Dr. Michelle M. Braun '95
2022 Recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Achievement - College of Health Sciences
Dr. Michelle Braun '95 is a board-certified neuropsychologist who is passionate about
empowering individuals to boost brain health and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s with
science-backed strategies. Her work has been featured on PBS, NPR, Fox Morning News,
CBS, iHeart Radio, and in other media outlets.
Dr. Braun’s interest and future vocation was sparked as a teenager when she witnessed
the many challenges faced by older adults with memory problems. Inspired to improve
the care and quality of life for those with memory problems, she has pursued a career
as a neuropsychologist specializing in memory and cognition, geriatric psychology,
motivational enhancement, and brain health.
Believing that excellent brain health is foundational to success and joy in all aspects
of life, Dr. Braun has presented hundreds of nationwide lectures to audiences of all
sizes, sharing practical, engaging strategies that can be immediately applied to improve
brain health, enhance quality of life for individuals with dementia and their caregivers,
and use the arts to minimize symptoms of dementia, among dozens of topics related
to dementia and brain health.
She is an Examiner for the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology, Member of the
Board of Directors and Scientific and Advisory Panel of the Alzheimer’s Association
Wisconsin Chapter, and previous board member of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology
and Wisconsin Psychological Association. Dr. Braun previously served as the Assistant
Director of Inpatient Mental Health at the Boston VA and Instructor of Psychiatry
at Harvard Medical School.
Since 2006, she has devoted her clinical neuropsychology practice to serving the greater
Racine community at Ascension Healthcare, with a specialty focus in Alzheimer’s disease
and other dementia, brain health, geropsychology, and decisional capacity.
Dr. Braun was honored to receive a Practitioner of the Year Award from the Alzheimer’s
Association and was named to the “40 Under 40” class of 2013 by the Milwaukee Business
Journal. Her bestselling book, High-Octane Brain: 5 Science-Based Steps to Sharpen
Your Memory and Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s, empowers readers to optimize brain
health and well-being with an inspiring personalized action plan. In her book, she
inspires readers to make lasting improvements by understanding the truth about brain
health and providing expert guidance through the maze of conflicting advice on supplements,
brain games, nutrition, and exercise. Braun provides a tracking system with a visual
depiction of progress and shows the High-Octane Brain plan in action through the lives
of clients.
Dr. Braun earned her undergraduate degree in Cello Performance and Psychology from
Carroll University and a Master of Science and PhD in Clinical Psychology with a minor
in Neuroscience from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She completed her internship
at Yale University School of Medicine, and postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical
School/Boston VA Healthcare System. She was previously honored with the esteemed Carroll
University Joseph Runkel Award for Excellence in Psychology, the highest honor for
excellence in psychology, awarded in the name of Dr. Joseph E. Runkel, the founder
of Carroll’s psychology department, who devoted nearly 50 years to Carroll.
