UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing

UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, Nonprofit Organization, School of Psychiatry, AGSM (G27), Kensington Campus, UNSW Sydney, Randwick.

The UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) is a world-leading research centre investigating the determinants of healthy brain ageing, with a key focus on the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Congratulations to CHeBA Co-Director Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev AM, who has been awarded the prestigious Lifet...
04/09/2026

Congratulations to CHeBA Co-Director Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev AM, who has been awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) recognising his outstanding contributions to neuropsychiatry research and education. 👏

WFSBP Scientific Program Chair Professor Soraya Seedat said Professor Sachdev's career exemplifies the qualities recognised by the Lifetime Achievement Award.

"Professor Perminder Sachdev's remarkable scientific leadership, pioneering research and unwavering commitment to mentoring the next generation have transformed our understanding of neuropsychiatry and cognitive ageing. His work has had a profound international impact, making him an exceptionally deserving recipient of the WFSBP Lifetime Achievement Award."

Prof. Sachdev received the award at the 2026 WFSBP Congress, where he also delivered the keynote lecture on ‘Covert cerebral small vessel disease in the ageing brain: a silent driver of neuropsychiatric morbidity’.

Read more: https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2026/09/new-national-research-centre-to-target-one-of-the-most-preventable-forms-of-dementia

Meet Adelaide and Lucinda Miller, sisters, documentarians and Dollar for Dementia Ambassadors. When their beloved Nana w...
02/09/2026

Meet Adelaide and Lucinda Miller, sisters, documentarians and Dollar for Dementia Ambassadors.

When their beloved Nana was diagnosed with dementia, Adelaide and Lucinda were determined to capture her remarkable spirit while helping others better understand dementia. The sisters have documented their family's journey in the moving film Nansie; available on SBS On Demand.

Now, Adelaide and Lucinda are proud to stand as Ambassadors for Dollar for Dementia, calling on Australians from every corner of the country to support dementia research led by CHeBA.

“Dollar for Dementia sends a powerful message that everyone can be part of the solution. Even one dollar can help drive research, build awareness and create hope for families affected by dementia,” says Adelaide.

Learn more about how you can be part of Dollar for Dementia, because behind every dementia statistic is a person, a family and a story like Nansie’s.

💜 Donate to Dollar for Dementia: www.dollarfordementia.org

🎬 Watch Nansie on SBS On Demand from 1 September: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/nansie/2510652483960

Learn more about the campaign: https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2026/09/documentary-creators-turn-family-dementia-story-into-national-call-for-research

One dollar. Small change from each of us. Together, we could change the future of dementia. This World Alzheimer’s Month...
31/08/2026

One dollar. Small change from each of us. Together, we could change the future of dementia.

This World Alzheimer’s Month sisters and documentary creators Adelaide and Lucinda Miller are turning their family’s personal experience of dementia into a national call for action. The sisters have joined UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) as Ambassadors for Dollar for Dementia, ahead of the SBS On Demand premier of their feature-length documentary Nansie, on 1 September.

Filmed over five years, Nansie follows their beloved grandmother’s life with dementia. It is an intimate and at times confronting portrait of the realities families face - but also of the connection, resilience, dignity and love that remain.

“Dementia can feel like such a devastating disease, but research gives us hope for a different future,” says Lucinda. “Every dollar is a dollar invested in hope.”

That hope is at the heart of Dollar for Dementia.

Throughout September, we’re asking Australians to donate just $1 – or whatever they can – to help accelerate research into dementia prevention, earlier detection and healthier brain ageing.

Because small contributions, multiplied across a community, can help drive the breakthroughs that change lives.

💜 Donate to Dollar for Dementia: www.dollarfordementia.org

🎬 Watch Nansie on SBS On Demand from 1 September: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/nansie/2510652483960

Learn more about the campaign: https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2026/09/documentary-creators-turn-family-dementia-story-into-national-call-for-research

Congratulations to CHeBA’s newest PhD graduates Dr Gurpreet Hansra and Dr Fleur Harrison 🎓 Gurpreet and Fleur were offic...
19/08/2026

Congratulations to CHeBA’s newest PhD graduates Dr Gurpreet Hansra and Dr Fleur Harrison 🎓

Gurpreet and Fleur were officially awarded their doctorates this week, recognising their years of dedicated research.

Dr Gurpreet Hansra's thesis, supervised by Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev AM, Dr Anne Poljak and Tharusha Jayasena, identified blood biomarkers associated with vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). Her work is a critical step forward in improving VCID diagnosis and understanding its underlying pathology.

Dr Fleur Harrison's research on how apathy contributes to dementia risk was supervised by Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty AO, Dr Moyra Mortby, Emeritus Professor Andrew Lloyd and Scientia Professor Julian Trollor AM. Her dissertation shines a light on apathy as an overlooked mental health issue among older adults and highlights this modifiable risk factor as a target for dementia prevention.

A huge round of applause for both Gurpreet and Fleur on reaching this major milestone and helping to shape a future of better brain ageing.

💬 “It’s time for a Brain Health Australia campaign ... The responsibility for achieving this lies with us personally, wi...
14/08/2026

💬 “It’s time for a Brain Health Australia campaign ... The responsibility for achieving this lies with us personally, with health professionals and with society.”

Australia has been a world leader in public health campaigns on smoking, HIV and skin cancer. Now we are in the century of neurodegenerative diseases, says CHeBA Co-Director Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty AO, and it is the time for us all to drive change to improve brain health.

In a new article for The Canberra Times, Prof. Brodaty explains the individual actions we can take to decrease our dementia risk as well as outlining a national approach for reducing dementia incidence.

Read more from Prof. Brodaty here: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9325603/professor-henry-brodaty-new-evidence-on-how-to-delay-dementia/

Dementia is more than a brain pathology, it also depends on cognition. 🧠 In a new TEDx talk, 2026 Senior Australian of t...
11/08/2026

Dementia is more than a brain pathology, it also depends on cognition. 🧠

In a new TEDx talk, 2026 Senior Australian of the Year and Co-Director of CHeBA Professor Henry Brodaty AO highlights how cognitive skills can be developed to become more resilient and to protect us against dementia.

From education to physical activity, Prof. Brodaty shares the steps we can start taking now to build our cognitive resilience.

Watch Prof. Brodaty's TEDxUNSW talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nw9iiv1hlw

💬 "Every day, millions of family members, friends and neighbours provide care that keeps people healthier, supports inde...
05/08/2026

💬 "Every day, millions of family members, friends and neighbours provide care that keeps people healthier, supports independence and reduces pressure on hospitals, yet this contribution remains largely invisible in how health systems are designed and funded."

A major international research collaboration, including CHeBA and led by the University of Sydney, is calling on governments to recognise the critical role of unpaid care in modern health systems.

The authors, including CHeBA Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Suraj Samtani, propose a new framework for measuring unpaid care, helping policymakers better forecast demand and strengthen community resilience.

"We can no longer assume unpaid care is an unlimited resource," says Dr Samtani. "If we don't measure, value and support it, we'll see increasing strain on carers, poorer health outcomes and greater costs across the entire health system."

Learn more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2026/08/hidden-backbone-of-health-systems-must-be-recognised

Published in: Nature Medicine

05/08/2026

Surf’s up for Wipeout Dementia 2026 🏄

On October 30, we’re returning to the world-class waves of URBNSURF, where epic conditions are guaranteed.

Starting with two surf teams back in 2015, Wipeout Dementia grew to nine teams in 2025, led by captains Philip Vivian, Anthony Scotts, Craig Rodgers, Michael Gordon, Peter Clemesha, Steve Watson, Reece Tabor, Darren Beasley and Clare Coleman.

“Wipeout Dementia is about bringing sport, science and community together to drive social change – and for ten years that’s exactly what we’ve done,” says Heidi Douglass, the creator of Wipeout Dementia.

“It demonstrates the enormous power of people to get behind a cause and build a community.”

Check out the full highlight reel from our 2025 event – the unforgettable 10-year anniversary of Wipeout Dementia -- produced by Rich Scott Media and featuring Felicity Palmateer, Wayne Bartholomew, Jackson Skirka, Anthony Scotts and James Sawyer: https://youtu.be/NkqDHteqRMU

Every dollar raised through Wipeout Dementia directly supports CHeBA’s research, making discoveries that translate to better dementia prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Wipeout Dementia 2025 was proudly sponsored by Morgans Financial Limited, AWM – Commercial Furniture & Joinery, Winten Property Group, Versatile Group, Avenor, Sense Projects, SHAPE Australia, Essence Project Management, Liberty Specialty Markets, Wentworth Capital and Haigs Builder Brokers.

We are thrilled to announce Morgans as the major sponsor of the 2026 October event, with remaining sponsorships to be announced shortly. If you are interested in sponsoring Wipeout Dementia please get in touch.

Living in neighbourhoods with more tree canopy may help reduce depressive symptoms among older adults, according to new ...
30/07/2026

Living in neighbourhoods with more tree canopy may help reduce depressive symptoms among older adults, according to new research from UNSW's Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing and the Australian Catholic University (ACU).

The study followed more than 1,000 older Australians for up to 12 years, examining how neighbourhood features – including parkland, access to amenities and air pollution – were associated with changes in depressive symptoms.

The strongest and most consistent finding was that greater long-term exposure to tree canopy was linked to lower levels of depression.

"Neighbourhoods with more tree cover may encourage people to spend time outdoors, be physically active and connect with their communities – all of which are important for maintaining good mental health as we age," says lead author UNSW Scientia Associate Professor Simone Reppermund.

The findings highlight how urban planning and environmental design may support healthy ageing. Learn more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2026/07/more-tree-cover-linked-to-better-mental-health-in-older-australians

Authors: Simone Reppermund , Annabel Matison, Susanne Röhr, Suraj Samtani, Henry Brodaty, Maria Soloveva, W. Li, Miguel Molina, Ralf-Dieter Schroers, Perminder Sachdev, Ester Cerin

Published in: Journal of Affective Disorders

We are proud to share that the Dementia Care Social Club (DCSC), led by Dr Katya Numbers, has been awarded a $10,000 Con...
29/07/2026

We are proud to share that the Dementia Care Social Club (DCSC), led by Dr Katya Numbers, has been awarded a $10,000 Consumer Engagement Program Grant from Dementia Australia to expand their work supporting people with younger onset dementia and working-age carers.

This Club has been shaped directly by lived experience to address the gap in carer education and services for younger onset dementia. Through informal, community-led social education events, the events combine expert-led discussion with peer connection in a relaxed, non-clinical environment.

The new grant funding will support ongoing events, a pilot program expansion and development of a practical toolkit that will enable communities across Australia to replicate the model.

"This grant allows us to build something sustainable; a model where people can learn, feel understood and form real social connections, not just attend a program," says Dr Numbers.

Learn more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2026/07/new-grant-targets-gap-in-dementia-support-for-younger-families

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School Of Psychiatry, AGSM (G27), Kensington Campus, UNSW Sydney
Randwick, NSW
2052

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