Dana Foundation

05/28/2026

Meet Anna! As program assistant, she will be supporting the Neuroscience & Society team to help advance human-centered neuroscience by supporting program operations, the grantmaking process, and data analytics.

Before joining the Dana Foundation, Anna worked in the global health, policy, and nonprofit space, including at the United Nations Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the Fund for Global Health, the Parkinson’s Foundation, and World Vision.

She recently completed her Master of Public Health at NYU. She’s originally from Seattle, WA and loves beach volleyball, musical theater, and reading fantasy books.

05/21/2026

In a new President’s Perspective, Caroline Montojo discusses why community engagement, ethical reasoning, and cross-disciplinary collaboration are essential, not additions, to scientific training.

Preparing the next generation of scientists means equipping them to advance discovery and translational research and to understand the broader social context and human impact of their work.

The article spotlights Dana grantees who are building new models for what this kind of training can look like in practice.

As scientific advances move into healthcare, education, law, and public life, they influence decisions, expectations, and debates far beyond the laboratory. Today’s scientists therefore need more than technical expertise; they must also understand the ethical and societal dimensions of their work ...

05/19/2026

Much has changed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including how it solicits and reviews applications for neuroethics and neuroscience and society funding.

Dana Foundation VP Khara Ramos offers guidance and tips to grant seekers navigating the application process. Ramos previously worked at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - NINDS and co-chaired the neuroethics program team for the NIH BRAIN Initiative.

Before joining the Dana Foundation in early 2022, I worked at the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), one of 27 institutes and centers that comprise NIH. During that time, I also co-chaired the neuroethics program team for the NIH BRAIN Initiative, a thriving program th...

05/18/2026

One focus area in Karen Rommelfanger’s work is privacy and the use of brain data. Who should have jurisdiction over brain data, and who should be involved in conversations about its ethical use?

Hear her thoughts in this clip from NeuroSociety Stories.

05/15/2026

How can educators make neuroscience accessible, relevant, and connected to everyday life?

In this CONNECT Series conversation hosted by Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Dana Education Program Director Kathleen Roina discusses how Dana Education grants support innovative, immersive projects that create adaptable models communities can replicate.

She is joined by Diana Li, associate director of education and training initiatives at the Columbia University's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, who shares insights from the Teacher Institute for Neuroscience and Society, a Dana Education–supported program that equips middle school educators with evidence-based lessons that teach topics at the intersection of neuroscience, ethics, and society.

Watch their full discussion.

In this joint CONNECT Seminar Series session, Kathleen Roina, Director of Dana Education Program at the Dana Foundation, highlights the mission to advance ne...

05/14/2026

The Dana Foundation is accepting letters of interest (LOIs) for pilot projects in Neuroscience & Society. Applicants may request up to $150,000 in funding for projects over a period of up to 18 months.

LOIs may be submitted throughout the 2026 calendar year, however, we are prioritizing LOIs received before May 22, 2026, to best align with our 2026 funding cycles.

05/13/2026

Dana Foundation VP Khara Ramos reflects on a new paper in the The New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst examining how research on how health is shaped by care delivery, policy, and the conditions in which people live and work, can reveal opportunities to expand and accelerate health gains across the US.

The paper is by the Pathways for Health Research Collective, a coalition of philanthropic partners including the Dana Foundation working to advance investment in breakthrough research on disease prevention and health outcomes.

A New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst paper examines how research on healthcare systems, public policy, and the conditions in which people live and work can help expand and accelerate health gains across the US.

05/12/2026

Patients and medical device developers don’t always approach neurotechnology with the same priorities. A new engagement model aims to change that—bringing patient communities and manufacturers together earlier in the development process to shape better outcomes from the start.

With support from the Dana Foundation, the American Brain Coalition is helping lead that effort through the FDA’s Total Product Life Cycle Advisory pilot program and the launch of SHARE, a digital platform that helps patient organizations advise the FDA and device developers more effectively.

Brain and nervous system conditions afflict a significant number of Americans. According to a survey conducted by Research!America and the Dana Foundation in 2022, 82 percent of Americans are either directly affected by or know someone living with at least one neurological disorder or mental health....

05/06/2026

Read timely reflections from Dana Foundation President Caroline Montojo on the ideas shaping neuroscience and its relationship with society. Grounded in experience and guided by principle, these President’s Perspective articles offer clear-eyed analysis on scientific advances, ethical questions, policy shifts, and philanthropy’s role in the neuroscience ecosystem.

04/30/2026

The Dana Foundation is supporting a coordinated set of programs from the Society for Philosophy & Neuroscience designed to strengthen collaboration between the two fields, with a focus on early career researchers.

Efforts to understand the mind and brain often bring neuroscientists and philosophers into alignment around shared questions, but not always shared approaches. Differences in training, methodology, and vocabulary can limit how researchers engage with one another, making meaningful collaboration betw...