Tommy Wood

At a glance

• British physician and neuroscientist; associate professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at the University of Washington in Seattle.
• Studied biochemistry at Cambridge and medicine at Oxford, then earned a PhD in physiology and neuroscience in Oslo. His lab studies brain injury in preterm babies and adults, and what protects cognition in the long run.
• Wrote ‘The Stimulated Mind’ (2026) on preventing cognitive decline: his ‘3-S’ model centres on brain stimulation, sleep and nutrient supply, with exercise, social connection and stress as levers.
• Also works as a performance coach for elite athletes, including Formula 1 drivers, and is a trustee of the British Society for Lifestyle Medicine.
• Central to his message is ‘headroom’: the more reserve capacity your brain builds by being challenged, the better it can absorb damage and ageing.
• Relevant because he approaches dementia prevention soberly, without expensive pills. Recently a guest of Rangan Chatterjee and of Matt Kaeberlein’s Optispan Podcast.