Dr. Wexler to receive Invisible Disabilities Association recognition at the 2016 Brain IDEAS Symposium

August 3, 2016 — NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Aug. 3, 2016) — The Brain IDEAS Symposium brings together innovators and thought leaders from around the globe to discuss the latest findings in brain disorders, health and therapy. At the 2016 Brain IDEAS Symposium, Dr. Bruce Wexler will be honored with the Invisible Disabilities Association’s (IDA) 2016 Innovation Award for his work at Yale and C8 Sciences creating an evidence-based cognitive skills training program that improves focus, self-control and memory in elementary school students. Lack of these essential skills contributes to life-long learning and work problems in children with ADHD, and to achievement gaps associated with poverty and race nationwide. Dr. Wexler’s work was previously recognized with an NIH Director’s Award for “high impact, high innovation, paradigm-changing research.”

The IDA’s Innovation Award is given to thought leaders pioneering research, making scientific discoveries and applying new technologies to help individuals with brain disorders. Dr. Wexler was selected as this year’s recipient for his ingenuity as the founder of C8 Sciences and the development of its ACTIVATE program. Through C8 Sciences’ research-validated ACTIVATE program, students with and without attention-related disorders are able to improve core cognitive functions, leading to significant academic gains across the board.

“The development of ACTIVATE has put advanced research on brain plasticity into practice by placing the power of effective brain exercises in the hands of health care professionals, educators and parents,” Dr. Wexler said. “The Innovation Award is a welcome reminder that innovative research and technology can make measurable improvements in the education of a diverse range of students.”

Dr. Wexler is professor emeritus of psychiatry and senior research scientist at Yale School of Medicine and director of the Neurocognitive Research Laboratory at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. He has spent the past 35 years leading innovation in computer-presented brain exercises to treat cognitive deficits in people with psychiatric illnesses. His research came to fruition with the development of ACTIVATE cognition-training program for children from C8 Sciences.

Developed in 2015, the Innovation Award recognizes those who have displayed leadership in innovating the field of brain health. Dr. Evian Gordon was the first recipient of the award, and was selected for his leadership as the Chairman and CEO of the Brain Resource.

The Innovation Award will be presented during the symposium on Friday, Aug. 5 in Lone Tree, Colorado.

To learn more about C8 Sciences, please visit https://www.c8sciences.com.

About C8 Sciences
C8 Sciences is the developer of ACTIVATE, a neuroscience-based cognition intervention and assessment used to help children with ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and children from disadvantaged backgrounds who have not had the stimulation needed to develop essential cognitive skills. Developed by Yale neuroscientist and professor of psychiatry, Dr. Bruce Wexler, ACTIVATE combines computer and physical exercises to develop and strengthen the brain systems important for executive functions. To learn more about C8 Sciences and the ACTIVATE program, visit https://www.c8sciences.com.

# # #

Media Contacts:
— Quinn Buchanan, C. Blohm & Associates, quinn@cblohm.com, 608-216-7300, ext. 21

###