Professor Henry Brodaty AO named 2026 Senior Australian of the Year

Australia is proud to honour Professor Henry Brodaty AO as the 2026 Senior Australian of the Year, recognising a lifetime of extraordinary contribution to transforming the understanding, diagnosis, care and prevention of dementia across Australia and the world.

This national honour follows his recognition in November as the 2026 NSW Senior Australian of the Year, awarded for more than four decades of pioneering clinical innovation, world-leading research and tireless advocacy for people living with dementia, their families and carers.

Professor Brodaty is one of Australia’s most respected clinicians, researchers and global advocates. Based at the Prince of Wales Hospital and as Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at UNSW Sydney, his influence has reshaped the way governments, practitioners, researchers and communities engage with dementia - replacing despair with determination, silence with science, and stigma with support .

Professor Brodaty’s commitment to changing dementia care began with his own family. In 1972, his father Jacob was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at just 52 - at a time when dementia was poorly understood and services were virtually non-existent. That personal experience became the catalyst for a career that has touched hundreds of thousands of lives and set new global standards in care.

Founding Australia’s Alzheimer’s Movement

Professor Brodaty co-founded ADARDS NSW in 1982 and ADARDS Australia in 1984, the forerunners of today’s Dementia Australia, the national peak body for people impacted by dementia. In 1984 he also co-founded  Alzheimer’s Disease International where he continues as honorary vice-president. ADI now encompasses  over 100 countries and works closely with the World Health Organisation. This movement did more than create services — it changed national consciousness and gave families a long-overdue voice.

Transforming Clinical Care

In 1985, he founded one of Australia’s first memory clinics, introducing a compassionate, team-based model for diagnosis. To improve early detection, he co-designed the internationally adopted General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG) and led national GP education reaching more than 5,000 doctors.

Recognising the immense strain on carers, he developed a carer education program proven to reduce stress, delay nursing home admission and deliver significant cost savings. This program inspired the Australian Government’s Going to Stay at Home initiative, now delivering benefits for families nationwide.

Shaping Global Research and Prevention

As Co-Director of UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), Professor Brodaty has been central to major international breakthroughs in understanding brain health, ageing and prevention. He led Maintain Your Brain, the world’s largest online dementia risk-reduction trial, with results demonstrating real cognitive gains and offering a scalable, cost-effective model for national prevention.

His global research leadership is reflected not only in impact but in standing. Internationally, in December 2025, Scholar GPS¹ ranked Professor Brodaty as:

• the third leading scholar globally in geriatric psychiatry, and first in Australia
• the 15th leading scholar globally in dementia, and first in Australia
• the 29th leading scholar globally in cognitive deficit, and second in Australia, behind his long-term collaborator Professor Perminder Sachdev, with whom he co-directs CHeBA.

The Australian’s 2026 Research Magazine named him as Australia’s leading researcher in Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine. This annual publication recognises the nation’s top-performing researchers across 250 fields of inquiry, shining a light on Australia’s best research and highlighting outstanding contributions to knowledge and innovation.

He has authored more than 900 peer-reviewed articles, seven books and 53 book chapters, amassing over 95,000 citations and an h-index of 147 - one of the highest in his field worldwide.

Fellow Co-Director of CHeBA Professor Perminder Sachdev congratulated his colleague and long-term collaborator on this profoundly deserved national honour.

“Over more than three decades, our partnership has brought together two ends of the dementia research spectrum - the biological and the psychosocial - meeting at the centre with a shared commitment to improving the lives of older Australians.

A Trusted Voice in Policy and Reform

Professor Brodaty has helped shape major dementia initiatives over the past 30 years. His advice underpins the National Dementia Action Plan, national antipsychotic deprescribing guidelines, and reforms strengthening aged care safety and post-diagnosis support. He is a past President of the International Psychogeriatric Association and former Chair of Alzheimer’s Disease International, representing Australia on the global stage with distinction.

Grounded, Compassionate, Inspiring

Despite his global recognition, Professor Brodaty remains a clinician at heart - continuing to treat patients, support families and mentor the next generation of doctors and researchers. His leadership combines scientific rigour with deep humanity, and he continues to inspire Australians to act on brain health with urgency and hope.

Today, as we honour him at the national level, we recognise not only a giant in his field but a leader whose vision and integrity have changed countless lives.

A National Honour for a Global Leader

By naming Professor Henry Brodaty AO as the 2026 Senior Australian of the Year, Australia celebrates:

• A pioneer who established the foundations of national dementia advocacy
• A clinician who transformed diagnosis and care
• A scientist whose research is shaping global pathways to prevention
• A mentor and advocate whose compassion drives systemic change
• A leader whose lifelong dedication continues to offer Australians hope, dignity and a healthier future

¹                      ScholarGPS identifies Highly Ranked Scholars™ based on quantitative analysis of publication volume, citation impact and scholarly quality across Fields, Disciplines and Specialties. Rankings are derived from the most recent 2025 ScholarGPS dataset, which evaluates scholars worldwide and recognises those placed in the top 0.05% globally. Field- and specialty-level rankings reflect scholarly impact assessed over the totality of a researcher’s career (lifetime) and/or the preceding five-year period.