Dementia researcher Henry Brodaty thinks people should spend more time thinking about their head in the battle against dementia.
"People think more about their hair than what's underneath," he said.
The pioneering scientist, whose research has touched countless lives, has shown simple lifestyle changes can help delay the onset of dementia.
For his world-leading work, he's been named Senior Australian of the Year for 2026.
Professor Brodaty said changes to a person's diet and exercise routine could make a real difference to their likelihood of developing the brain condition.
"Over 430,000 Australians and over a million family carers are touched by dementia," he said while accepting his award at a ceremony at the National Arboretum in Canberra.
"Direct and indirect costs total over $18 billion.
"Almost half the cost of dementia is caused by preventable factors that we can modify in our lifestyle," Prof Brodaty said.
The pioneering professor called for a national brain health program, to help make people aware of the steps they can take to prevent dementia.
"We need the slip slop slap of brain health, and this needs to be a whole of life approach," he said.
"The earlier we start, the better."
At just 52 years old, Prof Brodaty's father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Seven years later, his dad died.
That spurred Prof Brodaty, then a psychiatrist focused on depression, to dedicate his life to researching what at the time was a poorly understood condition.
In 1985, Prof Brodaty established one of the nation's first memory clinics, and went on to develop a dementia screening procedure which is now used around the world.
He also led a national training program for GPs, helping more than 5,000 doctors better understand the complex neurological condition, and has published more than 400 papers and book chapters.
Prof Brodaty founded the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing in 2012, leading crucial research which improved the medical community's understanding of dementia risk and prevention techniques.
Australia Day Council boss Mark Fraser said Prof Brodaty's work would have long-lasting benefits.
"Henry has turned his personal experience into a lifelong commitment to improving outcomes for people living with dementia," he said in a statement.
"His research is expanding understanding of the condition and identifying ways to prevent and delay its onset. His work will benefit not just those affected today, but all of us in the future," Mr Fraser said.
