Sabina Brennan

Sabina Brennan is an Irish neuroscientist, psychologist, and former television actress. She is currently an adjunct assistant professor working at Trinity College Dublin.

Sabina Brennan
Alma mater
Scientific career
FieldsNeuroscience, Psychology
Institutions
ThesisNeurocognitive and electrophysiological indices of cognitive performance in ageing (2011)
Doctoral advisorIan Robertson
Websitewww.sabinabrennan.ie

Early life and family

Brennan is the youngest of five children. Her father worked for Irish Life and she followed him into this business after finishing school.[1] She is married and has two sons.[1]

Acting

Brennan's enthusiasm for acting was noted when she was eight years old by her drama teacher who suggested private lessons to her parents, and Brennan returned to this interest after taking voluntary redundancy from Irish Life. She studied for her teacher's diploma at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and spent ten years as a full-time actor.[1] She appeared in over 160 episodes of the Irish television series Fair City as Tess Halpin.[2] Her character was fatally strangled as part of a high-profile domestic abuse storyline.[3][4]

Scientific career

After leaving Fair City, Brennan completed an undergraduate degree in psychology at Maynooth University before pursuing a PhD on changes in the brain associated with aging with Ian Robertson at Trinity College Dublin.[5] She completed her PhD studies in 2011 on "Neurocognitive and electrophysiological indices of cognitive performance in ageing".[6] She has published over 40 articles on brain health, dementia and cognitive function in aging adults.[7] Through this work she has investigated the importance of building resilience for brain health through mental stimulation[8] and exercise[9] (amongst other factors), which has formed the foundations of much of her subsequent research. She was co-director of the Neuro-Enhancement for Independent Lives (NEIL) research programme granted by Atlantic Philanthropies to develop interventions to slow or halt cognitive decline.[10][11][12] She was a co-applicant of a successful European Union Framework Programme 7 funding project, which established the Hello Brain website and app to enable people to engage with brain research and to provide tips on protecting brain health.[13][14]

She is active in national and international media, particularly in discussions about dementia and ageing.[2][15][16] With funding from the NEIL project, she developed a series of films addressing memory loss and brain health with Trinity College Dublin and Trinity Brain Health called Freedem.[17] In 2016, Brennan was a Trinity College Dublin candidate for a seat in Seanad Éireann but was unsuccessful.[18] In 2019, her book 100 Days to a Younger Brain was published by Orion Spring.[19][20]

Awards
  • 2018 Image Women of the Year[21]
  • 2017 Science Foundation Ireland Outstanding Contribution to Science Communication Award for her work on the 'Hello Brain' project[14][22]
  • 2017 Trinity Innovation Award for Societal Impact[23]

References
  1. "From Acting to Brain Research, Trinity's Sabina Brennan is Finding Her Way". www.universitytimes.ie. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  2. Butler, Kate (16 March 2014). "This is what I do". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. O'Connell, Claire (9 December 2008). "Leaving soap for science". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  4. "From electrocution to ecstasy - the most dramatic Fair City exits ever". Independent.ie. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  5. Quinlan, Áilín (23 May 2019). "Former Fair City star to discuss reducing risk of developing dementia". www.irishexaminer.com. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  6. Brennan, Sabina (2011). Neurocognitive and electrophysiological indices of cognitive performance in ageing (PhD thesis). Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland). School of Psychology. hdl:2262/83142.
  7. "Sabina Brennan - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  8. Kelly, Michelle E.; Loughrey, David; Lawlor, Brian A.; Robertson, Ian H.; Walsh, Cathal; Brennan, Sabina (1 May 2015). "The impact of cognitive training and mental stimulation on cognitive and everyday functioning of healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis". Ageing Research Reviews. 15: 28–43. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2014.02.004. hdl:2262/68232. ISSN 1568-1637. PMID 24607830. S2CID 24089701.
  9. Kelly, Michelle E.; Loughrey, David; Lawlor, Brian A.; Robertson, Ian H.; Walsh, Cathal; Brennan, Sabina (1 July 2014). "The impact of exercise on the cognitive functioning of healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis". Ageing Research Reviews. 16: 12–31. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2014.05.002. ISSN 1568-1637. PMID 24862109. S2CID 205667565.
  10. "Neuro-Enhancement for Independent Lives (NEIL) | Atlantic Philanthropies". The Atlantic Philanthropies. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  11. Brennan, Marjorie (28 September 2016). "Architecture exhibition entry aims to show how planned space can help people with dementia". www.irishexaminer.com. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  12. Hannigan, Caoimhe; Coen, Robert F.; Lawlor, Brian A.; Robertson, Ian H.; Brennan, Sabina (27 June 2015). "The NEIL Memory Research Unit: psychosocial, biological, physiological and lifestyle factors associated with healthy ageing: study protocol". BMC Psychology. 3 (1): 20. doi:10.1186/s40359-015-0079-y. ISSN 2050-7283. PMC 4486120. PMID 26131366.
  13. "Hello Brain". www.hellobrain.eu. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  14. O’Connell, Claire (13 January 2017). "TCD researcher Sabina Brennan puts brain health on the radar". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  15. Brennan, Sabina. "'Unless you make the most of your life, you waste it' - Dr Sabina Brennan on why she's happiest in her 50s". Independent.ie. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  16. Slaney, Rowan (23 April 2016). "The Science of Shakespeare - Science Weekly podcast". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  17. "FreeDem Films". FreeDemLiving.com. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  18. O'Halloran, Marie. "Novices offer independent expertise as TCD Seanad candidates". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  19. BRENNAN, DR SABRINA. (2019). 100 DAYS TO A YOUNGER BRAIN : improve your memory, fight dementia and ensure your future brain health. ORION SPRING. ISBN 978-1-4091-8496-6. OCLC 1035823234.
  20. O'Connell, Claire. "The rolling benefits of banking that brain health". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  21. McMullan, Dominique (14 December 2018). "Introducing the IMAGE Women of the Year 2018". IMAGE.ie. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  22. Ahlstrom, Dick. "Big data scientist wins researcher of the year award". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  23. "Professor Sabina Brennan Receives Trinity Innovation Award for Societal Impact". www.adaptcentre.ie. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
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