 2025 featured live webinars and resources about brain health and brain disorders. We hope you are excited to learn about the brain – you can view the full schedule below.
This year, learn about some of the most common brain diseases, disorders & injuries in Australia.
Experts will cover topics such as brain health, dementia, sleep, concussion, migraine, and more. Join live webinars to learn about new research and practical tips to improve your brain health. Each webinar will have dedicated time for Q&A with the expert, so make sure you attend live to submit a question.
Schedule & Registrations
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS: You can register by clicking on any of the green buttons with ‘Register Now >>’ and filling out the form.
You only need to register once to receive an email confirmation and an alert before each webinar begins during Brain Awareness Week.
All times are listed in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT). Use any registration button to attend one or more webinars during Brain Awareness Week. The registration button will direct you to fill out the form at the top of this page. A confirmation email will be sent to you to confirm your registration. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Topic: Understanding Dementia: Recognising Signs, Providing Support
Speaker: Dr Suraj Samtani, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA)
Date: 12.00pm AEDT Monday 10th March
Topic: Traumatic Brain Injury in Australia
Speaker: Dr Sarah Hellewell, Curtin University
Date: 7.00pm AEDT, Tuesday 11th March
Topic: Sleep and Brain Health
Speaker: A/Prof Matthew Pase, Monash University
Date: 7.00pm AEDT, Wednesday 12th March
Topic: Migraine Q&A Session
Speaker: Dr Catherine Stark, Neurologist & Headache Specialist
Date: 7.00pm AEDT, Thursday 13th March
Topic: Patient Resources & Support – Article [sent via email]
Date: Friday 14th March
SPEAKERS
Dr Suraj Samtani
Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA)
Dr Suraj Samtani is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) and a clinical psychologist. He obtained his PhD in Clinical Psychology and Master of Psychology (Clinical) from UNSW.
Dr Samtani has an interest in social connections, social cognition, social determinants of health and mental health in older adults. His research includes meta-analyses of longitudinal cohorts of cognitive ageing to identify risk and protective factors for healthy ageing and developing novel interventions to help older adults to stay socially and mentally healthy.
He was the Study Coordinator for the SHARED (Social Health And Reserve in the Dementia patient journey) project from 2019-2022. The SHARED project was an international collaboration designed to study how social, biological and psychological factors interact to predict the onset and course of dementia across the lifespan. In 2023, he was the Study Coordinator for the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study 2 (MAS2) project, which involved following older adults over time to understand the biomarkers, lifestyle factors and digital biomarkers implicated in cognitive decline.
In 2020, the Dementia Australia Research Foundation (DARF) Pilot Grant funded Dr Samtani’s research to co-design and pilot a novel social cognitive skills intervention for older adults with cognitive impairment. Subsequently, the DARF 2022 Fellowship ($405,000 over 3 years) funded his research to conduct a RCT to evaluate the effectiveness of the co-designed social cognitive skills intervention in improving social, cognitive and mental health in older adults with cognitive impairment.
Dr Sarah Hellewell
Curtin University
Dr Sarah Hellewell is a Senior Research Fellow at Curtin University and the Perron Institute in Perth, with a career focus on traumatic brain injury. Her research incorporates both clinical and basic science programs spanning the spectrum of brain injury severity, enabling her to rapidly identify clinical problems and translate “bedside to bench” and back again. Outside of academic research Dr Hellewell has worked in military environments, where her focus was blast brain injury and biological resilience to injury and stress. She currently leads the imaging arm of the national AUS-mTBI study to predict long-term outcomes from concussion, alongside interventional studies to improve persistent concussion symptoms. Her research approach combines MRI, fluid biomarkers and functional tests to understand how injury can alter brain structure and function, and how this translates to cognitive and neuropsychological outcomes.
A/Prof Matthew Pase
Monash University
Matthew Pase is an Associate Professor at Monash University. He leads the Epidemiology of Dementia Lab, the Aging and Neurodegeneration Research Program at the School of Psychological Science, and the Aging Well Pillar at the Turner Institute. A/Prof Pase completed his PhD on vascular contributions to cognitive ageing before undertaking postdoctoral training in Neurology and Neuroepidemiology at the Framingham Heart Study and Boston University School of Medicine. He has formerly held appointments as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard and as a Senior Research Fellow at the Florey Institute.
His current research aims to make dementia preventable for future generations by advancing our understanding of risk factors and early biomarkers. In 2024, he received a Brain Foundation grant for research into the relationship between sleep, brain waste clearance, and dementia risk. A/Prof Pase also leads several local and global initiatives, including the Brain and Cognitive Health (BACH) cohort, and is Co-Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded Sleep and Dementia Consortium.
Dr Catherine Stark
Austin Health
Dr Catherine Stark is a headache specialist and general neurologist with expertise in chronic migraine. She practices in the department of neurology at Austin Health, in Heidelberg, Australia and has a private practice focusing on complex headache care. Dr Stark has co-authored several research studies on headache disorders. Highlights of her research have focused on daily chronic headache, the relationship between sleep apnea and migraine, and the effects of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) on migraine.
Anniek Grundy (Moderator)
Brain Foundation
Anniek will be moderating this year’s Brain Awareness Week webinars. She is the Grants Program Manager & Digital Lead at the Brain Foundation. Since joining the team four years ago, she has written a wide range of articles for our websites and newsletters about brain health, migraine, and other brain disorders. She also looks after the administrative side of our research grants program.
Anniek has been increasingly involved in both Brain Awareness Week and Migraine & Headache Awareness Week over the years. She is passionate about the education, advocacy, and support these events provide to the patient community.
Get Involved
About the Brain Foundation
The Brain Foundation is a registered charity established in 1970 by neurologists and neurosurgeons. We are dedicated to funding the highest quality Australian research into neurological disorders, diseases, and injuries, with the ultimate goal of advancing diagnoses, treatments, and patient outcomes.
Our work involves:
- Our annual grants program. Read more about our funding process here.
- Raising awareness about the prevalence and impact of brain disorders, diseases & injuries.
- Educating patients & clinicians through webinar events and medically reviewed articles.
- Community support & advocacy (for migraine and headache particularly).
- Keeping our supporters up to date on the latest medical news through our newsletters & social media.
Our research grants receive no government funding, relying on the generosity of individuals, corporate donors and bequests. Your support will make a difference – now and for generations to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will there be any in-person events?
No, we are keeping all of our resources online this year.
How do I access the resources for Brain Awareness Week 2025?
Simply sign up via the event page. The webinar links and other resources will be sent to your inbox during the week.
Are there any live webinars?
Yes, we are hosting four live webinars this year. There will be time for Q&A with the experts after their presentation. All webinars will be recorded.
What can I do to support brain awareness in my community?
You can host a fundraiser, share information about the brain on social media (i.e. from our Facebook page), or simply have a conversation with a loved one about brain health. Contact us if you would like any help with setting up a fundraiser.
The Brain Foundation is dedicated to funding the next generation of Australian research into brain disorders, diseases, and injuries, with the ultimate goal of advancing diagnoses, treatments, and patient outcomes.There is no cure without research.