What Brain Health Experts Are Talking About Right Now: Science Updates from Brain Week 2026

Dr. Emily Clionsky, M.D.

Dr. Emily Clionsky is physician who combines internal medicine, psychiatry, and neurology to focus exclusively on patients with dementia and cognitive impairmentSince October 2007 when she completed her last residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, she has evaluated and treated more than 3,000 patients with cognitive impairment who have been referred by primary care physicians and specialists in the community.

Her goal is to stabilize and improve their cognition and functional status. The initial comprehensive medical evaluation identifies all medical co-morbidities that cause or contribute to cognitive loss. Treating these underlying conditions reestablishes the patient’s physical “foundation.” She has found that memory-stabilizing medicines and treatment of the patient’s other medical conditions often stabilize and can improve the patient’s ability to think.

The unique protocols she has formulated include measures to ensure consistent adherence to the treatment plan, by the patient and their families. Her extensive patient database demonstrates significant positive outcomes for disease states that typically show decline. She believes that clinical research enriches treatment and that patient care informs research. Her specific research interests include the relationship of hypoxia and dementia and neuroprotective strategies.

Integral to Dr. Clionsky’s practice is her ability to measure a patient’s cognition within the course of a regular office visit using the Memory Orientation Screening Test. She can …Read More

Maggie Moon, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian, best-selling author, and health communications expert with past lives as university faculty, e-grocery RD, and in-house nutrition expert for global CPG brands.

Currently, Ms. Moon is a strategic consultant to better-for-you brands and commodities, as well as a writer and speaker on nutrition for brain health.

For 10+ years, she was an executive at The Wonderful Company where she was the top thought leader, subject matter expert, and spokesperson on health & nutrition for the Wonderful Company’s portfolio of healthy CPG brands. Her purview included nutrition communications, consumer health PR, clinical research, KOL management, industry leadership positions, research boards, product innovation, acquisitions, industry insights, and oversight of a team that secured record media results every year during her tenure. Prior to this role, she led health and wellness initiatives for America’s leading profitable online grocer, FreshDirect.com, spearheading a new budget-friendly healthy foods campaign, revamping the gluten-free department, developing a robust sustainable seafood program, and securing company-wide participation and compliance with the National Salt Reduction Initiative.

As an educator, Ms. Moon was an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences at Brooklyn College in the City of New York, in both undergraduate and graduate programs. She also developed and implemented nutrition curricula for NYC public schools.

Maggie Moon was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degre…Read More

Dr. Richard Gold is a licensed acupuncturist and holds a Doctorate in Psychology. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1972 with a degree in World Religions and a minor in pre-medicine.

He graduated from the New England School of Acupuncture in 1978 and since then has devoted his professional career to the study, practice, researching, teaching and publishing in the field of East Asian Medicine.

Dr. Gold has pursued advanced studies in China (1981), Japan (1986) and Thailand (1988, 1989, 1992). Dr. Gold was one of the four founders of the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, a regionally and nationally accredited college of traditional Chinese Medicine with campuses in San Diego, Chicago and New York City.

He served on Board of the college for many years and continues to teach there. Dr. Gold was first introduced to meditation and yoga in 1970 during a month long meditation retreat and has pursued mental mindfulness and meditative awareness over the past 40+ years.

In recent years, Dr. Gold has studied neuroscience and the evolving understanding of the effects of sound and meditation on the brain. Dr. Gold is a published author and lectures internationally. His best-known book is ‘Thai Massage: A Traditional Medical Technique’ first published in 1998 and now in it’s second edition.

Patricia Faust is a gerontologist specializing in brain aging, brain health, brain function, and dementia. She has a Master’s in Gerontological Studies from Miami University in Oxford Ohio. Patricia is certified as a brain health coach and received a certification in Neuroscience and Wellness through Dr. Sarah McKay and the Neuroscience Academy.

My Boomer Brain, founded in 2015, is the vehicle Patricia utilizes to teach, coach, and consult about brain aging, brain health, and living a brain-healthy lifestyle. Her newsletter, My Boomer Brain, has international readership from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Europe and Canada.

Her book, The Boomer Brain, educates boomers on strategies to live a brain-healthy lifestyle and prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Dr. Jenna Stedman, DCN, RD, CSSD is a cognitive performance nutrition expert and founder of Master Nutrition Lab, a private practice and free platform for you to experiment with your nutrition to improve your brain health. She has worked for several military branches, helping hundreds of service members improve their physical and cognitive performance.

Dr. Kellyann Niotis is the world’s first fellowship-trained preventive neurologist, specializing in risk reduction for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Lewy Body Dementia. She completed her neurology training at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, where she served as Chief Resident and the inaugural McGraw Fellow in Neurology Research, followed by a fellowship in movement disorders at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
She is the founder of Preventive Neurology Practice in New York City and Director of Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia Prevention Research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (IND) in Florida, where her work focuses on early detection and personalized risk reduction strategies.
Dr. Niotis is passionate about advancing the field of preventive neurology—not only through clinical care and research but also through advocacy for policy change and expanding access to education and treatment. Her expertise has been featured in media outlets such as CNN, and she has received numerous honors and awards recognizing her work.
Previously, Dr. Niotis led the preventive neurology program at Dr. Peter Attia’s practice, Early Medical, and oversaw the nation’s first Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell/NewYork-Presbyterian, where she launched research initiatives in Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia prevention. Her research has been published in Neurology, Nature Mental Health, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, Aging & Disease, Movement Disorders, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Alzheimer’s &…Read More