Dear friends,

Thanks to the generosity and support of our community and donors like you, the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute has become a care destination for patients and families throughout our region and across the nation. 

We're proud of the progress underway and have worked with our partners at the UC Foundation to create an online platform showcasing our vision for the future and how you can join us on the path ahead.

Joseph Broderick, MD
Director, UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute
Principal Investigator of National Coordinating Center for NIH StrokeNet  

Focused on the pursuit of lifelong brain health, we are recruiting and retaining top talent for research and care and leveraging the power of big data to provide personalized medicine that improves the lives of our patients and their families.

When Hannah and Eric Hengehold’s father, Brad, was diagnosed with a stage four glioblastoma in Feb. 2023, their world was shaken. But in the wake of his passing just two months later, a goal emerged as a mission to fight back. 

The result: Brad to the Bone Foundation was born—a brain tumor research fundraising organization for the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute.

One of the many ways the Hengehold family honors their father's legacy and fights for a cure is through its Cheers for Charity event, held on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at West Side Brewing, coinciding with what would have been Brad Hengehold’s birthday.

"It impacted us so strongly how UC is actively doing such wonderful research right in our backyard," Hannah Hengehold recalls. "We ultimately chose to donate our funds to the neuroscience institute because of their aggressive efforts with brain tumor clinical trials and research.”

The Walk Ahead for Brain Tumor Discoveries on Sunday, Oct. 13 was another opportunity for the family to rally support. Last year, they participated in the walk for the first time, and they returned in 2024 with renewed energy and a growing team of supporters. 

More than 1,300 participants joined us for Walk Ahead this year, helping us raise over $240,000 for brain tumor research. Save the date for Walk Ahead 2025 on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. Use the button below to make a donation at walkahead.org and learn how to get involved!

Email Heather.Sherwood@foundation.uc.edu or call Heather at 513-558-6769 to learn how you can support research and care at the UC Brain Tumor Center.

UC Health has once again secured prestigious Gold Plus Awards from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) for its exceptional stroke care services. The awards highlight UC Health’s commitment to delivering superior stroke care across the Greater Cincinnati region.

National outlets including CNN, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report highlighted research led by Russell Sawyer, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Neurology & Rehabilitation Medicine, that found following the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, concentration and memory problems.

Led by UC’s Alberto Espay, MD, a study published in the journal Brain shows that increases in protein levels with new Alzheimer’s drugs can explain the slowing of cognitive impairment at least as well as the reduction in amyloid plaques. 

The SOAR Study is a collaborative research initiative designed to identify contributors to the ongoing epidemic of persistent emotional distress, suicide and drug overdose in the state of Ohio, and will investigate the role of underlying biological, psychological and social factors. 

After being told he had an inoperable brain tumor, Air Force veteran Tyler Nuttle sought a second opinion at the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute.

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