Brain Aneurysm Foundation Marks Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month with National Research, Education and Community Initiatives

20th Annual Research Grant Symposium in Louisville anchors month of activities as Foundation awards record $650,000 to advance brain aneurysm research

HANOVER, Mass., Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brain Aneurysm Foundation (BAF), the leading advocacy organization supporting education, research and policy to transform the treatment of brain aneurysms, will mark Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month this September with a broad range of activities across the country, led by its 20th Annual Research Grant Symposium in Louisville, Kentucky, and extending to community events, public awareness initiatives and advocacy efforts nationwide.

On September 17, BAF will bring together leading brain aneurysm researchers from across the United States and Canada for its annual scientific symposium and Research Grant Awards Dinner. This year, the Foundation is awarding a record $650,000 to support 18 research projects spanning genetics, artificial intelligence, diagnostics, imaging and new treatment strategies. Since launching its research grant program in 2007, BAF has invested more than $7 million to advance understanding of how brain aneurysms form and rupture and support new approaches to detection, risk assessment and treatment.

"Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month brings together every part of our mission, from researchers working to change what is possible and clinicians caring for patients, to survivors and families advocating for greater awareness and communities across the country raising funds to support continued progress," said Christine Buckley, Executive Director of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. "Our goal is to translate greater awareness into earlier detection, more research, better treatments and, ultimately, fewer lives lost or permanently changed by brain aneurysm rupture."

An estimated one in 50 people in the United States is living with an unruptured brain aneurysm, and approximately 30,000 Americans suffer a rupture each year. Of those who survive a rupture, more than 70 percent will suffer long-term neurologic challenges.

The month also reflects BAF's longstanding leadership in bringing greater national attention to brain aneurysms. Beginning more than 15 years ago, the Foundation led a multi-year advocacy effort that resulted in U.S. Senate recognition of September as National Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month. BAF has since continued working with policymakers across the country to increase federal funding for brain aneurysm research, including the bipartisan bill known as Ellie's Law, which aims to provide additional funds to the National Institutes of Health.

"Few organizations have had a more consequential impact on the brain aneurysm field than the Brain Aneurysm Foundation," said Walter Koroshetz, M.D., a leading neurologist and neuroscientist and former director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Promising early research funded by the BAF has often led to larger NIH grants, and the organization has been instrumental in bringing together investigators and clinicians from leading institutions, educating patients and medical professionals, and giving survivors and families a national voice. There simply is no other organization that brings these pieces together at this scale, and that leadership has been instrumental in moving the field forward."

Throughout September, BAF will bring that mission to communities across the country through activities including:

• The 20th Annual Research Grant Symposium in Louisville on September 17, bringing together leading researchers to share findings, foster collaboration and recognize BAF's 2026 grant recipients;
• BAF runs and walks in Long Island and Louisville on September 19; Philadelphia on September 20; New York City and Fredericksburg, Virginia on September 26; and Chicago on September 27;
• The illumination of landmarks across the country in recognition of Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month, including Louisville's Big Four Bridge on September 21 and buildings and bridges throughout Boston on September 25, with additional cities expected to participate;
• National education, advocacy and social media initiatives focused on brain aneurysm risk factors, warning signs, early detection and the experiences of survivors and families;
• Ongoing engagement with federal lawmakers and their staffs to advocate for "Ellie's Law," which aims to increase NIH funding for brain aneurysm research;
• A webinar on September 24, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, to help primary care clinicians and first responders recognize key signs and symptoms, understand risk factors and treatment options, and provide timely support for patients and families; and
• On September 26, the BAF will host its first global Virtual Community Support Group for survivors and caregivers. This is in addition to the dozens of hospital-led, in-person support groups nationwide that will offer programs in September.

The BAF works throughout the year to increase understanding of brain aneurysm warning signs and risk factors, encourage early detection among those at increased risk, advocate for greater federal research funding, and provide education and support to individuals and families affected by the disease.

About the Brain Aneurysm Foundation

The Brain Aneurysm Foundation (BAF) is the leading advocacy organization supporting education, research, and policy to transform the treatment of brain aneurysms, and is the largest private funder of brain aneurysm research. Through its strategic grant program, BAF fuels breakthroughs in early detection, prevention, treatment, and technology, advancing the standard of care and improving outcomes for patients. To learn more, visit bafound.org.

Media Contact:
Lynn Nuttall
Director of Marketing and Communications
Brain Aneurysm Foundation
781-826-5556 x 208
[email protected]

SOURCE Brain Aneurysm Foundation