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.