One of the major challenges in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is to unite new and bold ideas with sufficient resources for global impact. With this in mind, the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) and Fondation Alzheimer (France) launched the French Alzheimer’s Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health Program to empower French medical researchers and clinicians committed to Alzheimer’s disease and global change.
The program provides innovative training, extensive networking, and long-term support to the fellows. With a 12-month immersion at either the University of California, San Francisco (USA) or Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), fellows benefit from an interdisciplinary approach—including epidemiology, statistics, ethics, law, and leadership—supported by world leading experts in brain health and dementia.
Agathe Vrillon was recently welcomed to GBHI as the inaugural French Fondation Alzheimer’s Atlantic Fellow. Commenting on the milestone she said:
I am privileged to start a new stage in my career as an Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health through the GBHI and Fondation Alzheimer partnership.
I look forward to spending my fellowship year at GBHI in San Francisco and to continuing to advance dementia research.
Agathe works as a neurologist and a researcher at the Cognitive Neurology Center, Lariboisière University Hospital in France providing clinical care and access to therapeutic trials to patients with dementia. Her research explores novel fluid biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis and which could help with understanding underlying mechanisms. As an Atlantic Fellow she aims to contribute to the validation of novel, cost-effective and non-invasive diagnosis biomarkers through large collaborative projects with the GBHI community.
After the training year, Atlantic Fellows are expected to return to France to develop an innovative project using their newly acquired knowledge. Fellows will continue to have access to career-duration mentoring, funding supports, and an international network of colleagues.
It is anticipated that such an immersive training program will open enriching opportunities for French medical researchers and clinicians in the field of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. GBHI and Fondation Alzheimer believe that it will positively influence French research and care by promoting collaborative work and facilitating new ideas.
“Providing support to young medical researchers and clinicians is our priority”, said Professor Philippe Amouyel, Director of the Fondation Alzheimer. To do so, the Foundation chose to fund both training opportunities and project development. “However, it is often difficult for French medical researchers and clinicians to follow training programs abroad, due to lack of resources and time,” added Professor Amouyel. "In order for them to be competitive and innovative in the field of Alzheimer research and care in France, Fondation Alzheimer partners with the Global Brain Health Institute to offer new and impactful possibilities.”
“We are delighted to have joined with the Fondation Alzheimer to offer this training opportunity to brain health leaders in France,” said Victor Valcour, MD, PhD, Executive Director of GBHI. “These types of partnerships are critical to our mission to reduce the scale and impact of dementia worldwide. We can achieve so much more impact through partnerships and global collaboration.”
Apply to the French Fondation Alzheimer’s Atlantic Fellows Program
Applications are now being accepted for the 2024–25 program:
- Application Deadline: September 25, 2023
- Program Start: Late August 2024
French citizens can apply for the French Fondation Alzheimer Atlantic Fellow Partnership Training Opportunity which aims to empower medical researchers and clinicians committed to Alzheimer’s disease and global change. Candidates must hold a medical doctorate and university doctorate degree (MD and PhD) obtained within the last 10 years. They must also hold a permanent position within a French academic institution at the time of the application or be in the process of obtaining one within 2 years, and be proficient in English.
