Cohort 
2016

Fionnuala Sweeney

Journalist & Broadcaster

I hope to promote brain health awareness, reduce the fear surrounding dementia both for people living with the disease and for those who are afraid of a diagnosis so that as many as possible can live healthier, better lives.

Current Work

Fionnuala oversees the creation of content which amplifies the Atlantic Institute’s (University of Oxford) collaborative work for impact with Atlantic Fellows around the world. Her podcast series, “Dementia is Global,” aims to raise global awareness about brain health to change attitudes and policies.

Personal Hero

Carers

Words of Strength

Making things happen

Vision

By raising awareness about the importance of brain health and talking to leading figures in the dementia space, Fionnuala hopes to reduce the stigma about disease around the world and promote brain health.

Strategy

Fionnuala is the host of the podcast series, “Dementia is Global,” in which she speaks to leading figures in GBHI, Alzheimer’s USA, and Alzheimer’s Association Kenya about what is being done to reduce the prevalence of dementia while increasing awareness about brain health.

Impact

By raising global awareness about the importance of brain health and its equivalence with physical health through “Dementia is Global,” Fionnuala is connected with GBHI’s mission of reducing the threat of dementia to the world’s aging population.

Motivation

As a broadcast journalist with more than two decades’ international experience, Fionnuala has observed firsthand the power and reach of communication, and how information—or lack thereof—can alter people’s lives.