The Media Round Up

Read some of the media and other online coverage featuring Atlantic Fellows and their work around the world.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Irina Kinchin has been awarded the prestigious Wellcome Career Development Award, a €4.6 million grant spanning eight years. Kinchin will lead "Valuing Vanishing Voices," a research program at Trinity College Dublin focused on empowering people with dementia by improving how healthcare systems measure their quality of life. This landmark fellowship represents the largest individual research award ever granted to a researcher in Ireland.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Bruce Miller was recently named to the Scientific Advisory Board of NKGen Biotech. An international expert in Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative disorders, Miller will advise the clinical-stage company on its development of innovative natural killer cell therapeutics. Read more at AP News.

Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity Edgar Villanueva was profiled by Forbes regarding his mission to redirect $1 trillion in philanthropic assets. Since 2018, his Decolonizing Wealth Project has reportedly influenced the redistribution of $1 billion toward reparative initiatives for Black and Indigenous communities. Read Edgar’s full profile in Forbes.

Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity Aria Florant appeared on CNN’s "Amanpour" podcast in early December, hosted by Christiane Amanpour. Alongside legal scholar Ruti Teitel, Florant discussed the transitional justice work required in Syria following the end of the Assad regime. Listen to the full CNN podcast.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Alison Canty appeared on ABC Radio Hobart to discuss the cognitive benefits of line dancing. Canty explained how the social and physical aspects of "boot scooting" can serve as a supportive tool for those living with dementia. Listen to the ABC segment.

Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity Alon-Lee Green was featured in Haaretz for his efforts to reshape the Israeli left. As co-founder of the Jewish-Arab movement, Standing Together, Green advocates for a broad-based political coalition.

The Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity program announced its 2026 cohort, consisting of 20 Indigenous changemakers. The group includes 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Fellows, five Māori Fellows, and five Fellows from Pacific Island nations, all focusing on issues ranging from climate change to criminal justice.

Cornell University debuted a new exhibition Feb. 5 honoring the late Charles F. “Chuck” Feeney. The display features photographs and personal documents from The Atlantic Philanthropies' archives, which were donated to the university’s Rare and Manuscript Collections to preserve the history of Feeney’s Giving While Living legacy.

Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity Global Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor wrote an op-ed for NPR examining Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy regarding health justice. Nsofor argued that the most effective way to address health inequities in regions like Nigeria is by strengthening primary care and local resource mobilization. Read his full op-ed on NPR.

Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity in Southeast Asia Nila Tanzil was recently profiled by Olenka Beauty for her tireless work as a literacy advocate in eastern Indonesia. For more than 10 years, Tanzil has spearheaded a sustainable, grassroots movement to bring books and reading opportunities to children in the region's most remote communities. Read the full profile of her work and its impact.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Tala Al-Rousan has co-published a study in Springer Nature on blood pressure control among U.S. refugees. The findings suggest that effective chronic disease management for these populations requires building trust and removing cultural barriers rather than simply providing medical facts.

Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity Global Medha Makhlouf was quoted in the Seattle Times regarding immigration enforcement's use of Medicaid data. A law professor at Penn State Dickinson Law, Makhlouf noted that the federal government is increasingly prioritizing enforcement over public health protections.

Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity Reggie Shuford was recently featured in NewsBreak for his insights on the grassroots efforts to bridge the divide in Wilmington’s Princess Place neighborhood. As a Wilmington native, he emphasized the critical need to address historical neglect and ensure that community revitalization empowers long-term residents.

An online mention of Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Jake Broder, who is leading a dinner party project at the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living. The initiative uses the sensory experience of food to explore neuroplasticity and improve life quality for individuals with memory loss. Read about the project.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Mike Hanrahan was interviewed by the Irish Independent about his personal experience of his mother's dementia. He advocated a shift in how Ireland approaches elderly care and discussed the intersection of anxiety and performance. Read the Irish Independent profile of him.

Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity Alicia Garza was recognized in a NewsBreak feature, The Untold Stories Behind Legendary American Protest Leaders. It was built on her work as a co-creator of the Black Lives Matter movement, showing how Alicia remains a dedicated organizer for racial justice and has broadened her advocacy work to also encompass issues around voting and labor rights.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Fionnuala Sweeney discussed a new podcast series on ITV News. "Going the Extra Mile", the podcast series, is being created in partnership with the Memory Clinic at Tallaght University Hospital. It will focus on destigmatizing dementia, which Sweeney explained covers a range of cognitive conditions. Listen to the ITV report.

A report on Fox News about an international study led by Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health, Carlos Coronel and Agustin Ibanez, with other researchers, that suggests creative pursuits like painting, dance, music and certain video games can maintain a biologically "younger" brain. The researchers noted that creativity is a significant factor in neurological health, offering benefits similar to those of a healthy diet or regular exercise. While past studies have connected creative expression to better mental health, this research provides the first extensive evidence linking diverse creative activities to a reduction in brain aging. These results suggest that creativity-centered programs could become vital tools in fighting age-related cognitive decline. Learn more in the Fox News article.

In other news, Agustin Ibanez, alongside the Global Brain Health Institute, has contributed a Brain Health Diplomacy toolkit to the forthcoming Global Brain Care Scholars Program, which was recently launched to empower the next generation of brain care advocates in the Global South.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Prabha Shrestha and colleagues published a research paper in Springer Nature that explores why older adults in Nepal struggle to get the right help for high blood pressure. Their research highlights the need for a coordinated response to invest in geriatric-friendly services to improve hypertension management in Nepal.

Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity in Southeast Asia Gigih Septianto. was quoted by the website Tirto.id on the logistical difficulties of delivering disaster aid in Sumatra. Septianto cited high costs, limited access, transportation requirements and limited volunteer numbers as some of the reasons why the distribution of aid was so slow.

Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity in Southeast Asia Sabrina Gacad spoke to the Berliner Morgenpost about evolving gender values and the shifting perceptions of female sexuality in the Philippines. Gacad, a professor of Gender Studies at the University of the Philippines in Manila, observed that despite the Philippines’ deep-seated Christian traditions, societal values are evolving alongside advancements in education and professional opportunities for women. She noted that this progress fostered a broader social acceptance of women as sexual beings, signaling a significant break from longstanding taboos.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Primrose Nyamayaro, along with colleagues, published a research paper in Springer Nature. The paper investigates how food scarcity impacts mental health and medical outcomes for people living with HIV in Zimbabwe. The research explores the connection between hunger and critical health factors, including medication adherence, viral suppression and depression, as well as its link to gender-based violence.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Jalayne Arias was quoted in an article published by the AARP discussing the accuracy of at-home Alzheimer's tests. In the article, Jalayne warned that because commercial testing companies are not bound by the same privacy laws as healthcare providers, results from at-home Alzheimer's tests could lead to professional discrimination. She took a "proceed-with-caution" stance, advising consumers to consider these unresolved legal risks before using direct-to-consumer kits.

Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity in Southeast Asia Bao Le, along with colleagues, published a research paper in Springer Nature. The paper proposes a new integrated care model for patients with overlapping respiratory conditions. The care-delivery model, known as the Asthma–COPD–OSA Outpatient Unit (ACOSOU), focuses on streamlining the screening and long-term management of sleep apnea within existing asthma and COPD treatment clinics globally.

Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity in South Africa Ganzamungu Zihindula, alongside Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity Enam Siddique and Kevin Liverpool co-authored an article published by the website Inequality.org. It highlights the life-saving potential of radio communication in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The co-authors argue that in conflict-affected regions, radio remains a vital tool for reducing poverty and improving health outcomes.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Adedoyin Ogunyemi co-authored a study in Springer Nature on the critical need for reliable cause-of-death data in developing nations. The research details how the team adapted World Health Organization tools to track maternal mortality in Lagos, Nigeria, specifically focusing on linguistically diverse urban areas where many deaths occur outside of hospitals

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Cristiano Schaffer Aguzzoli and colleagues published a research paper in Molecular Psychiatry about the detection of Lewy body pathology in living patients. In the study, they found that the potential of in vivo Lewy body detection is a marker for identifying individuals at increased risk of neuropsychiatric symptoms, both in clinical trials and in clinical practice.

Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health Tatyana Mollayeva and colleagues published a research paper in Springer Nature that examines how sex and gender influence clinical outcomes. While the results showed variability, the study concludes that these attributes are essential variables that researchers must not overlook when investigating patient health.

Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity Global Joedrecka Brown Speights co-published a study in Springer Nature evaluating the Health Equity Navigators Program in rural Georgia, in the United States. The findings revealed strong community support for the program, highlighting that local partnerships are vital for the long-term success of healthcare initiatives in underserved areas.

Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity Global Scott Nass is mentioned in TechTarget where he is quoted on the future of primary care and the role of data. Nass noted that while artificial intelligence offers immense potential to help clinicians manage patient risks, the tools must be built on "trustworthy data" — such as pharmacy and lab records — to be truly effective.

‍