Center for BrainHealth, a leader in advancing the science and optimization of brain performance and health, has partnered with Dr. Krystal Sexton , PhD, as senior advisor, Workplace Initiatives. An internationally recognized expert in health, well-being and brain capital, Dr. Sexton will play a key role in expanding the center’s workplace-focused strategy, equipping organizations with science-based tools to optimize workforce performance and resilience. As part of her work, she will also help develop a transformational Workplace Summit to take place in February 2027, during the fifth annual BrainHealth Week .Dr. Sexton brings more than two decades of experience across academia, healthcare and industry, with a career dedicated to advancing mental, physical and brain health at scale. She currently serves as founder and CEO of Cognitive Capital Group; her previous role as Global Health Analytics Manager at Shell plc positioned her at the forefront of integrating brain health into workforce performance strategies across multinational operations.
“Organizations and their leadership can no longer afford to ignore the mounting evidence that supporting workforce wellness and engagement must include supporting individual, team and organizational brain health and performance,” said Stephen White , JD, COO at Center for BrainHealth. “This goes well beyond mental health and stress management. We must empower our teams with tools that proactively help their brains perform better to navigate the complexity, fluidity and opportunity of today’s rapidly changing work environment.”“At Center for BrainHealth, we have spent nearly 30 years laser-focused on how to measure and improve how the brain functions—at work and at home, across professions and populations,” he added. “To accelerate this critical work, we are honored to partner with Dr. Sexton, whose global leadership and expertise will help organizations translate science into scalable, transformative impact.”
In her new advising role, Dr. Sexton will help guide the center’s growing workplace initiatives portfolio, advancing a systematic, science-based approach to optimizing workforce performance. She will advise on enterprise partnerships, shaping scalable program design, and translating cutting-edge brain health research into practical solutions for organizations seeking to enhance adaptability, innovation and long-term performance.Dr. Sexton’s career spans impactful work in both research and applied settings. She served as faculty at Baylor College of Medicine and completed postdoctoral training at MD Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor. She holds a PhD in epidemiology and an MS in biostatistics from The University of Texas School of Public Health. Her global perspective is further demonstrated through invited speaking engagements at the United Nations General Assembly, the G7, and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“I am honored to advise and partner with the Center for BrainHealth at such a pivotal moment,” said Dr. Sexton. “The future of work demands that organizations move beyond traditional approaches to well-being and adopt strategies grounded in how the brain truly functions. Center for BrainHealth’s rigorous science and proven tools offer a powerful foundation to help organizations unlock human potential, drive performance, and create healthier, more resilient cultures worldwide.”She added, “Brain health isn’t merely a soft skill—it’s a strategic driver with a measurable impact on business outcomes.”
About Center for BrainHealth
Center for BrainHealth ® , part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a nonprofit translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving, and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting the continual growth of cognition, well-being and social connections in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to thrive and unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations leverage 1) the BrainHealth Index , a proprietary measure that uniquely charts one's upward (or downward) brain health trajectory whatever their starting level; and 2) Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics ( SMART™ ) brain health training, a strategy-based toolkit developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades. The center's landmark longitudinal study, The BrainHealth Project , launched in 2020 with the goal of identifying actionable strategies for optimizing brain health throughout life, uncovering the dynamic relationship between lifestyle factors, biological markers, brain training and cognitive performance. It is co-led by Dr. Sandi Chapman , Dr. Mark D'Esposito , Dr. Geoff Ling , Dr. Ian Robertson , Dr. Vince Calhoun and Tom Leppert , with Georgeann and Adm. William McRaven (ret.) serving as national spokespersons.